Patent Application
20120027598
Gas turbine engines typically include a compressor that delivers compressed air to a combustor in which the compressed air is mixed with fuel and burned. The rapidly expanding products of combustion move through turbine blades causing them to rotate a shaft which provides rotative force to propeller or fan blades. Turbine rotors typically include a rotor disk and a plurality of circumferentially spaced removable turbine blades. Since the rotor disk and the turbine blades are subject to extreme temperatures, cooling air is typically delivered to these components to cool them.
Cooling air may be delivered from a central location to the rotor disk and then radially outwardly to internal passages within each turbine blades.
To seal cooling passages along the rotor disk, cover plates are typically attached to the rotor disk. Cover plates typically follow the contour of the disk to create a boundary layer effect that pumps cooling air from the central location to the radially outward location while the cover plate and rotor disk rotate.
A mechanism for use in a gas turbine engine has a cover plate, a rotor disk, a first slot in the cover plate, a second slot in the rotor disk, a first finger in the cover plate extending through the second slot, and a second finger in the rotor disk extending through the first slot. The first finger and the second finger form a channel and a holder is disposed in the channel for locking the rotor disk and the cover plate together.
A mechanism for use in rotating equipment has a first rotating body, a second rotating body, a first slot in the first rotating body, a second slot in the second rotating body, a first finger in the first body extending through the second slot, a second finger in the second body extending through the first slot wherein the first finger and the second finger form a channel and a holder disposed in the channel for locking the cover plate and the cover plate together.
A mechanism for use in rotating equipment has a first rotating body, a second rotating body, a first slot in the first rotating body, a second slot in the second rotating body, a first finger in the cover plate extending through the second slot, a second finger in the rotor disk extending through the first slot wherein the first finger and the second finger form a channel and a holder disposed in the channel for locking the cover plate and the cover plate together.
These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.
Referring now to
Referring now to
As shown in
The interlock mechanism 100 axially, radially, and angularly attaches cylindrical-like components, such as cover plates and disks as shown. Though a cover plate 15 is shown attaching to a rotor disk 10, the coupling of parts that may have other shapes by the interlock mechanism 100 is contemplated herein.
To assemble the interlock mechanism, the portions 125 of each flange 105, 110 of each of the cover plate 15 and the rotor disk 10 are interleaved through the slots 115. 120 formed between portions 125 of the other part. After interleaving is complete, the ring 140 is inserted in the channel 135 formed by the radial finger portions 130. The ring 140 may be split for ease of insertion.
Referring now to
Although a combination of features is shown in the illustrated examples, not all of them need to be combined to realize the benefits of various embodiments of this disclosure. In other words, a system designed according to an embodiment of this disclosure will not necessarily include all of the features shown in any one of the Figures or all of the portions schematically shown in the Figures. Moreover, selected features of one example embodiment may be combined with selected features of other example embodiments.
The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this disclosure. The scope of legal protection given to this disclosure can only be determined by studying the following claims.
