The application relates generally to gas turbine engine and, more particularly, to a shroud housing support arrangement.
Turbine shrouds are used to control rotor tip clearance. If not appropriately control, the rotor tip clearance may have a detrimental impact on the turbine performances. Accordingly, the turbine shroud must be appropriately supported on the engine structure to ensure the integrity of the tip clearance during engine operation. This has proven to be particularly challenging in applications where the operating temperatures do not allow for a unitary vane ring and where circumferentially segmented vane rings are used to accommodate thermal expansion. In such applications, the shroud segments are typically supported from an axially remote location by the turbine support case (TSC). This results in a relatively long structural path between the shroud and its point of attachment to the engine structure. This makes the control of the tip clearance challenging during engine operation.
In one aspect, there is provided a turbine assembly for a gas turbine engine, the turbine assembly comprising: a shroud housing supporting a circumferential array of shroud segments about a tip of a circumferential array of turbine blades mounted for rotation about an engine axis, and a circumferentially segmented vane ring mounted to an internal structure of the engine axially adjacent to the circumferential array of turbine blades, the circumferentially segmented vane ring including a plurality of vane segments, the vane segments jointly supporting the shroud housing, the shroud housing being axially restrained on the vane segments by a retaining ring.
In another aspect, there is provided a shroud mounting arrangement for a gas turbine engine, the shroud mounting arrangement comprising: a shroud housing, a shroud mounted to the shroud housing, the shroud being configured to surround a stage of rotor blades mounted for rotation about an axis of the engine, a circumferentially segmented vane ring axially adjacent to the stage of rotor blades, the circumferentially segmented vane ring comprising a plurality of vane segments, the vane segments jointly supporting the shroud housing, and a retaining ring axially restraining the shroud housing on the circumferentially segmented vane ring.
In a further aspect, there is provided a method of assembling a turbine shroud about a circumferential array of turbine blades mounted for rotation about an axis of a gas turbine engine, the method comprising: assembling a plurality of vane segments on inner ring structure to form a circumferentially segmented vane ring assembly, mounting a shroud housing to the circumferentially segmented vane ring assembly, the shroud housing projecting axially from the circumferentially segmented vane ring and supporting a plurality of shroud segments configured for placement about a circumferential array of turbine blades.
Reference is now made to the accompanying figures in which:
As shown in
According to the example shown in
As can be appreciated from
By axially restraining and supporting the shroud housing 46 on the vane segments 26 adjacent to the rotor blades 22, the impact of shroud housing bending on the tip clearance may be reduced because the shroud segments 56 are very close to the shroud supporting structure. Indeed, any bending induced in the shroud housing 46 will have less impact on the tip clearance than if the shroud support structure was located farther from the turbine blades 22. By reducing the structure path between the shroud segments 56 and the location where the shroud housing 46 is attached to the engine structure, a better control of the tip clearance can be achieved. By minimizing the tip clearance, the engine performances can be improved.
As shown in
The use of a hook connection on the inner or outer platform of the vane segments and a lug and slot connection on the other one of the inner and outer platforms of the vane segments allows minimizing the looseness in the shroud supporting structure while still allowing for the thermal growth of the vane segments during engine operation.
According to one embodiment, a major portion of the weight of the shroud housing is supported by the vane ring assembly. According to another embodiment, the shroud housing is exclusively supported by the vane segments. The shroud housing can be cantilevered from the shroud housing and axially restrained thereon by a retaining ring.
The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed. For example, while the invention has been described in the context of a high pressure turbine section, it is understood that similar shroud mounting arrangement could be used in other sections of the engine. Still other modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims.
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