Patent Application
20250188850
The present application claims the benefit of Indian Patent Application number 202311084357, filed on Dec. 11, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates generally to drive shafts in a gas turbine engine, and, in particular, to a torsional vibration damper mechanism for a gas turbine engine.
Engines, and, particularly, gas or combustion turbine engines, are rotary engines that extract energy from a flow of combustion gases passing through the engine onto a multitude of turbine blades. Turbine engines have been used for land and nautical locomotion, and power generation. Turbine engines are commonly used for aeronautical applications such as for aircraft, including helicopters and airplanes. In aircraft, turbine engines are used for propulsion of the aircraft. In terrestrial applications, turbine engines are often used for power generation.
Complex machines such as turbine engines include rotating systems to convert energy to work or to transfer rotation from one component to another, using, for example, a gear rotating drive shaft and, in some situations, a gearbox. Vibration in components or parts including drive shafts during operation add stress to the components or the part, which may lead to potential failure.
The foregoing and other features and advantages will be apparent from the following, more particular, description of various exemplary embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements.
Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, the following detailed description is exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the disclosure as claimed.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed in detail below. While specific embodiments are discussed, this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
In the following specification and the claims, reference may be made to “optional” or “optionally” to mean that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances in which the event occurs and instances in which the event does not.
As used herein, the terms “axial” and “axially” refer to directions and orientations that extend substantially parallel to a centerline of the turbine engine or the combustor. Moreover, the terms “radial” and “radially” refer to directions and orientations that extend substantially perpendicular to the centerline of the turbine engine. A turbine engine includes, for example, a turbojet engine, a turboprop engine, a turbofan, or a turboshaft engine.
Embodiments of the present disclosure seek to provide a system and a method to dampen torsional vibration of a shaft. A shaft, such as a slender shaft, may have a relatively high inertia that may lead to torsional vibration in the shaft. For example, a connection of a low-pressure and/or a booster compressor (LPC) assembly coupled to a forward fan assembly and to the low-pressure (LP) drive shaft may induce torsional vibration in the LP drive shaft. In addition, a presence of a gearbox between the LPC assembly and the LP drive shaft may further excite torsional vibration responses in the LP drive shaft. Therefore, in order to reduce or substantially to eliminate the torsional vibration, a torsional vibration damper mechanism is used. For example, the torsional vibration damper mechanism can be provided integrated with a rotating shaft at any place where damper effectiveness can be maximized.”
In some embodiments, the torsional vibration mechanism includes aligning two distinct mode shapes of a main shaft and an integrated shaft with flexible attachments, to limit the response by aligning nodes with antinodes to limit the response. This mechanism can be put at any place where damper effectiveness is desired and space is available.
In some embodiments, the torsional vibration damper mechanism may include viscoelastic materials or smart materials such as a shape memory alloy (SMA). Alternatively, or additionally, a trapped high viscous fluid can be used for dampening torsional vibration.
In some embodiments, a combination of stiff and flexible members can be provided with vibration damping inserts. For example, the vibration damping inserts may include inverted Y-beam inserts coupling an inertia inner ring to one or more outer rings. The inverted Y-beam inserts can be tuned for torsional mode of interest. The inserts can also include a viscoelastic material.
Any torque fluctuation leads to displacement of flexible members or shafts against the damping element. Benefits of using a torsional vibration mechanism include, but are not limited to, providing controlled torsional vibrations for slender architectures. Rotor components relieved from high torque pulsations otherwise might be a concern for high cycle fatigue (HCF).
In operation, air entering the turbine engine 10 through intake 32 is channeled through the fan assembly 12 towards the LPC assembly 14. Compressed air is discharged from the LPC assembly 14 towards the HPC assembly 16. Highly compressed air is channeled from the HPC assembly 16 towards the combustor assembly 18, mixed with fuel, and the mixture of air and fuel is burned within the combustor assembly 18. High temperature combustion gas generated by the combustor assembly 18 is channeled towards the HPT assembly 20 and the LPT assembly 22. Combustion gas is subsequently discharged from the turbine engine 10 via an exhaust 34.
In an embodiment, the first drive shaft 28 (LP shaft) may have a relatively high inertia relative to other rotating components such that may lead to torsional vibration in the first drive shaft 28. For example, the first drive shaft 28 (LP shaft) may have relatively high inertia towards the ends of shaft as it is connected to the fan assembly 12 which has a relatively a greater mass and/or a greater radius than the mass and/or radii of other rotating components (e.g., other fan blades in the LPT). In general, since the moment of inertia of an object is proportional to a mass of the object and a radius of the object, a greater mass and/or radius would lead to a higher moment of inertia. For example, a connection of the LPC assembly 14, which is coupled to the forward fan assembly 12 via the first drive shaft 28, may induce torsional vibration in the first drive shaft 28. In addition, the gearbox 60 provided between the LPC assembly 14 and the first drive shaft 28 may further excite torsional vibration responses in the first drive shaft 28. Unwanted torsional vibration in the first drive shaft 28 should be eliminated since the vibration can introduce stress over time on the first drive shaft 28 itself and other components or assemblies coupled to the first drive shaft 28. Therefore, in order to reduce or substantially to eliminate the torsional vibration, a torsional vibration damper mechanism 70 is used. The tortional mechanism 70 will be described in detail in the following paragraphs. In an embodiment, as shown in
Although the vibrational torsional coupling is described in the above paragraphs as being in the first drive shaft 28 (LP shaft), the torsional vibrational coupling can also be equally present in the second drive shaft 30 (HP shaft). Therefore, the torsional vibration damper mechanism 70 can also be used in the second drive shaft 30 (HP shaft). For example, a first torsional vibration damper mechanism can be used in the first drive shaft 28 and a second torsional vibration damper mechanism, separate from the first torsional vibration damper mechanism, can be used in the second drive shaft 28. The torsional vibration damper mechanism 70 can be used as the first torsional vibration damper mechanism or the second torsional vibration damper mechanism.
In the following paragraphs, the torsional vibration damper mechanism 70 is described as being used in the first drive shaft 28. However, alternatively or additionally, the torsional vibration damper mechanism 70 can also be used in the second drive shaft 30.
As shown in
In some embodiments, the vibrational mode shapes of the first drive shaft 28 and/or the second drive shaft 30 can be aligned with the vibrational mode shapes of the torsional vibration damper mechanism 80 to reduce torsional vibration in the first drive shaft 28. Flexible attachments can be used to couple the torsional vibration damper mechanism 80 to the first drive shaft 28 to limit vibration response by aligning nodes of the first drive shaft 28 with antinodes of the torsional vibration damper mechanism 80 to limit the response. The torsional vibration damper mechanism 80 can be put at any place where damper effectiveness is desired and space is available.
In some embodiments, in addition to the third drive shaft 81, the torsional vibration damper mechanism 80 further includes a plurality of vibration damping inserts 82 that are provided in the cavity 84 between the third drive shaft 81 and the first drive shaft 28. The plurality of vibration damping inserts 82 may include a combination of stiff members and flexible members. For example, the plurality of vibration damping inserts 82 may include a plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts 82A to couple the third drive shaft 81 of the torsional vibration damper mechanism 80 to the first drive shaft 28. The plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts 82A can be tuned for a torsional vibration mode of interest in the first drive shaft 28. The plurality of vibration damping inserts 82 may further include a plurality of damping elements 82B. The plurality of damping elements 82B are configured to couple the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts 82A to the third drive shaft 81 of the torsional vibration damper mechanism 80. The plurality of vibration damping inserts 82 may also include a plurality of coupling elements 82C. The plurality of coupling elements 82C are configured to couple the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts 82A to the first drive shaft 28. In an embodiment, the plurality of damping elements 82B may include a viscoelastic material such as a shape memory alloy (SMA). In another embodiment, the plurality of damping elements 82B may include a spring and/or a viscous fluid to provide spring compression and/or fluid friction damping. Alternatively, or additionally, a trapped viscous fluid can also be provided in the cavity 84 between the third drive shaft 81 of the torsional vibration damper mechanism 80 and the first drive shaft 28 to further dampen torsional vibration.
The coupling of the third drive shaft 71, 81 to the first drive shaft 28 can be a direct coupling or a coupling through the mechanical coupling 72A or the plurality of vibration damping inserts 82. As shown in
The torsional vibration mechanism 70, 80 is described in the above paragraphs being used to dampen or to reduce or substantially to eliminate torsional vibration in the first drive shaft 28. However, alternatively or in addition, the torsional vibration mechanism 70, 80 can also be used to dampen or to reduce or substantially to eliminate torsional vibration in the second drive shaft 30. Therefore, the above description of the tortional vibration mechanism 70, 80 with respect to the first drive shaft 28 is also applicable to the second drive shaft 30.
In an embodiment, the inner disk 92 of the torsional vibration damper mechanism 90 has a hollow cavity 91A and has a plurality of slots 91B for coupling the torsional vibration damper mechanism 90 to the third drive shaft 81 (not shown in
In some embodiments, the vibrational mode shapes of the first drive shaft 28 can be aligned with the vibrational mode shapes of the torsional vibration damper mechanism 90 together with the third drive shaft 81 (not shown in
In some embodiments, in addition to the inner disk 92 and to the plurality of torque transmission struts 94, the torsional vibration damper mechanism 90 further includes a plurality of vibration damping inserts 100 that are provided in the hollow cavity 96 between the inner disk 92 and the first drive shaft 28. As shown in
The plurality of vibration damping inserts 100 may include a combination of stiff members and flexible members. For example, the plurality of vibration damping inserts 100 may include a plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts 100A to couple the inner disk 92 of the torsional vibration damper mechanism 90 to the first drive shaft 28. The plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts 100A can be tuned for a torsional vibration mode of interest in the first drive shaft 28. The plurality of vibration damping inserts 100 may further include a plurality of damping elements 100B. The plurality of damping elements 100B are configured to couple the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts 100A to the inner disk 92 of the torsional vibration damper mechanism 90. The plurality of damping elements 100B may be provided in slots 91C within the inner disk 92. The slots 91C can be provided near the first end 94A of the plurality of torque transmission struts 94. The plurality of vibration damping inserts 100 may also include a plurality of coupling elements 100C. The plurality of coupling elements 100C are configured to couple the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts 100A to the first drive shaft 28. In an embodiment, the plurality of damping elements 100B may include a viscoelastic material such as a shape memory alloy (SMA). In another embodiment, the plurality of damping elements 100B may include a spring and/or a viscous fluid to provide spring compression and/or fluid friction damping.
Further aspects are provided by the subject matter of the following clauses.
A torsional vibration mechanism for damping tortional vibration of a first drive, a second drive shaft, or both is provided in an aspect of the present disclosure. The torsional vibration damper mechanism includes a third drive shaft mechanically coupled to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both. The third drive shaft is configured to reduce or substantially to eliminate torsional vibration in the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to the above clause, wherein the third drive shaft is directly coupled to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein a radius of the third drive shaft is less than a radius of the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein a mass of the third drive shaft is greater than a mass of the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, further including a mechanical coupling, the mechanical coupling configured to mechanically couple the third drive shaft to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the third drive shaft is a hollow drive shaft that is provided within a cavity of the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, further including a plurality of vibration damping inserts provided in a cavity between the third drive shaft and the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both, the plurality of vibration damping inserts configured to mechanically couple the third drive shaft to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, the plurality of vibration damping inserts including a plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts configured to couple the third drive shaft to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both, wherein the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts are tunable for torsional vibration mode of interest in the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of vibration damping inserts include a plurality of damping elements, the plurality of damping elements being configured to couple the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts to the third drive shaft.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of damping elements includes a viscoelastic material, a memory alloy (SMA), a spring, or a viscous fluid, or any combination thereof to provide spring compression or fluid friction damping.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, further including a trapped viscous fluid, the trapped viscous fluid provided in the cavity between the third drive shaft and the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of vibration damping inserts comprise a plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts and a plurality of coupling elements, the plurality of coupling elements being configured to couple the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts to the first drive shaft.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the first drive, the second drive shaft, or both have a first oscillation mode and the third drive shaft has a second oscillation mode, and the second oscillation mode of the third drive shaft limits or reduces the first oscillation mode of the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein a position of the third drive shaft is adjustable relative to a position of the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both to adjust a torsional vibration dampening.
A torsional vibration damper mechanism for damping tortional vibration of a first drive shaft, a second drive shaft, or both, the torsional vibration damper mechanism including an inner disk and a plurality of torque transmission struts configured to couple the first drive shaft or the second drive shaft with a third drive shaft, wherein the third drive shaft together with the torsional vibration damper mechanism are configured to reduce or substantially to eliminate torsional vibration in the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to the above clause, wherein the torsional vibration damper mechanism is arranged within a hollow cavity of the first drive shaft within a how cavity of the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the inner disk of the torsional vibration damper mechanism has a hollow cavity and has a plurality of slots for coupling the torsional vibration damper mechanism to the third drive shaft 81.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of torque transmission struts are coupled at a first end to the inner disk and coupled at a second end to the first drive shaft using a plurality of coupling elements.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, further including a plurality of vibration damping inserts that are provided in a cavity of first drive shaft between the inner disk and the first drive shaft.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of vibration damping inserts include a plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts to couple the inner disk of the torsional vibration damper mechanism to the first drive shaft or the second drive shaft, or both.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts are tuned for a torsional vibration mode of interest in the first drive shaft or the second drive shaft.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of vibration damping inserts include a plurality of damping elements.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of damping elements are configured to couple the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts to the inner disk of the torsional vibration damper mechanism.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of damping elements are provided in slots within the inner disk.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of vibration damping inserts include a plurality of coupling elements configured to couple the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts to the first drive shaft or the second drive shaft.
The torsional vibration damper mechanism according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of damping elements include a viscoelastic material, a shape memory alloy (SMA), a spring, or a viscous fluid to provide spring compression and/or fluid friction damping.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a turbine engine includes a first drive shaft and a second drive shaft, and a torsional vibration damper mechanism including a third drive shaft mechanically coupled to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both. The third drive shaft is configured to reduce or substantially to eliminate torsional vibration in the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The turbine engine according to the above clause, wherein the third drive shaft is directly coupled to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The turbine engine according to any of the above clauses, wherein a radius of the third drive shaft is less than a radius of the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both, or a mass of the third drive shaft is greater than a mass of the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The turbine engine according to any of the above clauses, wherein the torsional vibration damper mechanism further includes a mechanical coupling, the mechanical coupling configured to mechanically couple the third drive shaft to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The turbine engine according to any of the above clauses, wherein the third drive shaft is a hollow drive shaft that is provided within a cavity of the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The turbine engine according to any of the above clauses, wherein the torsional vibration damper mechanism further includes a plurality of vibration damping inserts provided in a cavity between the third drive shaft and the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both, the plurality of vibration damping inserts configured to mechanically couple the third drive shaft to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The turbine engine according to any of the above clauses, the plurality of vibration damping inserts including a plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts configured to couple the third drive shaft to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both, wherein the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts are tunable for torsional vibration mode of interest in the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft, or both.
The turbine engine according to any of the above clauses, the plurality of vibration damping inserts including a plurality of damping elements, the plurality of damping elements being configured to couple the plurality of inverted Y-beam inserts to the third drive shaft.
The turbine engine according to any of the above clauses, wherein the plurality of damping elements includes a viscoelastic material, a memory alloy (SMA), a spring, or a viscous fluid, or any combination thereof to provide spring compression or fluid friction damping.
The turbine engine according to any of the above clauses, further including a fan assembly, a low-pressure turbine assembly, and a low-pressure compressor assembly, wherein the low-pressure turbine assembly is coupled to the fan assembly and to the low-pressure compressor assembly through the first drive shaft.
The turbine engine according to any of the above clauses, further including a high-pressure turbine assembly and a high-pressure compressor assembly, wherein the high-pressure turbine assembly is coupled to the high-pressure compressor assembly through the second drive shaft.
Although the foregoing description is directed to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, other variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, features described in connection with one embodiment of the present disclosure may be used in conjunction with other embodiments, even if not explicitly stated above.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202311084357 | Dec 2023 | IN | national |
