Claims
- 1. A synchronizing system for an aircraft having a master turbofan engine and at least one slave turbofan engine, each of said engines having a fan rotor which rotates independently from a core rotor, the system comprising:
- fuel control means for modulating the fuel flow rate to said slave engine to synchronize the operation of said fan rotors;
- variable stator vane control means for modulating the position of variable stator vanes within said slave engine to synchronize the operation of said core rotors;
- means for synchronizing said fan rotors prior to synchronizing said core rotors;
- said fuel control means includes means responsive to a fan rotor speed error signal having a magnitude indicative of the difference in the fan rotor rotational speeds of said master engine and said slave engine to modulate the rotational speed of said slave engine's fan rotor through modulation of the fuel flow rate to said slave engine;
- said variable rotor vane control means includes means responsive to a core rotor speed error signal having a magnitude indicative of the difference in the core rotor rotational speeds of said master engine and said slave engine to modulate the rotational speed of said slave engine's core rotor through modulation of the position of variable stator vanes within said slave engine;
- said fuel control means further includes means for altering the phase relationship between the fan rotors of said slave engine and said master engine;
- said variable stator vane control means further includes means for altering the phase relationship between the core rotors of said slave engine and said master engine;
- said means for altering the phase relationship between said fan rotors is responsive to a fan rotor vibrational phase error signal having a magnitude indicative of the difference in the fan rotor vibration of said master engine and said slave engine to modulate the rotational speed of said slave engine's fan rotor through modulation of the fuel flow rate to said slave engine; and
- said means for altering the phase relationship between said core rotors is responsive to a core rotor vibrational phase error signal having a magnitude indicative of the difference in the core rotor vibration of said master engine and said slave engine to modulate the rotational speed of said slave engine's core rotor through modulation of the position of variable stator vanes within said slave engine.
- 2. The synchronizing system of claim 1, wherein:
- said fuel control means is unresponsive to said fan rotor vibration error signal when the magnitude of said fan rotor speed error signal exceeds a first predetermined value; and
- said variable stator vane control means is unresponsive to said core rotor vibration error signal when the magnitude of said core rotor speed error signal exceeds a second predetermined value.
Parent Case Info
This application is a division, of application Ser. No. 07/274,511, filed Nov. 21, 1988 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,376).
US Referenced Citations (9)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
274511 |
Nov 1988 |
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