Rotor support system with shape memory alloy components for a gas turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10196934-B2
Application number	US-201615041136-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2016
Priority date	Feb 11, 2016
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A rotor support system for a gas turbine engine may generally include a bearing assembly and a load reduction member configured to be coupled between the bearing assembly and a support frame of the engine. The load reduction member may include a fuse portion configured to fail when a load transmitted through the load reduction member exceeds a predetermined load threshold. The system may also include a load recoupling member provided between the bearing assembly and the support frame. The load recoupling member may be formed from a super-elastic shape memory alloy that allows the load recoupling member to undergo recoverable deformation without failing when the fuse portion fails such that the load recoupling member maintains a mechanical connection between the bearing assembly and the support frame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotor support system for a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine comprising a support frame, the rotor support system comprising:
a bearing assembly comprising a first bearing assembly and a second bearing assembly spaced axially apart from the first bearing assembly, wherein the first bearing assembly includes a first bearing and a first outer bearing housing extending radially outwardly from the first bearing, and wherein the second bearing assembly includes a second bearing and a second outer bearing housing extending radially outwardly from the second bearing;
a load reduction member configured to be coupled between the bearing assembly and the support frame of the gas turbine engine, the load reduction member including a fuse portion configured to fail when a load transmitted through the load reduction member exceeds a predetermined load threshold; and
a load recoupling member provided between the bearing assembly and the support frame, the load recoupling member being formed from a super-elastic shape memory alloy that allows the load recoupling member to undergo recoverable deformation without failing when the fuse portion fails such that the load recoupling member maintains a mechanical connection between the bearing assembly and the support frame,
wherein the first and second outer bearing housings are formed from a super-elastic shape memory alloy that allows the first and second outer bearing housings to undergo recoverable deformation without failing when the fuse portion fails.

2. The rotor support system of claim 1 , wherein the load recoupling member has an initial shape prior to undergoing deformation, the load recoupling member being configured to undergo the recoverable deformation when the load transmitted through the load recoupling member exceeds a first load threshold and recover back to the initial shape once the load drops below a second load threshold, the first load threshold being higher than the second load threshold.

3. The rotor support system of claim 1 , wherein the load reduction member includes a forward segment extending lengthwise between the bearing assembly and the fuse portion and an aft segment extending lengthwise between the fuse portion and the support frame.

4. The rotor support system of claim 3 , wherein the load recoupling member extends lengthwise between a forward end and an aft end, the forward end being coupled to the forward segment of load reduction member and the aft end being coupled to the aft segment of the load reduction member, wherein, when the fuse portion fails, the load recoupling member remains coupled between the forward and aft segments of the load reduction member to maintain the mechanical connection between the bearing assembly and the support frame.

5. The rotor support system of claim 4 , wherein the load reduction member includes a forward mounting flange extending from the forward segment and an aft mounting flange extending from the aft segment, the forward end of the load recoupling member being coupled to the forward mounting flange and the aft end of the load recoupling member being coupled to the aft mounting flange.

6. The rotor support system of claim 4 , wherein the load recoupling member is formed from a plurality of circumferential segments coupled between the forward and aft segments of the load reduction member, the plurality of circumferential segments being spaced apart circumferentially from one another around an outer perimeter of the load reduction member.

7. The rotor support system of claim 1 , wherein the load recoupling member extends lengthwise between a forward end and an aft end, the load recoupling member including a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs extending between the forward and aft ends.

8. The rotor support system of claim 1 , wherein the load recoupling member extends lengthwise between a forward end positioned adjacent to the bearing assembly and an aft end positioned adjacent to the support frame such that the load recoupling member defines an axial length that is substantially equal to an axial length of the load reduction member.

9. The rotor support system of claim 8 , wherein the forward end is coupled directly to the bearing assembly and the aft end is coupled directly to the support frame.

10. The rotor support system of claim 1 , wherein the bearing assembly corresponds to a first bearing assembly, the first bearing assembly including a first bearing and a first outer bearing housing extending radially outwardly from the first bearing.

11. The rotor support system of claim 10 , further comprising a second bearing assembly spaced axially apart from the first bearing assembly, the second bearing assembly including a second bearing and a second outer bearing housing extending radially outwardly from the second bearing.

12. The rotor support system of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first outer bearing housing or the second outer bearing housing is formed from a super-elastic shape memory alloy.

13. A rotor support system for a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine comprising a support frame, the rotor support system comprising:
a first bearing assembly including a first bearing and a first outer bearing housing extending radially outwardly from the first bearing;
a second bearing assembly spaced axially apart from the first bearing assembly, the second bearing assembly including a second bearing and a second outer bearing housing extending radially outwardly from the second bearing; and
a load reduction member configured to be coupled between the first bearing assembly and the support frame of the gas turbine engine, the load reduction member including a fuse portion configured to fail when a load transmitted through the load reduction member exceeds a predetermined load threshold,
wherein the first and second outer bearing housings are formed from a super-elastic shape memory alloy that allows the first and second outer bearing housings to undergo recoverable deformation without failing when the fuse portion fails.

14. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a rotor shaft;
a support frame spaced radially from the rotor shaft; and
the rotor support system of claim 13 configured to support the rotor shaft relative to the support frame.

15. The gas turbine of claim 14 , wherein the rotor support system further includes a load recoupling member provided between the bearing assembly and the support frame, the load recoupling member being formed from a super-elastic shape memory alloy that allows the load recoupling member to undergo recoverable deformation without failing when the fuse portion fails such that the load recoupling member maintains a mechanical connection between the bearing assembly and the support frame, and wherein the load recoupling member has an initial shape prior to undergoing deformation, the load recoupling member being configured to undergo the recoverable deformation when the load transmitted through the load recoupling member exceeds a first load threshold and recover back to the initial shape once the load drops below a second load threshold, the first load threshold being higher than the second load threshold.

16. The gas turbine engine of claim 15 , wherein the load reduction member includes a forward segment extending lengthwise between the bearing assembly and the fuse portion and an aft segment extending lengthwise between the fuse portion and the support frame.

17. The gas turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein the load recoupling member extends lengthwise between a forward end and an aft end, the f

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Khan Esuff
• Ac Shivaram
• Buravalla Vidyashankar Ramasastry
• Ghosh Shuvajyoti
• Joshi Akash

Classifications

• F01D21/045

  special arrangements in stators or in rotors dealing with breaking-off of part of rotor · CPC title

• F05D2300/174

  Titanium alloys, e.g. TiAl · CPC title

• F05D2300/1723

  Nickel-Copper alloy, e.g. Monel · CPC title

• F01D25/164 Primary

  Flexible supports; Vibration damping means associated with the bearing · CPC title

• F05D2300/505

  Shape memory behaviour · CPC title