System for modulating turbine blade tip clearance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10415418-B2
Application number	US-201715406271-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2017
Priority date	Jan 13, 2017
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A system for modulating turbine blade tip clearance is provided. The system may comprise an actuation control system having at least one actuator configured to modulate turbine blade tip clearance. Each actuator may comprise a solid-state motion amplification device such as a flextensional actuator. Each actuator may be in operable communication with a blade outer air seal (BOAS) segment or a BOAS mounting block. The actuators may be configured to move the BOAS segment and/or the BOAS mounting block in a radial direction from a first position to a second position to control tip clearance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An actuation control system, comprising:
an actuator in operable communication with a blade outer air seal (BOAS) mounting block, the actuator being a flextensional actuator; and
a BOAS segment coupled to the BOAS mounting block, wherein the BOAS mounting block is configured to move from a first position to a second position in response to an actuation from the actuator.

2. The actuation control system of claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a control wire configured to control the actuation of the actuator.

3. The actuation control system of claim 2 , wherein the control wire comprises a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire configured to contract in response to receiving an electrical current, and wherein the contraction of the SMA wire controls the actuation of the actuator.

4. The actuation control system of claim 3 , further comprising a power supply having a controller, wherein the power supply is configured to transmit the electrical current to the control wire in response to the controller determining a tip clearance actuation event.

5. The actuation control system of claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a control rod coupled at a first rod end to the actuator and at a second rod end to the BOAS mounting block, wherein the control rod is configured to move the BOAS mounting block from the first position to the second position in response to the actuation from the actuator.

6. The actuation control system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of a first bias spring coupled to an outer shell of the actuator or a second bias spring coupled to an inner shell of the actuator.

7. A turbine section of a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a turbine blade having a blade tip;
a blade outer air seal (BOAS); and
an actuation control system comprising an actuator coupled to a radially outer surface of a turbine case and configured to modulate a tip clearance between the blade tip and the BOAS, wherein the actuator is a flextensional actuator.

8. The turbine section of claim 7 , wherein the actuator is in operable communication with the BOAS and is configured to move the BOAS from a first position to a second position to modulate the tip clearance, in response to the actuation from the actuator.

9. The turbine section of claim 7 , wherein the actuator comprises a control wire configured to control the actuation of the actuator, wherein the control wire comprises a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire configured to contract in response to receiving an electrical current, and wherein the contraction of the SMA wire controls the actuation of the actuator.

10. The turbine section of claim 9 , further comprising a power supply having a controller, wherein the power supply is configured to transmit the electrical current to the control wire in response to the controller determining a tip clearance actuation event.

11. The turbine section of claim 7 , further comprising a bias spring coupled to at least one of an outer shell of the actuator or an inner shell of the actuator between the inner shell of the actuator and the turbine case.

12. An actuation control system, comprising:
an actuator, wherein the actuator is a flextensional actuator; and
a blade outer air seal (BOAS) segment in operable communication with the actuator, wherein the BOAS segment is configured to move from a first position to a second position in response to an actuation from the actuator.

13. The actuation control system of claim 12 , wherein the actuator comprises a control wire having a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire configured to contract in response to receiving an electrical current, wherein the contraction of the SMA wire controls the actuation of the actuator.

14. The actuation control system of claim 13 , further comprising a power supply having a controller, wherein the power supply is configured to transmit the electrical current to the control wire in response to the controller determining a tip clearance actuation event.

15. The actuation control system of claim 12 , wherein the actuator comprises a control rod coupled at a first rod end to the actuator and at a second rod end to the BOAS segment, wherein the control rod is configured to move the BOAS segment from the first position to the second position in response to the actuation from the actuator.

16. The actuation control system of claim 12 , further comprising at least one of a first bias spring coupled to an outer shell of the actuator or a second bias spring coupled to an inner shell of the actuator.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Mccaffrey Michael G
• Chaudhry Zaffir A
• Sun Fanping

Classifications

• F05D2240/11

  Shroud seal segments · CPC title

• F01D11/22 Primary

  by mechanically actuating the stator or rotor components, e.g. moving shroud sections relative to the rotor · CPC title

• F05D2300/505

  Shape memory behaviour · CPC title

• F01D11/18

  using stator or rotor components with predetermined thermal response, e.g. selective insulation, thermal inertia, differential expansion · CPC title

• F05D2260/56

  using cams or eccentrics · CPC title