Modular fan for a gas turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10436151-B2
Application number	US-201514943058-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2015
Priority date	Nov 17, 2015
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes a core and a tie shaft. The tie shaft is rotatable about an axial direction of the gas turbine engine by the core of the gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine additionally includes a modular fan having a plurality of fan blades and a frame. The plurality fan blades are attached to the frame and the frame is slidably received on the tie shaft of the gas turbine engine. The modular fan additionally includes an attachment member removably attaching the frame to the tie shaft of the gas turbine engine to removably install the modular fan in the gas turbine engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine defining a radial direction and an axial direction, the gas turbine engine comprising:
a core;
a tie shaft rotatable about the axial direction in the core;
a structural member spaced radially outward from the tie shaft along the radial direction and defining an inner surface; and
a modular fan comprising
a disk having a forward side and an aft side;
a plurality of fan blades attached to the disk;
a frame, the frame attached to or formed integrally with the disk, the frame including a forward side section and an aft side section, the aft side section including a radial extension member extending from the aft side of the disk and an aft extension member extending from the radial extension member and located aft of the disk, and the forward side section of the frame slidably received on the tie shaft of the gas turbine engine, and wherein a portion of the aft extension member of the frame slidably interfaces with the inner surface of the structural member; and
an attachment member removably attaching the frame of the modular fan to the tie shaft of the gas turbine engine to removably install the modular fan in the gas turbine engine.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the forward side section of the frame defines an opening, and wherein the forward side section of the frame is slidably received on the tie shaft through the opening.

3. The gas turbine engine, of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fan blades each define a pitch axis, wherein the modular fan further comprises a pitch change mechanism for rotating the plurality of fan blades about their respective the pitch axis, and wherein the pitch change mechanism is attached to or integrated into the frame of the modular fan.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the modular fan further comprises one or more fan counterweights, and wherein the one or more fan counterweights are attached to or integrated into the frame of the modular fan.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the structural member includes a lip on the inner surface, and wherein the aft extension member of the modular fan abuts the lip on the inner surface of the structural member.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the structural member is rotatable with the tie shaft of the gas turbine engine.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the structural member is supported by a stationary frame through one or more bearings.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the gas turbine engine further comprises a power gearbox, wherein the core comprises a turbine-driven shaft, and wherein the tie shaft is mechanically coupled to the turbine-driven shaft through the power gearbox.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the attachment member removably attaches the forward side section of the frame of the modular fan to the tie shaft.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the attachment member is a nut threadably engaged to the tie shaft, the nut configured to press the frame of the modular fan aftwardly generally along the axial direction when engaged to the tie shaft.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the tie shaft extends along the axial direction, and wherein the tie shaft is positioned at least partially forward of the core.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the attachment member defines an aftward pressing force, wherein the modular fan is configured to produce a maximum amount of thrust during operation, and wherein a ratio of the aftward pressing force of the attachment member to the maximum amount of thrust of the modular fan is at least about 1.1:1.

13. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the gas turbine engine further comprises a power gearbox, wherein the core comprises a turbine-driven shaft, and wherein the tie shaft is mechanically coupled to the turbine-driven shaft through the power gearbox and a structural arm extending between the power gearbox and the tie shaft, and wherein the structural member extends from the structural arm in the axial direction.

14. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the forward side section of the frame is attached to or formed integrally with the disk at the forward side of the disk, and wherein the aft side section of the frame is attached to or formed integrally with the disk at the aft side of the disk.

15. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the radial extension member of the aft side section of the frame slidably interfaces with the inner surface of the structural member.

16. A modular fan for a gas turbine engine defining an axial direction, the gas turbine engine including a core and a tie shaft, the tie shaft rotatable about the axial direction in the core, the modular fan comprising:
a plurality of fan blades;
a disk having a forward side and an aft side, said plurality of fan blades attached to said disk;
a frame, said disk attached to or integrated into said frame, said frame including a forward side section and an aft side section, said aft side section including a radial extension member extending from the aft side of said disk and an aft extension member extending from the radial extension member and located aft of said disk, said forward side section of said frame defining an opening through which said forward side section of said frame is slidably received over the tie shaft of the gas turbine engine when said modular fan is installed in the gas turbine engine, wherein the aft extension member of said frame comprises an outer surface for slidably interfacing with a structural member of the gas turbine engine spaced radially outward of the tie shaft when said modular fan is installed in the gas turbine engine; and
an attachment member for removably attaching said frame of said modular fan to the tie shalt of the gas turbine engine when said modular fan is installed in the gas turbine engine.

17. The modular fan of claim 16 , wherein said plurality of fan blades each define a pitch axis, wherein said modular fan further comprises a pitch change mechanism for rotating said plurality of fan blades about their respective the pitch axis, and wherein said pitch change mechanism is attached to or integrated into said frame of said modular fan.

18. The modular fan of claim 16 , wherein said attachment member is a nut for threadably engaging the tie shaft and pressing said frame of said modular fan aftwardly generally along the axial direction when said modular fan is installed in the gas turbine engine.

19. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the forward side section is positioned forward of the disk and is slidably received on the tie shaft of the gas turbine engine, and wherein the frame is fixed to the structural member along a circumferential direction of the gas turbine engine.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Miller Brandon Wayne
• Vondrell Randy M
• Zatorski Darek Tomasz
• Niergarth Daniel Alan

Classifications

• F05D2220/36

  specially adapted for the fan of turbofan engines · CPC title

• F01D5/066

  Connecting means for joining rotor-discs or rotor-elements together, e.g. by a central bolt, by clamps · CPC title

• F02K3/06 Primary

  with front fan · CPC title

• F02C7/36

  Power transmission arrangements between the different shafts of the gas turbine plant, or between the gas-turbine plant and the power user ({F02C3/107 - F02C3/13 and} F02C7/32 take precedence; couplings for transmitting rotation F16D; gearing in general F16H) · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title