Method and system for elastic bearing support

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10823228-B2
Application number	US-201916394180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2019
Priority date	Oct 21, 2016
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A hybrid bearing support system includes a shaft extension fixedly coupled to a rotatable member at a radial inner end of the shaft extension, a radial outer end of the shaft extension fixedly coupled to a rotatable race of a bearing supporting the rotatable member, and a recoupler device formed of a shape memory alloy (SMA) material coupled in parallel with at least a portion of the shaft extension between the radial inner end and the radial outer end.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A shape memory alloy recoupler device comprising:
a radial inner flange comprising a circular cross-section;
a radial outer flange comprising a circular cross-section; and
a web member comprising an axial portion extending axially between said radial inner flange and said radial outer flange, said web member formed of a shape memory alloy (SMA) material.

2. The recoupler device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said radial inner flange and said radial outer flange is formed of an SMA material.

3. The recoupler device of claim 1 , wherein said web member is unitarily formed.

4. The recoupler device of claim 1 , wherein said web member comprises a single skirt extending circumferentially approximately 360°.

5. The recoupler device of claim 1 , wherein said web member comprises a plurality of spokes, each spoke of the plurality of spokes extending for a predetermined arc of a circumference of the recoupler device.

6. The recoupler device of claim 1 , wherein said radial inner flange and said radial outer flange are axisymmetric.

7. The recoupler device of claim 1 , wherein said web member comprises a crystal structure that responds to stress above a predetermined threshold by changing phase from a first phase to a second phase.

8. The recoupler device of claim 1 , wherein said recoupler device comprises a first crystalline structure having a first stiffness when subjected to a first stress, and said recoupler device comprises a second crystalline structure having a second stiffness when subjected to a second stress.

9. The recoupler device of claim 1 ,
wherein said web member comprises a plurality of spokes, and
wherein all of the plurality of spokes extend between said radial inner flange and said radial outer flange.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Ganiger Ravindra Shankar
• Ghosh Shuvajyoti
• Ac Shivaram
• Joshi Akash
• Shivashankar Vidya Lokammanahalli

Classifications

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• F16C2202/08

  Resilience, elasticity, super-elasticity · CPC title

• F16C39/02 Primary

  using mechanical means · CPC title

• F16C19/06

  with a single row or balls · CPC title

• F01D21/045

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