Balancing systems and methods for an engine of an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11261740-B2
Application number	US-202016732580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 2, 2020
Priority date	Jan 2, 2020
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A balancing system and method for an engine of an aircraft includes a housing retaining a magnetorheological fluid including magnetic particles within a carrier fluid. Electromagnets are coupled to the housing. The electromagnets are associated with fan blades of the engine. A balancing control unit is in communication with the electromagnets and sensors of the fan blades.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A balancing system for an engine of an aircraft, the balancing system comprising:
a housing retaining a magnetorheological fluid including magnetic particles within a carrier fluid;
electromagnets coupled to the housing, wherein the electromagnets are associated with fan blades of the engine; and
a balancing control unit in communication with the electromagnets, wherein the balancing control unit is configured to:
receive presence signals from sensors of the fan blades,
maintain the electromagnets in deactivated states when the presence signals from the sensors of all the fan blades are detected, and
activate one or more of the electromagnets when one or more of the presence signals are not detected, wherein the one or more electromagnets that are activated attract the magnetic particles to compensate for missing mass of at least one of the fan blades.

2. The balancing system of claim 1 , wherein the housing is formed as a torus defining an interior tubular chamber that retains the magnetorheological fluid.

3. The balancing system of claim 1 , wherein a mass of the magnetic particles is equal to a mass of at least one of the fan blades.

4. The balancing system of claim 1 , wherein a number of electromagnets corresponds to a number of the fan blades.

5. The balancing system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnets are radially aligned with the fan blades, and wherein each of the electromagnets is radially aligned with a respective one of the fan blades.

6. The balancing system of claim 5 , wherein the housing is configured to rotate at the same angular velocity as the fan blades so that a radial alignment between the fan blades and the electromagnets is maintained.

7. The balancing system of claim 6 , further comprising an actuator operatively coupled to the housing, wherein the actuator rotates the housing.

8. The balancing system of claim 7 , wherein the actuator comprises an electric motor.

9. A balancing method for an engine of an aircraft, the balancing method comprising:
retaining, within a housing, a magnetorheological fluid including magnetic particles within a carrier fluid;
coupling electromagnets to the housing;
associating the electromagnets with fan blades of the engine; and
communicatively coupling a balancing control unit with the electromagnets; and
receiving, by the balancing control unit, presence signals from sensors of the fan blades;
maintaining the electromagnets in deactivated states when the presence signals from the sensors of all the fan blades are detected;
activating one or more of the electromagnets when one or more of the presence signals are not detected; and
attracting, by the one or more electromagnets that are activated, the magnetic particles to compensate for missing mass of at least one of the fan blades.

10. The balancing method of claim 9 , further comprising forming the housing as a torus defining an interior tubular chamber that retains the magnetorheological fluid.

11. The balancing method of claim 9 , wherein a mass of the magnetic particles is equal to a mass of at least one of the fan blades.

12. The balancing method of claim 9 , wherein a number of electromagnets corresponds to a number of the fan blades.

13. The balancing method of claim 9 , wherein said associating comprises radially aligning the electromagnets with the fan blades, and wherein each of the electromagnets is radially aligned with a respective one of the fan blades.

14. The balancing method of claim 13 , further comprising rotating the housing at the same angular velocity as the fan blades so that a radial alignment between the fan blades and the electromagnets is maintained.

15. The balancing method of claim 14 , further comprising operatively coupling an actuator to the housing, wherein said rotating is by the actuator.

16. An aircraft comprising:
an engine including fan blades, wherein each of the fan blades includes a sensor; and
a balancing system comprising:
a housing retaining a magnetorheological fluid including magnetic particles within a carrier fluid, wherein the housing is formed as a torus defining an interior tubular chamber that retains the magnetorheological fluid, wherein a mass of the magnetic particles is equal to a mass of at least one of the fan blades;
electromagnets coupled to the housing, wherein the electromagnets are associated with the fan blades of the engine, wherein a number of electromagnets corresponds to a number of the fan blades, wherein the electromagnets are radially aligned with the fan blades, and wherein each of the electromagnets is radially aligned with a respective one of the fan blades, wherein the housing is configured to rotate at the same angular velocity as the fan blades so that a radial alignment between the fan blades and the electromagnets is maintained; and
a balancing control unit in communication with the electromagnets and the sensor of each of the fan blades.

17. The aircraft of claim 16 , wherein the balancing control unit is configured to:
receive a presence signal from the sensor of each of the fan blades,
maintain the electromagnets in deactivated states when the presence signal from the sensor of each of the fan blades is detected, and
activate one or more of the electromagnets when the presence signal from the sensor at least one of the fan blades is not detected, wherein the one or more electromagnets that are activated attract the magnetic particles to compensate for missing mass of at least one of the fan blades.

18. The aircraft of claim 16 , further comprising an actuator operatively coupled to the housing, wherein the actuator rotates the housing.

19. A balancing system for an engine of an aircraft, the balancing system comprising:
a housing retaining a magnetorheological fluid including magnetic particles within a carrier fluid;
electromagnets coupled to the housing, wherein the electromagnets are associated with fan blades of the engine, wherein a mass of the magnetic particles is equal to a mass of at least one of the fan blades; and
a balancing control unit in communication with the electromagnets.

20. A balancing system for an engine of an aircraft, the balancing system comprising:
a housing retaining a magnetorheological fluid including magnetic particles within a carrier fluid;
electromagnets coupled to the housing, wherein the electromagnets are associated with fan blades of the engine, wherein a number of electromagnets corresponds to a number of the fan blades; and
a balancing control unit in communication with the electromagnets.

21. A balancing system for an engine of an aircraft, the balancing system comprising:
a housing retaining a magnetorheological fluid including magnetic particles within a carrier fluid;
electromagnets coupled to the housing, wherein the electromagnets are associated with fan blades of the engine, wherein the electromagnets are radially aligned with the fan blades, and wherein each of the electromagnets is radially aligned with a respective one of the fan blades, wherein the housing is configured to rotate at the same angular velocity as the fan blades so that a radial alignment between the fan blades and the electromagnets is maintained;
an actuator operatively coupled to the housing, wherein the actuator rotates the housing; and
a balancing control unit in communication with the electromagnets.

22. The balancing system of claim 21 , wherein the actuator comprises an electric motor.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Stefanovic Milan

Classifications

• Y02T50/60

  Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft · CPC title

• F05D2240/242

  of reaction type · CPC title

• B64D31/00

  Power plant control systems; Arrangement of power plant control systems in aircraft · CPC title

• F01D25/00

  Component parts, details, or accessories, not provided for in, or of interest apart from, other groups · CPC title

• B64D27/02

  Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants · CPC title