System for machining the abradable material of a turbofan engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11338461-B2
Application number	US-201916395914-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2019
Priority date	Apr 26, 2019
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

A system for machining an abradable material of a gas turbine engine and associated methods. The system includes a frame including a first arm extending from a central location. The system further includes an attachment structure coupled to the frame at the central location. Moreover, the attachment structure is configured to couple to at least a fan rotor of the gas turbine engine. Additionally, the system includes a cutting apparatus coupled to a first distal end of the first arm opposite the central location. The cutting apparatus includes a rotating shaft and plurality of cutting disks coupled to the rotating shaft. Further, the plurality of cutting disks define a helical cutting profile configured to machine a contour within the abradable material complementary to at least one fan blade of the gas turbine engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of machining an abradable material of a gas turbine engine utilizing a system including a frame, a first arm extending from a central location of the frame, and a cutting apparatus coupled to a first distal end of the first arm and including a rotating shaft and a plurality of cutting disks coupled to the rotating shaft such that the plurality of cutting disks define a substantially frusta-conical shape and a helical cutting profile, the first arm further comprising a central location end, the first distal end being at the opposite end of the first arm as the central location end, the gas turbine engine extending along a first longitudinal centerline axis, the rotating shaft extending along a second longitudinal centerline axis disposed substantially parallel to the first longitudinal centerline axis, wherein a motor is coupled to the plurality of cutting disks to form a combination and the combination of the motor and the cutting disks is disposed so as to extend along the second longitudinal centerline axis direction, the method comprising:
securing the frame of the system to at least a fan rotor of the gas turbine engine utilizing an attachment structure of the system, the attachment structure coupled to the frame at the central location end of the first arm;
adjusting the cutting apparatus in an axial direction of the gas turbine engine utilizing an axial adjuster coupled between the first distal end of the first arm and the cutting apparatus such that the cutting apparatus is axially aligned with the abradable material;
driving the rotating shaft of the cutting apparatus such that the plurality of cutting disks rotates about the axial direction; and
adjusting the cutting apparatus in a radial direction of the gas turbine engine utilizing a radial adjuster coupled between the first distal end of the first arm and the cutting apparatus such that only an outer circumferential periphery of multiple ones of the plurality of cutting disks contact the abradable material simultaneously.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
rotating the system around a circumferential direction of the gas turbine engine such that the cutting apparatus machines at least a portion of the abradable material along the circumferential direction.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the system further includes a second arm extending from the central location of the frame and an axially aligned measurement assembly including a measurement probe coupled to a second distal end of the second arm, the method further comprising:
inspecting a contour of the abradable material by adjusting a position of the measurement probe along the axial direction.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein adjusting the position of the measurement probe comprises rotating an adjustment wheel coupled to a threaded rod operable with the measurement probe in order to adjust the measurement probe axially forward or aft.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the cutting apparatus in the axial direction comprises rotating an axial adjustment wheel drivingly coupled to a threaded rod of the axial adjuster extending at least partially along the axial direction, the threaded rod operable with the cutting apparatus such that the cutting apparatus is adjusted at least partially in the axial direction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the cutting apparatus in the radial direction comprises rotating a radial adjustment wheel operable with one or more jacks of the radial adjuster, the one or more jacks configured to extend and retract the cutting apparatus at least partially in the radial direction of the gas turbine engine.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the abradable material comprises a repaired portion.

8. A system for machining an abradable material of a gas turbine engine, the system comprising:
a frame including a first arm extending from a central location;
wherein the first arm comprises a first distal end and a central location end, the first distal end being at the opposite end of the first arm as the central location end, the gas turbine engine extending along a first longitudinal centerline axis;
an attachment structure coupled to the frame at the central location end of the first arm, the attachment structure configured to couple to at least a fan rotor of the gas turbine engine;
a cutting apparatus;
an adjustment mechanism coupled between the first distal end of the first arm and the cutting apparatus, wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust a position of the cutting apparatus along an axial direction and a radial direction of the gas turbine engine, the adjustment mechanism not encompassing the first arm; and
a motor;
wherein the cutting apparatus includes a rotating shaft extending along a second longitudinal centerline axis disposed substantially parallel to the first longitudinal centerline axis, and driven by the motor and plurality of cutting disks coupled to the rotating shaft, wherein the plurality of cutting disks define a substantially frusta-conical shape and helical cutting profile and wherein the motor is coupled to the plurality of cutting disks to form a combination and the combination of the motor and the cutting disks is disposed so as to extend along the second longitudinal centerline axis direction such that only an outer circumferential periphery of multiple ones of the plurality of cutting disks contact the abradable material simultaneously,
wherein the helical cutting profile is configured to machine a contour within the abradable material complementary to at least one fan blade of the gas turbine engine.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of cutting disks are configured to extend along a total length of the abradable material in the axial direction of the gas turbine engine.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the frame further includes a second arm extending from the central location, the system further comprising:
a measurement assembly coupled to a second distal end of the second arm opposite the central location, wherein the measurement assembly is configured to inspect the contour of the abradable material.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the measurement assembly comprises a threaded rod configured to extend at least partially along the axial direction of the gas turbine engine, a measurement probe extending from and operable with the threaded rod, and an adjustment wheel configured to rotate the threaded rod such that the measurement probe is adjusted at least partially in the axial direction of the gas turbine engine.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises an axial adjuster including a threaded rod operable with the cutting apparatus and configured to extend at least partially along the axial direction of the gas turbine engine and an axial adjustment wheel configured to rotate the threaded rod such that the cutting apparatus is adjusted at least partially in the axial direction.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a radial adjuster including at least one jack operable with the cutting apparatus and a radial adjustment wheel configured to extend and retract the cutting apparatus at least partially in the radial direction of the gas turbine engine.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the rotating shaft includes a key extending along a length of the rotating shaft, and wherein each cutting disk of the plurality of cutting disks includes a notch operable with the key such that the plurality of cutting disks define the helical cutting profile.

15. The system of claim 8 , wherein

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Hernandez Benjamin Tonatiuh
• Pulido German
• Martinez Enrique
• Christopfel Marc Edward
• Reyes Cristobal

Classifications

• B23Q2717/006

  in milling machines · CPC title

• F05D2230/10

  by removing material · CPC title

• B23C2215/04

  Aircraft components · CPC title

• F01D11/122

  with erodable or abradable material (blades having cutting or grinding tips F01D5/20) · CPC title

• Y02T50/60

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