Joint assembly and method of manufacturing thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12429096-B2
Application number	US-202218050653-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2022
Priority date	Nov 3, 2021
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

A joint assembly for joining a first component to a second component includes a first clevis including first clevis apertures and a second clevis including second clevis apertures. The joint assembly includes a first bearing insert and a second bearing insert fixedly coupled to the first clevis and the second clevis, respectively. The joint assembly includes a ring surrounding the first clevis and the second clevis and including a plurality of ring apertures. The joint assembly further includes a plurality of pins received within the corresponding ring aperture. Each pin includes a head portion and a shaft portion extending from the head portion. The shaft portion is coupled to the ring by a corresponding interference fit. The shaft portion is coupled to the corresponding first or second bearing inserts by a corresponding clearance fit such that the shaft portion is rotatable relative to the corresponding first or second bearing inserts.

First claim

We claim:

1. A joint assembly for joining a first component to a second component, the joint assembly comprising:
a first liner configured to be coupled to the first component;
a second liner configured to be coupled to the second component;
a bellows fixedly coupled to each of the first liner and the second liner so that the first liner and second liner are interior to the bellows;
a first clevis fixedly coupled to the first liner and at least partially enclosing the first liner and the bellows, the first clevis comprising a plurality of first extensions and a plurality of first clevis apertures corresponding to the plurality of first extensions, wherein each first extension defines a corresponding first clevis aperture from the plurality of first clevis apertures therethrough;
a second clevis fixedly coupled to the second liner and at least partially enclosing the second liner and the bellows, the second clevis comprising a plurality of second extensions angularly spaced apart from each of the plurality of first extensions of the first clevis and a plurality of second clevis apertures corresponding to the plurality of second extensions, wherein each second extension defines a corresponding second clevis aperture from the plurality of second clevis apertures therethrough;
a ring at least partially surrounding the first clevis and the second clevis and comprising a plurality of ring apertures extending therethrough, wherein the plurality of ring apertures comprises a set of first ring apertures corresponding to the plurality of first clevis apertures and a set of second ring apertures corresponding to the plurality of second clevis apertures, wherein each first ring aperture is aligned with a corresponding first clevis aperture from the plurality of first clevis apertures of the first clevis, and each second ring aperture is aligned with a corresponding second clevis aperture from the plurality of second clevis apertures of the second clevis;
a plurality of pins corresponding to the plurality of ring apertures of the ring and configured to rotatably couple the ring to each of the first clevis and the second clevis, each pin comprising:
a head portion received at least partially in a corresponding ring aperture from the plurality of ring apertures, wherein the head portion is coupled to the ring by a corresponding weld; and
a shaft portion extending from the head portion and received at least partially within the corresponding ring aperture;

a plurality of first bearing inserts fixedly coupled to the first clevis, wherein each first bearing insert is at least partially received within a corresponding first clevis aperture from the plurality of first clevis apertures; and
a plurality of second bearing inserts fixedly coupled to the second clevis, wherein each second bearing insert is at least partially received within a corresponding second clevis aperture from the plurality of second clevis apertures, wherein
the shaft portion of each pin is coupled to the ring by a corresponding interference fit away from the corresponding weld,
the shaft portion of each pin is further at least partially received in the corresponding first bearing insert or the corresponding second bearing insert that is received in the corresponding first clevis aperture or the corresponding second clevis aperture aligned with the corresponding ring aperture, and
the shaft portion of each pin is coupled to the corresponding first bearing insert or the corresponding second bearing insert by a corresponding clearance fit, such that the shaft portion is rotatable relative to the corresponding first bearing insert or the corresponding second bearing insert.

2. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the weld between the head portion and the ring comprises an electron beam weld or a laser beam weld.

3. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the head portion has a minimum head diameter and the shaft portion has a maximum shaft diameter less than the minimum head diameter of the head portion.

4. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein each ring aperture comprises a wide aperture portion configured to at least partially receive the head portion of the corresponding pin and a narrow aperture portion adjacent to the wide aperture portion and configured to at least partially receive the shaft portion of the corresponding pin.

5. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shaft portion comprises:
a wide shaft section adjacent to the head portion and having a minimum wide diameter, wherein the wide shaft section is at least partially received in the corresponding ring aperture;
a narrow shaft section adjacent to the wide shaft section opposite to the head portion and having a maximum narrow diameter less than the minimum wide diameter of the wide shaft section, wherein the narrow shaft section is at least partially received in the corresponding first bearing insert or the corresponding second bearing insert; and
a step between the wide shaft section and the narrow shaft section.

6. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shaft portion comprises:
a uniform shaft section adjacent to the head portion and having a substantially uniform shaft diameter, wherein the uniform shaft section is at least partially received in the corresponding ring aperture and in the corresponding first bearing insert or the corresponding second bearing insert; and
a tapered shaft section adjacent to the uniform shaft section opposite to the head portion and tapering away from the uniform shaft section, the tapered shaft section having an average diameter less than the uniform shaft diameter of the uniform shaft section, wherein the tapered shaft section at least partially extends out of the corresponding first clevis aperture or the corresponding second clevis aperture aligned with the corresponding ring aperture.

7. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein each pin further comprises an aid guide removably attached to an end of the shaft portion distal to the head portion, and the aid guide tapers away from the end of the shaft portion, such that the aid guide is configured to align the corresponding ring aperture with the corresponding first bearing insert or the corresponding second bearing insert as the shaft portion is at least partially received through the corresponding ring aperture and through the corresponding first bearing insert or the corresponding second bearing insert.

8. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the pluralities of the first bearing inserts and the second bearing inserts has an annular shape.

9. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the first clevis and the second clevis is made of a clevis material, each of the pluralities of the first bearing inserts and the second bearing inserts is made of a bearing material different from the clevis material, and a hardness of the clevis material is different from a hardness of the bearing material.

10. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein each first bearing insert is fixedly coupled to the first clevis by a corresponding first insert weld or a corresponding first interference fit.

11. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein each second bearing insert is fixedly coupled to the second clevis by a corresponding second insert weld or a corresponding second interference fit.

12. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first clevis is fixedly coupled to the first liner by one or more first clevis welds.

13. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second clevis is fixedly coupled to the second liner by one or more second clevis welds.

14. The joint assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bellows is fixedly co

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Feaver Oliver G
• Robertson David J
• Innis Daniel M
• Palma Francisco L

Classifications

• F16L27/11

  the sleeve having the form of a bellows with multiple corrugations · CPC title

• F02C7/00 Primary

  Features, components parts, details or accessories, not provided for in, or of interest apart form groups F02C1/00 - F02C6/00; Air intakes for jet-propulsion plants (controlling F02C9/00) · CPC title

• F16L27/0857 Primary

  with hinge and bellows sealing · CPC title

• F16L21/08

  with additional locking means (F16L21/06 takes precedence; couplings of the quick-acting type F16L37/00) · CPC title

• F02C7/06

  Arrangements of bearings (bearings F16C); Lubricating ({of turbo machines F01D25/18; of machines or} engines in general F01M) · CPC title