Turbine engine including a fan assembly having a damper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12497908-B2
Application number	US-202418603694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2024
Priority date	Mar 13, 2024
Publication date	Dec 16, 2025
Grant date	Dec 16, 2025

Abstract

A turbine engine experiences 1P vibrations. The turbine engine includes a turbo-engine, a compressor for compressing air, and a combustor for combusting fuel and the compressed air to generate combustion gases. A turbine receives the combustion gases and drives a fan assembly. The fan assembly includes a fan disk and a fan blade with a fan blade centerline axis. The fan blade is subjected to 1P loading, generating the 1P vibrations. A fan blade root fixed to the fan blade and connected to the fan disk, is aligned with the fan blade centerline axis, and conducts the 1P vibrations. A damper positioned radially between the fan blade root and the fan disk damps the 1P vibrations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A turbine engine experiencing 1P vibrations, the turbine engine comprising:
a turbo-engine having a longitudinal centerline axis; a compressor generates compressed air; a combustor that receives fuel and the compressed air, and combusts the compressed air and the fuel to generate combustion gases; a turbine that receives the combustion gases and rotates; and a fan assembly, driven by the turbine, that rotates about the longitudinal centerline axis, the fan assembly comprising: a fan disk aligned with the longitudinal centerline axis; a fan blade with a fan blade centerline axis orthogonal to the longitudinal centerline axis, the fan blade subjected to 1P loading and generating the 1P vibrations; a fan blade root fixed to the fan blade and connected to the fan disk, the fan blade root aligned with the fan blade centerline axis and conducting the 1P vibrations; and a damper having a side aligned with the fan blade centerline axis and being positioned radially between the fan blade root and the fan disk, the damper damping the 1P vibrations, such that the 1P vibrations in the fan disk have a reduced amplitude with respect to the 1P vibrations in the fan blade root.

2 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first shaft, rotationally fixed to the compressor and the turbine; a gearbox assembly; and a second shaft rotationally fixed to the fan assembly, wherein the first shaft and the second shaft are attached to the gearbox assembly such that a rotational speed of the second shaft is reduced relative to a rotational speed of the first shaft.

3 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly is unducted.

4 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , further comprising a retaining ring fastened to the fan blade root, positioning the damper relative to the fan blade root axially, radially, or axially and radially.

5 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the fan blade root comprises an annular gap and the damper is positioned within the annular gap.

6 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the fan blade root comprises a flange for positioning for the damper radially, axially, or radially and axially.

7 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the fan disk comprises an extension portion that positions the damper axially, radially, or axially and radially.

8 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the damper is a squeeze film damper comprising:
an inner ring; an outer ring; a spring member connecting the inner ring and the outer ring; and a fluid gap containing a semi-viscous or a viscoelastic fluid, wherein the squeeze film damper permits displacement of the inner ring relative to the outer ring, and the displacement is resisted by the spring member and by a flow of the semi-viscous or the viscoelastic fluid.

9 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the damper comprises at least one compressible ring.

10 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , further comprising at least one bearing between the fan blade root and the fan disk that facilitates rotation of the fan blade root and the fan blade about the fan blade centerline axis relative to the fan disk, the at least one bearing conducting the 1P vibrations.

11 . The turbine engine of claim 10 , wherein the at least one bearing is a first bearing, the turbine engine further comprises a second bearing between the fan blade root and the fan disk that facilitates the rotation of the fan blade root and the fan blade about the fan blade centerline axis relative to the fan disk, and the damper is outboard of both the first bearing and the second bearing.

12 . The turbine engine of claim 10 , wherein the damper is positioned radially between the fan blade root and the at least one bearing such that the 1P vibrations conducted by the at least one bearing have a reduced amplitude with respect to the 1P vibrations conducted by the fan blade root.

13 . The turbine engine of claim 10 , wherein the damper is positioned radially between the at least one bearing and the fan disk such that the 1P vibrations conducted by the fan disk have reduced amplitude with respect to the 1P vibrations conducted by the at least one bearing.

14 . The turbine engine of claim 10 , wherein a lock nut applies a radially inward preload on the at least one bearing, the damper, or the at least one bearing and the damper, but does not apply an axial load on the fan disk and does not conduct 1P vibrations to the fan disk.

15 . The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the damper comprises a metallic ring having a generally U-shaped cross section or a U-shaped cross section.

16 . The turbine engine of claim 15 , wherein the metallic ring having a generally U-shaped cross section or a U-shaped cross section is made of a steel, a titanium-nickel alloy, or a shape memory alloy.

17 . The turbine engine of claim 15 , wherein the damper further comprises one or more compressible rings.

18 . The turbine engine of claim 15 , wherein the damper comprises a wave ring constructed of a shape memory alloy.

19 . The turbine engine of claim 15 , wherein the damper further comprises at least one hydraulic damper.

20 . The turbine engine of claim 19 , wherein the at least one hydraulic damper comprises a cylinder and a piston.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Yadav Abhijeet
• Kray Nicholas J
• Jain Nitesh
• Miller Brandon W
• Ganiger Ravindra Shankar

Classifications

• F04D29/668 Primary

  damping or preventing mechanical vibrations · CPC title

• F02C3/04

  having a turbine driving a compressor (power transmission arrangements F02C7/36; control of working fluid flow F02C9/16) · CPC title

• F05D2260/96

  Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise · CPC title

• F01D5/16

  for counteracting blade vibration · CPC title

• F01D25/164

  Flexible supports; Vibration damping means associated with the bearing · CPC title