Turbine exhaust frame and method of vane assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016290168-A1
Application number	US-201514676246-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 1, 2015
Priority date	Apr 1, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A turbine frame for a turbine engine having an axial centerline, includes an inner hub, an outer hub encircling the inner hub, a plurality of struts extending between the inner and outer hubs, at least one vane segment comprising at least first and second fairings mounted to the inner and outer hubs and encircling one of the struts and a single piece outer retaining ring that is operably coupled to the vane segment to fix a radial position of the vane segment relative to the inner and outer retaining rings and methods of assembling at least one vane segment having at least one vane formed from a pair of fairings to an exhaust frame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of assembling at least one vane segment having at least one vane formed from a pair of fairings to an exhaust frame having an inner hub and an outer hub, which are connected by at least one strut, the method comprising:
attaching the vane segment with only one of the fairings to an inner retaining ring such that the vane segment may radially move relative to the inner retaining ring; positioning the exhaust frame relative to the assembled vane segment and the inner retaining ring such that the strut is at least partially encircled by the one of the fairings; reducing the combined radial dimension of the vane segment and the inner retaining ring by relatively radially moving the vane segment and the inner retaining ring; positioning an outer retaining ring about the vane segment and the inner retaining ring; increasing the combined radial dimension of the vane segment and the inner retaining ring by relatively radially moving the vane segment and the inner retaining ring; attaching the outer retaining ring to the vane segment to fix the radial position of the vane segment relative to the inner and outer retaining rings.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the attaching together the vane segment with the inner retaining ring comprises attaching together multiple vane segments, radially spaced about the inner retaining ring, to the inner retaining ring.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein more than one of the multiple vane segments comprises a vane formed from a pair of fairings and the positioning the exhaust frame relative to the assembled vane segment and inner retaining ring comprises the one of the fairings from each of the corresponding vane segments at least partially encircling one of the struts.

4 . The method of claim 3 wherein reducing the combined radial dimension comprises relatively radially moving the vane segments and the inner retaining ring.

5 . The method of claim 4 wherein the positioning the outer retaining ring comprises positioning the outer retaining ring about all of the vane segments.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein increasing the combined radial dimension comprises radially moving all of the vane segments relative to the inner retaining ring.

7 . The method of claim 6 wherein attaching the outer retaining ring to the vane segment comprises attaching all of the vane segments to the outer retaining ring.

8 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising, for each of the fairing pairs, positioning the other of the fairings about the strut such that the fairings completely encircle the strut.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning the other of the fairings about the strut such that the fairings completely encircle the strut.

10 . The method of claim 9 wherein positioning the other of the fairings comprises axially moving the other of the fairings adjacent the one of the fairings and then radially moving the other of the fairings radially outward.

11 . The method of claim 1 wherein reducing the combined radial dimension comprises moving a flange on the vane segment radially inwardly into a channel on the inner retaining ring.

12 . The method of claim 1 wherein positioning the outer retaining ring about the vane segment comprises axially moving the outer retaining ring over at least a portion of the vane segment.

13 . The method of claim 1 wherein the attaching the outer retaining ring to the vane segment comprises applying a clip to adjacent flanges of the outer retaining ring and the vane segment.

14 . A method of assembling at least one vane segment having at least one vane formed from a pair of fairings to an exhaust frame having an inner hub and an outer hub, which are connected by at least one strut, the method comprising:
attaching the vane segment with only one of the fairings to an inner retaining ring such that the vane segment may radially move relative to the inner retaining ring; positioning the exhaust frame relative to the assembled vane segment and the inner retaining ring such that the strut is at least partially encircled by the one of the fairings; reducing the combined radial dimension of the vane segment and the inner retaining ring by relatively radially moving the vane segment and the inner retaining ring; axially moving the outer retaining ring over at least a portion of the vane segment; increasing the combined radial dimension of the vane segment and the inner retaining ring by radially moving the vane segment away from the inner retaining ring toward the outer retaining ring;
attaching the outer retaining ring to the vane segment to fix the radial position of the vane segment relative to the inner and outer retaining rings.

15 . A turbine frame for a turbine engine having an axial centerline, the turbine frame comprising:
an inner hub; an outer hub encircling the inner hub; a plurality of struts extending between the inner and outer hubs; at least one vane segment comprising at least first and second fairings mounted to the inner and outer hubs and encircling one of the struts;
an inner retaining ring that is operably coupled to the vane segment; and
a single piece outer retaining ring that is operably coupled to the vane segment to fix a radial position of the vane segment relative to the inner and outer retaining rings;
wherein the vane segment may radially move relative to the inner retaining ring until the single piece outer retaining ring is operably coupled to the vane segment.

16 . The turbine frame of claim 15 wherein the at least one vane segment comprises multiple vane segments and each vane segment encircles one of the struts.

17 . The turbine frame of claim 15 wherein the pair of fairings comprises an aft fairing and a forward fairing that abut along aft and forward join lines.

18 . The turbine frame of claim 15 wherein the outer retaining ring comprises an annular hanger frame.

19 . The turbine frame of claim 15 wherein the outer retaining ring is operably coupled to the outer hub.

20 . The turbine frame of claim 19 wherein the inner retaining ring is operably coupled to the inner hub.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Karafillis Apostolos Pavlos
• Frash Martin Wayne
• Ortega Schuyler Javier
• Parisi Angelo

Classifications

• F01D5/34

  Rotor-blade aggregates of unitary construction {, e.g. formed of sheet laminae; (discs formed of sheet laminae F01D5/028; ceramic materials F01D5/284, composite materials F01D5/282)} · CPC title

• F05D2240/14

  Casings or housings protecting or supporting assemblies within · CPC title

• F01D9/041

  using blades (F01D5/148 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F01D25/246 Primary

  Fastening of diaphragms or stator-rings · CPC title

• F01D9/042

  fixing blades to stators (fixing stator-rings in the casing or to each other F01D25/246) · CPC title