Crushable spacer and bolted joint for a gas turbine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020200045-A1
Application number	US-202016810186-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 5, 2020
Priority date	May 25, 2017
Publication date	Jun 25, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A bolted joint apparatus includes: a first component including a first row of first bolt holes extending therethrough; a second component including a second row of second bolt holes extending therethrough wherein the second bolt holes are aligned coaxially with the first bolt holes, a plurality of fasteners, each of fasteners disposed through aligned pairs of the first and second bolt holes to couple together the first and second components, each of the fasteners including a shank; and crushable spacers disposed around the shanks of the fasteners, the crushable spacers clamped in compression between the fasteners and one of the components, wherein each of the crushable spacers has a tubular body interconnecting first and second enlarged ends, the tubular body being defined by a peripheral wall which incorporates at least one weakening feature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A bolted joint apparatus, comprising:
a first component including a first row of first bolt holes extending therethrough; a second component including a second row of second bolt holes extending therethrough, wherein the second bolt holes are aligned coaxially with the first bolt holes, a plurality of fasteners, each of fasteners disposed through aligned pairs of the first and second bolt holes to couple together the first and second components, each of the fasteners including a shank; and crushable spacers disposed around the shanks of the fasteners, the crushable spacers clamped in compression between the fasteners and one of the components, wherein each of the crushable spacers has a tubular body including a central portion interconnecting first and second enlarged ends, the tubular body being defined by a peripheral wall which incorporates at least one weakening feature which does not pass completely through the peripheral wall.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fasteners comprise bolts, each of the bolts including a bolt head, a thread, and a shank therebetween.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a plurality of nuts, each nut engaging the threads of one of the bolts.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one weakening feature is an hourglass shape of the peripheral wall.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the peripheral wall has a first diameter near a center of the peripheral wall and a second diameter near at least one of the first and second flanged ends, wherein the first diameter is less than the second diameter.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one weakening feature is a kink in the peripheral wall.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the kink is a semicircular annular bulge located near a center of the peripheral wall.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one weakening feature is a discrete thin section in the peripheral wall.

9 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the thin section is configured as an annular band.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one weakening feature is a discrete thin section in the peripheral wall having a first thickness which is less than a second thickness of the peripheral wall.

11 . A gas turbine engine, comprising: turbomachinery components including a fan, a compressor, a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine arranged in serial flow relationship and circumscribed about an engine centerline axis; and a supporting static structure circumscribing the turbomachinery components; wherein at least one of the turbomachinery components and the static structure include a bolted flange assembly, including:
a first component having a first flange including a first row of first bolt holes extending therethrough; a second component having a second flange including a second row of second bolt holes extending therethrough, wherein the second bolt holes are aligned coaxially with the first bolt holes; a plurality of fasteners, each of fasteners disposed through aligned pairs of the first and second bolt holes to couple together the first and second flanges, each of the fasteners including a shank; and crushable spacers disposed around the shanks of the fasteners, the crushable spacers clamped in compression between the fasteners and one of the flanges, wherein each of the crushable spacers includes a tubular body extending axially between first and second enlarged ends, the tubular body being defined by a peripheral wall that incorporates at least one weakening feature which does not pass completely through the peripheral wall.

12 . The engine of claim 11 wherein the fasteners comprise bolts, each of the bolts including a bolt head, a thread, and a shank therebetween.

13 . The engine of claim 12 further comprising a plurality of nuts, each nut engaging the threads of one of the bolts.

14 . The engine of claim 11 wherein the at least one weakening feature is an hourglass shape of the peripheral wall.

15 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the peripheral wall has a first diameter near a center of the peripheral wall and a second diameter near at least one of the first and second flanged ends, wherein the first diameter is less than the second diameter.

16 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the at least one weakening feature is a kink in the peripheral wall.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the kink is a semicircular annular bulge located near a center of the peripheral wall.

18 . The engine of claim 11 wherein the at least one weakening feature is a discrete thin section in the peripheral wall.

19 . The engine of claim 11 wherein the thin section is configured as an annular band.

20 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the at least one weakening feature is a discrete thin section in the peripheral wall having a first thickness which is less than a second thickness of the peripheral wall.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Karafillis Apostolos Pavlos
• Jain Manoj Kumar
• Waldman Thomas Chadwick
• Prabhakar Nagamohan Govinahalli

Classifications

• F05D2260/311

  of the frangible or shear type · CPC title

• F01D21/045

  special arrangements in stators or in rotors dealing with breaking-off of part of rotor · CPC title

• F02C7/00

  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

• F01D25/00

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

• F01D25/243 Primary

  Flange connections; Bolting arrangements (F01D25/265 takes precedence) · CPC title