Combustor arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022082055-A1
Application number	US-202117403081-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 16, 2021
Priority date	Sep 14, 2020
Publication date	Mar 17, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A combustion chamber comprising a plurality of circumferentially arranged cassette segments coupled to a combustor head at one end and a wall section at the other end, each cassette segment extending the full length of the combustion chamber, and wherein the combustor head has an annular tongue structure on a mating surface, the tongue structure engages with a groove portion present in each of the cassettes so that when assembled the groove portions in the each of the plurality of cassette segments forms a substantially continuous groove.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A combustion chamber comprising a plurality of circumferentially arranged cassette segments coupled to a combustor head at one end and a wall section at the other end, each cassette segment extending the full length of the combustion chamber,
wherein the combustor head has an annular tongue structure on a mating surface, and the tongue structure engages with a groove portion present in each of the cassettes so that when assembled the groove portions in the each of the plurality of cassette segments forms a substantially continuous groove.

2 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mating surface is an axial mating surface.

3 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the clearance between the tongue and groove portion along the circumferential length is variable.

4 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the combustor head is provided with a hole, which aligns with a hole provided on an upper surface of the cassette segments for the insertion of a fastener.

5 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the holes on the combustor head are slots allowing for thermal expansion of the combustion chamber.

6 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the fastener is aligned parallel with a centreline of the engine.

7 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the fastener is aligned generally axially, but at an angle to a centreline of the engine.

8 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the combustor heads and the cassette segments each have respective lugs through which a faster is inserted to connect the cassette segments and the combustor head.

9 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the lugs on the combustor head are circumferentially spaced and align with a lug located at the centre of the cassette segments.

10 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the lugs on the combustor head are circumferentially spaced and align with a lug located at the corners of the cassette segments.

11 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the lugs on a front edge of the cassette segment are circumferentially aligned with the lugs on a rear edge of the cassette segment.

12 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 8 wherein the lugs are discretely mounted on the combustor head and the cassette segments, so that they extend radially outwards the centre of the combustor.

13 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 8 , wherein either a single or double fastener is used per lug.

14 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a cowl is provided to connect to the combustor head on an opposing side to the mating surface that connects with the cassette segments.

15 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the cowl is provided with a plurality of scallops, or cut-backs, on both a radially outer axially extending flange and a radially inner axially extending flange.

16 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the cowl is provided with holes, which are arranged to align with the holes provided in the combustor head and cassette segments.

17 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the cowl is provided with an edge, so it radially sits outboard of the interface between the combustor head and Cassette segments.

18 . The combustion chamber as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the cowl is connected only to the combustor head via a separate lug to that connects the combustor head with the cassette segments.

19 . A gas turbine engine for an aircraft, the gas turbine engine comprising:
an engine core comprising a turbine, a compressor, and a core shaft connecting the turbine to the compressor; a fan located upstream of the engine core, the fan comprising a plurality of fan blades; and a gearbox that receives an input from the core shaft and outputs drive to the fan so as to drive the fan at a lower rotational speed than the core shaft, wherein: the gas turbine engine has a combustion chamber comprising a plurality of circumferentially arranged cassette segments coupled to a combustor head at one end and a wall section at the other end, each cassette segment extending the full length of the combustion chamber,
wherein the combustor head has an annular tongue structure on a mating surface, and the tongue structure engages with a groove portion present in each of the cassettes so that when assembled the groove portions in the each of the plurality of cassette segments forms a substantially continuous groove.

20 . The gas turbine engine according to claim 19 , wherein:
the turbine is a first turbine, the compressor is a first compressor, and the core shaft is a first core shaft; the engine core further comprises a second turbine, a second compressor, and a second core shaft connecting the second turbine to the second compressor; and the second turbine, second compressor, and second core shaft are arranged to rotate at a higher rotational speed than the first core shaft.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Hucker Paul A
• Harding Stephen C
• Rallo Giuseppe
• Morgan Iain

Classifications

• F23R2900/00017

  Assembling combustion chamber liners or subparts · CPC title

• F23R2900/00005

  Preventing fatigue failures or reducing mechanical stress in gas turbine components · CPC title

• F23R3/60 Primary

  Support structures; Attaching or mounting means · CPC title

• F23R3/002 Primary

  Wall structures (F23R3/02 and F23R3/007 take precedence) · CPC title

• F05D2260/4031

  as in toothed gearing · CPC title