Bearing support assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023061131-A1
Application number	US-202117644475-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 15, 2021
Priority date	Sep 2, 2021
Publication date	Mar 2, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A bearing support assembly to support one or more bearings on a shaft. The bearing support assembly includes a bearing support frame configured to be coupled to a static frame, a plurality of ribs connected to the bearing support frame, and a bearing support connected to the plurality of ribs and configured to support a bearing of the one or more bearings. The bearing support assembly has a non-axisymmetric stiffness around a circumference of the bearing support assembly.

First claim

1 . A bearing support assembly configured to support one or more bearings on a shaft, the bearing support assembly comprising:
a bearing support frame configured to be coupled to a static frame; a plurality of ribs connected to the bearing support frame; and a bearing support connected to the plurality of ribs and configured to support a bearing of the one or more bearings, wherein the bearing support assembly has a non-axisymmetric stiffness varying around a circumference of the bearing support assembly.

2 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bearing support assembly always has a non-axisymmetric stiffness around the circumference of the bearing support assembly.

3 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bearing support assembly has a non-axisymmetric stiffness above a threshold load level and a symmetric stiffness below the threshold load level.

4 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , wherein the non-axisymmetric stiffness is a sinusoidal curve, a linear curve, a spline, or combinations thereof.

5 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , wherein the non-axisymmetric stiffness is achieved by altering a material of one or more of the plurality of ribs.

6 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ribs comprises a first subset of ribs and a second subset of ribs, and wherein a material of the first subset of ribs is different than a material of the second subset of ribs, and wherein the material of the first subset of ribs is a steel base with an aluminum deposit outer layer and the material of the second subset of ribs is a steel base with a titanium deposit outer layer.

7 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ribs comprises a hybrid rib arrangement, and wherein the hybrid rib arrangement comprises a combination of solid ribs, hollow ribs, hollow-filled ribs, or any combination thereof.

8 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , wherein the non-axisymmetric stiffness is achieved by altering the bearing support, wherein the bearing support comprises a first bearing support separated by a gap from a second bearing support and the gap includes a first gap and a second gap, the first gap between a first distal end of the first bearing support and a first distal end of the second bearing support and the second gap between a second distal end of the first bearing support and a second distal end of the second bearing support, and wherein the bearing support is a split bearing support.

9 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a nonsymmetric gap between the bearing support and the bearing support frame; and a material in the nonsymmetric gap, wherein the material is a viscoelastic material, a rubber material, a shape memory alloy, or combinations thereof, and wherein a first stiffness at an X-axis location is greater than a second stiffness at a Y-axis location above a threshold load level, and the first stiffness is the same as the second stiffness below the threshold load level.

10 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a symmetric gap between the bearing support and the bearing support frame, wherein the symmetric gap is filled with a first material and a second material, the first material having a greater stiffness than that of the second material.

11 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a symmetric gap between the bearing support and the bearing support frame, wherein the symmetric gap is filled with a magnetorheological fluid.

12 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bearing support frame has a first spring finger adjacent a second spring finger on the bearing support; and a gap between the bearing support frame and the bearing support.

13 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , wherein the non-axisymmetric stiffness is achieved by altering a cross section of the bearing support, and wherein the cross section is non-symmetric such that an outer diameter of the bearing support is ovular and an inner diameter of the bearing support is circular.

14 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a bearing supplemental support connected between the bearing support frame and the bearing support, wherein the bearing supplemental support comprises a plurality of members extending between the bearing support frame and the bearing support.

15 . The bearing support assembly of claim 1 , wherein the non-axisymmetric stiffness is achieved by altering an orientation of one or more of the plurality of ribs, wherein the plurality of ribs includes a plurality of fixed ribs and a plurality of movable ribs.

16 . The bearing support assembly of claim 15 , wherein one or more of the plurality of movable ribs is formed of layers of material within a base material.

17 . The bearing support assembly of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of movable ribs is arranged vertically with respect to a Y-axis, horizontally with respect to an X-axis, or wherein a first subset of the plurality of movable ribs is arranged vertically with respect to a Y-axis and a second subset of the plurality of movable ribs is arranged horizontally with respect to an X-axis.

18 . The bearing support assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of movable ribs is aligned with a twelve o'clock position and a six o'clock position and the second subset of the plurality of movable ribs is aligned with a three o'clock position and a nine o'clock position.

19 . The bearing support assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of movable ribs is aligned with a three o'clock position and a nine o'clock position and the second subset of the plurality of movable ribs is aligned with a twelve o'clock position and a six o'clock position.

20 . A compressor section of a gas turbine engine, the compressor section comprising:
(a) a shaft for driving a compressor; (b) a static frame; (c) a bearing; and (d) a bearing support assembly coupled between the static frame and the shaft, the bearing support assembly comprising:
(i) a bearing support frame coupled to the static frame;
(ii) a plurality of ribs connected to the bearing support frame; and
(iii) a bearing support connected to the plurality of ribs and configured to support the bearing,
wherein the bearing support assembly has a non-axisymmetric stiffness around a circumference of the bearing support assembly.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Bhujabal Prashant
• Ganiger Ravindra Shankar
• Payyoor Narayanan
• Banakar Mohankumar
• Kang Weize

Classifications

• F16C2360/23

  Gas turbine engines · CPC title

• F16C27/04

  Ball or roller bearings, e.g. with resilient rolling bodies · CPC title

• F02C7/06

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

• F05D2300/507

  Magnetic properties · CPC title

• F01D25/164 Primary

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