Axial retention for fasteners in fan joint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8967978-B2
Application number	US-201213558875-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2012
Priority date	Jul 26, 2012
Publication date	Mar 3, 2015
Grant date	Mar 3, 2015

Abstract

In a gas turbine engine, a fan rotor and a compressor rotor are connected to a joint which is attached to a shaft. The fan rotor is connected to the joint by a plurality of fasteners extending through mounting openings in the joint and through apertures in the fan rotor. A standard retaining ring is attached to the joint to cover a portion of an enlarged head of each of the respective fasteners in order to prevent removal of the respective fasteners from the mounting openings in the joint before the respective fasteners are connected to the fan rotor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine having at least one spool assembly, the at least one spool assembly comprising a fan rotor, a compressor rotor disposed downstream of the fan rotor, a turbine and a shaft connecting the fan rotor, compressor rotor and turbine, a joint attached to an upstream end of the shaft and having an annular web extending radially outwardly from the shaft, the compressor rotor being connected to an annular peripheral region of the joint, the fan rotor being connected to an upstream side of the web of the joint by a plurality of circumferentially spaced fasteners axially extending in sequence through respective mounting openings in the web and respective mounting apertures in the fan rotor, and a standard retaining ring being attached to a downstream side of the web, the standard retaining ring being placed against a portion of an enlarged head of each of the respective fasteners and in a location of blocking withdrawal of the respective fasteners from the mounting openings in the web of the joint before the respective fasteners are connected to the fan rotor.

2. The gas turbine engine as defined in claim 1 wherein the web of the joint comprises an annular area thickened in an axial dimension of the web, an annular groove being defined in the thickened area, the annular groove receiving an annular portion of the standard retaining ring.

3. The gas turbine engine as defined in claim 2 wherein the annular thickened area is located radially inward of the annular peripheral region of the joint.

4. The gas turbine engine as defined in claim 2 wherein the annular thickened area is located radially outward of the respective mounting openings in the web.

5. The gas turbine engine as defined in claim 2 wherein the thickened area comprises a radially inner facing surface and the annular groove extends radially outward through the radially inner facing surface and into the thickened area.

6. The gas turbine engine as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the fasteners are positioned at a substantially equal distance, radially inward from an annular edge of the annular peripheral region of the joint.

7. The gas turbine engine as defined in claim 1 wherein a portion of a stem of each of the fasteners projects axially from the fan rotor, engaging with a securing device which is placed against the fan rotor.

8. The gas turbine engine as defined in claim 1 further comprising at least one additional standard retaining ring substantially identical to said standard retaining ring, said standard retaining ring and the at least one additional standard retaining ring being co-axially positioned one in contact with another, thereby increasing a stiffness thereof.

9. A method for assembling a fan rotor and a compressor rotor to a rotatable shaft of a gas turbine engine using a joint attached to an upstream end of the shaft, the joint having an annular web extending radially and outwardly from the shaft, the joint including a plurality of circumferentially spaced mounting openings extending through the web and positioned radially inward of an annular peripheral region of the joint, the method comprising:
a) sliding a plurality of fasteners through the respective mounting openings in a direction from a downstream side of the web to an upstream side of the web;
b) attaching a standard retaining ring to the joint to restrain an enlarged head of each of the fasteners between the downstream side of the web and the standard retaining ring, the standard retaining ring being placed against a portion of the enlarged head of each of the fasteners, thereby retaining each of the fasteners in one of the mounting openings with a portion of each of the fasteners axially projecting from the upstream side of the web;
c) connecting the compressor rotor to the annular peripheral region of the joint;
d) placing the fan rotor in position to allow the projecting portion of each of the fasteners to extend through a respective mounting aperture in the fan rotor; and
e) securing the respective fasteners in position with respect to the fan rotor to securely connect the fan rotor to the web of the joint.

10. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein in step (b) said standard retaining ring is replaced with two or more substantially identical standard retaining rings co-axially positioned one in contact with another to increase a stiffness thereof.

11. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein in step (b) the attachment of the standard retaining ring to the joint is performed by placing an annular portion of the standard retaining ring into an annular groove defined in the joint, the annular groove in the joint being adjacent to the respective mounting openings in the web of the joint.

12. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein in step (c) the connection of the compressor rotor to the annular peripheral region of the joint is performed with a plurality of connectors extending axially through respective openings defined in the annular peripheral region of the joint and respective apertures defined in the compressor rotor.

Assignees

• Denis David
• Ivakitch Richard
• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• Denis David
• Ivakitch Richard

Classifications

• F05D2220/36

  specially adapted for the fan of turbofan engines · CPC title

• F02K3/06

  with front fan · CPC title

• F01D5/025 Primary

  Fixing blade carrying members on shafts (attachment of a member on a shaft in general F16D1/06; for non-positive displacement pumps F04D29/00) · CPC title

• Y10T29/49234

  Rotary or radial engine making · CPC title

• Y10T29/49321

  Assembling individual fluid flow interacting members, e.g., blades, vanes, buckets, on rotary support member · CPC title