Geared fan with inner counter rotating compressor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9228535-B2
Application number	US-201213556496-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2012
Priority date	Jul 24, 2012
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A gas turbine engine comprises a fan section including a fan hub supporting a plurality of fan blades for rotation relative to a fan case, a shaft rotatable relative to the fan case about an engine center axis, and a geared architecture driven by the shaft to provide driving output to rotate the fan hub. A compressor is positioned forward of the geared architecture and radially inward of the fan blades, with the compressor being driven by the shaft.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a fan section including a fan hub supporting a plurality of fan blades for rotation relative to a fan case;
a shaft rotatable relative to the fan case about an engine center axis;
a geared architecture driven by the shaft and providing driving output to rotate the fan hub, wherein the geared architecture includes a sun gear that is driven by the shaft and a carrier that includes a plurality of gears in meshing engagement with the sun gear, and wherein the carrier is fixed to an engine static structure; and
a compressor positioned forward of the geared architecture and radially inward of the fan blades in an overlapping relationship with the fan blades, the compressor being driven by the shaft, and wherein the compressor includes at least one set of vanes that rotate in a first direction about the engine center axis and at least one set of compressor blades that rotate in a second direction about the engine center axis, wherein the second direction is opposite of the first direction.

2. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 wherein the compressor includes a rotor, and wherein the shaft directly drives the rotor.

3. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 wherein the compressor comprises a low pressure compressor having the at least one set of compressor blades fixed for rotation with the shaft and the at least one set of vanes fixed to the fan hub.

4. The gas turbine engine according to claim 3 wherein the low pressure compressor is comprised of a plurality of stages.

5. The gas turbine engine according to claim 4 wherein the compressor includes a rotor directly driven by the shaft, and wherein the plurality of stages comprises at least a first stage and a second stage, and wherein the at least one set of compressor blades comprises at least a first set of blades and a second set of blades, and the at least one set of vanes comprises at least a first set of vanes and a second set of vanes, the first stage having the first set of blades directly coupled to the shaft and the first set of vanes mounted to the fan hub, and the second stage having the second set of blades mounted to the rotor and the second set of vanes mounted to the fan hub.

6. The gas turbine engine according to claim 3 wherein the at least one set of vanes rotate with the fan hub in the first direction while the at least one set of compressor blades rotate with the shaft in the second direction.

7. The gas turbine engine according to claim 6 including at least one inter-shaft bearing mounted between the shaft and the at least one set of vanes to support the vanes for rotation relative to the shaft.

8. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 including at least one fan support bearing that supports the fan hub for rotation relative to the static structure, and wherein the geared architecture includes an outer annular gear in meshing engagement with the plurality of gears.

9. The gas turbine engine according to claim 8 wherein the fan hub includes a plurality of fan drive struts, and wherein the outer annular gear provides driving input to the fan drive struts.

10. The gas turbine engine according to claim 9 wherein the at least one fan support bearing comprises at least a first bearing positioned radially between the fan drive struts and the static structure.

11. The gas turbine engine according to claim 10 including a second bearing positioned radially between the fan hub and the static structure, the second bearing being positioned forward of the first bearing.

12. The gas turbine engine according to claim 8 wherein the fan section includes a plurality of static vanes extending between the fan case and the static structure.

13. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 wherein the compressor includes a rotor that is directly driven by the shaft, and wherein the compressor includes at least a first stage, a second stage, and a third stage, and wherein the at least one set of compressor blades comprises at least a first set of blades, a second set of blades, and a third set of blades, and wherein the at least one set of vanes comprises at least a first set of vanes and a second set of vanes, and wherein the first stage includes the first set of blades fixed to a forward end of the shaft and the first set of vanes mounted to the fan hub, the second stage is aft of the first stage and includes the second set of blades mounted to the rotor and the second set of vanes mounted to the fan hub, and the third stage is aft of the second stage and includes the third set of blades mounted to the rotor.

14. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 wherein the at least one set of vanes is radially aligned with the fan blades.

15. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1 wherein the compressor includes at least a first stage and a second stage, and wherein the at least one set of compressor blades comprises at least a first set of compressor blades and a second set of compressor blades, and the at least one set of vanes comprises at least a first set of vanes and a second set of vanes, and wherein the first stage comprises the first set of compressor blades and the first set of vanes and the second stage comprises the second set of compressor blades and the second set of vanes, and wherein the first and second sets of vanes rotate in the first direction about the engine center axis, and wherein the first and second sets of compressor blades rotate in the second direction about the engine center axis, and wherein the first set of compressor blades is positioned forward of the fan blades, the first set of vanes is radially aligned with the fan blades, and wherein the second set of compressor blades and the seconds set of vanes extend aft of the fan blades.

16. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a fan section including a fan outer case, a static structure positioned radially inward of the fan outer case, and a fan hub supporting a plurality of fan blades for rotation relative to the static structure;
at least one fan support bearing to support the fan hub for rotation relative to the static structure;
a shaft rotatable relative to the static structure about an engine center axis;
a geared architecture driven by the shaft and providing driving output to rotate the fan hub, and wherein in the geared architecture includes a carrier that is fixed to the static structure; and
a low pressure compressor positioned forward of the geared architecture and radially inward of the fan blades in an overlapping relationship with the fan blades, the compressor being driven directly by the shaft, and wherein the low pressure compressor includes at least one set of vanes that rotate in a first direction about the engine center axis and at least one set of compressor blades that rotate in a second direction about the engine center axis, wherein the second direction is opposite of the first direction.

17. The gas turbine engine according to claim 16 wherein the geared architecture is comprised of a sun gear that is driven by the shaft, a plurality of star gears supported by the carrier fixed to the static structure and in meshing engagement with the sun gear, and an outer annular gear in meshing engagement with the star gears to drive the fan hub.

18. The gas turbine engine according to claim 17 wherein the fan hub includes a plurality of fan drive struts, and wherein the outer annular gear is drivingly engaged with the fan drive struts.

19. The gas turbine engine according to claim 18 wherein the at least one fan support

Assignees

• Magowan John W
• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Magowan John W

Classifications

• F02C3/067

  having counter-rotating rotors (F02C3/073 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F05D2260/40311

  of the epicyclical, planetary or differential type · CPC title

• F02C7/36 Primary

  Power transmission arrangements between the different shafts of the gas turbine plant, or between the gas-turbine plant and the power user ({F02C3/107 - F02C3/13 and} F02C7/32 take precedence; couplings for transmitting rotation F16D; gearing in general F16H) · CPC title

• F02K3/06 Primary

  with front fan · CPC title

• F02C3/107

  with two or more rotors connected by power transmission · CPC title