Counter-rotating gas turbine engines including turbine sections with separable torque frames

US12247516B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• General Electric Company · US
• GE AVIO S.R.L. · IT

Inventors

• Ranganayakulu Alapati · Kanchinakote, IN
• Peeyush Pankaj · Kanchinakote, IN
• Sanjeev Sai Kumar Manepalli · Savanuru, IN
• Bhaskar Nanda Mondal · Bengaluru, IN
• Thomas Ory Moniz · Loveland, US
• N V Sai Krishna Emani · Bengaluru, IN
• Shishir Paresh Shah · Bengaluru, IN
• Anil Soni · Bengaluru, IN
• Praveen Sharma · Palatine, US
• Randy Thomas Antelo · Aurora, US
• Antonio Giuseppe D'Ettole · Rivoli, IT

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 29, 2022
• Grant date: Mar 11, 2025
• Expiry date: Sep 29, 2042

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F05D2240/24
• WIPO field: Engines, pumps, turbines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes a fan located at a forward portion of the gas turbine engine, and a compressor section and a turbine section arranged in serial flow order. The compressor section and the turbine section together define a core airflow path. A rotary member is rotatable with the fan and with a low pressure turbine of the turbine section. The low pressure turbine includes a rotating drum to which a first airfoil structure is connected and extends radially inward toward the rotary member. A torque frame connects the rotating drum to the rotary member and transfers torque from the first airfoil structure mounted to the rotating drum to the rotary member. The torque frame includes an inner disk mounted to the rotary member, an outer ring and a second airfoil structure formed separately from the outer ring and connected thereto by a releasable connecting structure. The second airfoil structure extends radially inward from the outer ring toward the inner disk.