Patent · US Active

Gas turbine engine casing assembly

US8647049B2 · kind B2 · utility

7Cited by
5References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 18, 2010
Grant dateFeb 11, 2014
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 12, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02T50/60
  • WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

High bypass ratio turbofan propulsion engines are designed with a two-step approach to surviving foreign object damage to the fan assembly. First, a containment system encircling the fan assembly to capture any part of a released fan blade in the event of damage occurring, and two in order to cope with the vibrations resulting from a rotating unbalanced fan assembly the support structure for the bearing of the rotating assembly is constructed with frangible parts to introduce a snubber gap to permit the rotating, unbalanced fan assembly and bearing to orbit thereby to reduce the resulting vibrations. However, in the case of very wide chord fan assemblies, the largest acceptable snubber gap is insufficient to reduce the induced vibrations. The present solution is to incorporate into the containment system, and behind a fan track liner encircling the fan blades, at least one severance member having a cutting edge that will impact the tips of the blades of an orbiting fan assembly thereby to trim the mass distribution of the fan blades in order to reduce the vibrations caused by the out of balance forces.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.