Gas turbine engine configured for modular assembly/disassembly and method for same
10094277 ยท 2018-10-09
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
F05D2220/32
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F05D2230/70
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F02C3/10
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F05D2230/80
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F01D5/026
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F05D2250/182
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F05D2260/30
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F01D5/066
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F02C3/107
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
Y10T29/4924
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
F05B2230/70
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B23P6/002
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
F05D2230/51
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F05D2260/31
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
International classification
F02C3/10
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F02C3/107
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F01D5/02
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B23P6/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Abstract
A method for assembling and disassembling a module of gas turbine engine is provided, along with a gas turbine engine configured for modular assembly/disassembly. The engine includes a first shaft and a second shaft. The first shaft connects a compressor section and a first turbine section. The second shaft is connected to the second turbine section. The first and second shafts are rotatable about the engine rotational axis. The second shaft and the second turbine section together form a module that can be assembled, or disassembled, or both from the engine.
Claims
1. A gas turbine engine having a rotational axis, comprising: a first shaft connecting a compressor section and a first turbine section, which the first shaft is rotatable about the rotational axis; a second shaft connected to a second turbine section, which the second shaft is rotatable about the rotational axis; a shaft nut, having a castellated end surface, is threaded to the first shaft by a threaded surface of the shaft nut to secure the first turbine section; and a flange attached to the second shaft having a castellated distal end surface that mates with the castellated end surface of the shaft nut; wherein the second shaft, and the second turbine section together form a module that is adapted to be assembled with the gas turbine engine and disassembled from the gas turbine engine; wherein the gas turbine engine is adapted to permit the second shaft and the second turbine section to selectively move axially forward within the gas turbine engine to a disassembly position; wherein in the disassembly position, the castellated end surface of the shaft nut is engaged with the castellated distal end surface of the flange; and wherein the flange attached to the second shaft is L-shaped, with a first leg and a second leg, wherein the second leg includes the castellated distal end surface.
2. A gas turbine engine having a rotational axis, comprising: a first shaft connecting a compressor section and a first turbine section, which the first shaft is rotatable about the rotational axis; a second shaft connected to a second turbine section, which the second shaft is rotatable about the rotational axis; a third shaft connecting a second compressor section to a third turbine section, which the third turbine section includes a rotor stage; a shaft nut, having a castellated end surface, is threaded to the first shaft by a threaded surface of the shaft nut to secure the first turbine section; and a flange attached to the second shaft having a castellated distal end surface that mates with the castellated end surface of the shaft nut; wherein the second shaft, the second turbine section, and the rotor stage of the third turbine section together form a module that is adapted to be assembled with the gas turbine engine and disassembled from the as turbine engine; wherein the as turbine engine is adapted to permit the second shaft and the second turbine section to selectively move axially forward within the gas turbine engine to a disassembly position; wherein in the disassembly position, the castellated end surface of the shaft nut is engaged with the castellated distal end surface of the flange; and wherein the flange attached to the second shaft is L-shaped, with a first leg and a second leg, wherein the second leg includes the castellated distal end surface.
3. The gas turbine engine of claim 2, wherein the gas turbine engine includes a shaft spacer, which the shaft spacer is removable to permit the module to selectively move axially forward within the gas turbine engine to the disassembly position.
4. The gas turbine engine of claim 2, wherein the gas turbine engine includes a frame spacer that is removable to permit the module to selectively move axially forward within the gas turbine engine to the disassembly position.
5. The gas turbine engine of claim 2, further comprising an inner radial seal configured to assume a non-interfering configuration in the disassembly position.
6. The gas turbine engine of claim 2, further comprising an outer seal member configured to assume a non-interfering configuration in the disassembly position.
7. The gas turbine engine of claim 2, further comprising a first frame having an attachment flange, a second frame having an attachment flange, and a frame spacer, which the frame spacer is configured to be disposed between the attachment flanges, and which the flange spacer is removable to permit the second turbine section and the second shaft to selectively move axially forward within the gas turbine engine to the disassembly position.
8. The gas turbine engine of claim 2, further comprising a gearbox shaft connected to the second shaft.
9. The gas turbine engine of claim 2, wherein the first leg extends radially outward from an outer diameter surface of the second shaft, and the second leg extends axially outward from the first leg, and a relief channel is disposed between the second leg and the outer diameter surface of the second shaft.
10. The gas turbine engine of claim 9, wherein the second leg includes an inner radial surface, and a ramp surface extending between the castellated distal end surface and the inner radial surface.
11. A gas turbine engine having a rotational axis, comprising: a first shaft connecting a compressor section and a first turbine section, which the first shaft is rotatable about the rotational axis; a second shaft connected to a second turbine section, which the second shaft is rotatable about the rotational axis; a third shaft connecting a second compressor section to a third turbine section, which the third turbine section includes a rotor stage; a shaft nut, having a castellated end surface, is threaded to the first shaft by a threaded surface of the shaft nut to secure the first turbine section; and a flange attached to the second shaft having a castellated distal end surface that mates with the castellated end surface of the shaft nut; wherein the second shaft, the second turbine section, and the third turbine rotor stage together form a module that is adapted to be assembled with the gas turbine engine and disassembled from the gas turbine engine; and wherein the flange attached to the second shaft is L-shaped, with a first leg and a second leg, wherein the second leg includes the castellated distal end surface.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Various features will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the disclosed non-limiting embodiments. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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(15) The gas turbine engine 20 shown in
(16) A person of skill in the art will recognize the operational principles of a gas turbine engine. For example, external air is drawn into the compressor sections where it is compressed prior to it passing into the combustor section. Fuel is added to the compressed air within the combustor section and ignited to produce additional energy. The combusted fuel air mixture subsequently passes into and drives the turbine sections. The HPT 28 and LPT 30 respectively drive the HPC 24 and the LPC 22, and the PT 32 is used to drive the external device (e.g., the gearbox 40).
(17) A gas turbine engine 20 according to the present disclosure is configurable for modular assembly and disassembly. Configurations according to the present disclosure can provide several benefits including facilitating access to certain sections of the engine 20 (e.g., the HPT 28), avoiding the need to open certain bearing compartments to ambient conditions, etc. The later benefit is particularly valuable in environments where there may be significant contaminants in the ambient atmosphere (e.g., talc/dust present in a desert environment). A gas turbine engine 20 according to the present disclosure may assume several different specific configurations, which configurations may vary depending on the characteristics of the engine; e.g., the number of spools/turbine sections in the engine, etc. The following detailed description details one configuration to illustrate the utility of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not, however, limited to this particular configuration.
(18) Now referring to
(19) As can be seen in
(20) A split ring shaft spacer 72 is disposed between an end surface of the PT shaft 38 and a flange portion of the gearbox drive shaft 70. The split ring shaft spacer 72 has width 74 extending between an inner diameter surface and an outer diameter surface, and an axial thickness 76 extending between a first end surface and a second end surface.
(21) The PT shaft 38 and the gearbox drive shaft 70 are engaged with each other by a plurality of splines; e.g., splines 78 disposed on the outer diameter surface of the PT shaft 38 and splines 80 disposed on an inner diameter surface of the gearbox drive shaft 70, which splines 78, 80 mate with each other to permit the two shafts 38, 70 to be rotated in concert.
(22) Now referring to
(23) An inner radial seal 110 is also disposed proximate the engine axial position between the aft-most stator vane stage 84 of the LPT 30 and the first rotor stage of the PT 32. The inner radial seal 110, however, is disposed radially inside of the aft-most stator vane stage 84 of the LPT 30 and the first rotor stage of the PT 32. The inner radial seal 110 includes a first portion (e.g., a knife edge portion 112) attached to a hub of the PT first rotor stage 116 and a second portion (e.g., a seal land 114 configured to mate with the knife edge 112) attached to the aft-most stator vane stage 84 of the LPT 30. The second portion 114 includes an axial length to permit the first portion 112 to engage the second portion 114 at a plurality of axial positions.
(24) Now referring to
(25) The ARR ring 122 (e.g., see the embodiment shown in
(26) The PT shaft 38 includes an L shaped flange 148 with two legs; i.e., a first leg 150 that extends outwardly from the outer diameter surface of the PT shaft 38, and a second leg 152 that extends axially outwardly from the first leg 150; e.g., see
Disassembly/Assembly Procedure Illustration
(27) Now referring to
(28) In the first step 200, the engine shaft spacer 72 is removed (e.g., see
(29) In a second step 210, the frame spacer 86 is removed; e.g., removal of the frame spacer 86 disposed between the mid-turbine frame 46 and the PT frame 82 at the engine axial position located between the aft-most stator vane stage 84 of the LPT 30 and the first rotor stage of the PT 32; see
(30) In a third step 212, the PT 32, PT shaft 38 and attached hardware are moved forward; i.e., to a disassembly position (e.g., see
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(32) In a fourth step 214, the low pressure shaft 36 is uncoupled.
(33) While the castellations of the PT shaft 38 and the LPT shaft nut 118 are engaged, the PT shaft 38 can be rotated and the LPT shaft nut 118 disengaged (e.g., unthreaded) from the low pressure shaft 36. As the LPT shaft nut 118 is disengaged from the low pressure shaft 36, the relief channel 154 (disposed between the second leg 152 of the L-shaped flange 148 and the outer diameter surface of the PT shaft 38) and the ARR ring 122 are configured such that the ARR ring 122 will remain secured within the relief channel 154 and can be removed with the PT shaft 38; e.g., see
(34) In a fifth step 216, the module (e.g., a portion of the turbine exhaust case 44, the PT 32, the PT shaft 38, the mid-turbine frame 46, and the LPT rotor stage 48) may be removed from the engine 20 as a module. As indicated above, the LPT shaft nut 118 may include one or more features that allow a device (e.g., puller) to be used to remove the LPT shaft nut 118 during disassembly. The retention ring 120 may be moved radially inwardly by a probe or the like to facilitate removal of the LPT shaft nut 118.
(35) The methodology for disassembling/assembling a module of the gas turbine engine 20 is described above in terms of disassembling the module from the gas turbine engine 20. The reverse methodology can be used for assembling the module with the engine 20.
(36) It should be understood that relative positional terms such as forward, aft, upper, lower, above, below, and the like are with reference to the normal operational attitude and should not be considered otherwise limiting.
(37) It should be understood that like reference numerals identity corresponding or similar elements throughout the several drawings. It should also be understood that although a particular component arrangement is disclosed in the illustrated embodiment, other arrangements will benefit here from.
(38) Although particular step sequences are shown, described, and claimed, it should be understood that steps may be performed in any order, separated or combined unless otherwise indicated and will still benefit from the present disclosure.
(39) The foregoing description is exemplary rather than defined by the limitations within. Various non-limiting embodiments are disclosed herein, however, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that various modifications and variations in light of the above teachings will fall within the scope of the appended claims. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the disclosure may be practiced other than as specifically described. For that reason the appended claims should be studied to determine true scope and content.