Allison Engine Company, Inc.

Donald W Burns

Victor Iannello

Mark Stephen Henry

Eugene E Pfaffenberger

John Robert Fagan, Jr

The present invention contemplates a combination bearing for supporting a rotating rotor within a gas turbine engine. The combination bearing including a magnetic bearing system and dry solid lubricated rolling element auxiliary bearings units for sharing the shaft load. The rotating central shaft being normally supported by the active electromagnetic bearing system. The auxiliary bearing unit being soft mounted to the shaft and engine housing and rotatable with the shaft. Soft mounting of the bearings between the housing and the shaft allows a substantially stable transition from the all magnetic bearing support to a physically contacting mechanically assisted support of the shaft.

Combination bearing for gas turbine engine

An integrated system for controlling the positioning of a rotating rotor within a compressor to enhance the performance of a gas turbine engine. The rotor being attached to a rotating shaft that is coupled to the compressor housing by a magnetic bearing system. The magnetic bearings support and position the rotor within the high speed tubomachine. During operation of the compressor the magnetic bearings non-axially position the rotor relative to the compressor housing to provide compressor instability control. By non-axially displacing the rotor relative to the compressor housing there is a resulting local disturbance to the fluid flow field, which in turn serves as the disturbance to alter the dynamics of the aerodynamic system and displace the compressor surge line.

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Danville, IN, United States of America

Donald W Burns