Alliedsignal Inc.

Ford Motor Company Limited

Gary L Boyd

William D Carruthers

Yogendra Y Sheoran

Z Daniel Judd

Charles A Knapp

D Warren Sumner

John F Ruggles

A high temperature ceramic/metallic turbine engine includes a metallic housing which journals a rotor member of the turbine engine. A ceramic disk-like shroud portion of the engine is supported on the metallic housing portion and maintains a close running clearance with the rotor member. A ceramic spacer assembly maintains the close running clearance of the shroud portion and rotor member despite differential thermal movements between the shroud portion and metallic housing portion.

High temperature turbine engine structure

A gas turbine engine (10) incorporates a particle trap (46) that forms an entrapment region (73) in a plenum (24) which extends from within the combustor (18) to the inlet (32) of a radial-inflow turbine (52, 54). The engine (10) is thereby adapted to entrap particles that originate downstream from the compressor (14) and are otherwise propelled by combustion gas (22) into the turbine (52, 54). Carbonaceous particles that are dislodged from the inner wall (50) of the combustor (18) are incinerated within the entrapment region (73) during operation of the engine (10).

Gas turbine engines with particle traps

A hybrid ceramic/metallic fastener (bolt) includes a headed ceramic shank carrying a metallic end termination fitting. A conventional cap screw threadably engages the termination fitting to apply tensile force to the fastener.

A high temperature turbine engine includes a rotor portion having axially stacked adjacent ceramic rotor parts. A ceramic/ceramic joint structure transmits torque between the rotor parts while maintaining coaxial alignment and axially spaced mutually parallel relation thereof despite thermal and centrifugal cycling.

A high temperature turbine engine includes a hybrid ceramic/metallic rotor member having ceramic/metal joint structure. The disclosed joint is able to endure higher temperatures than previously possible, and aids in controlling heat transfer in the rotor member.

High temperature ceramic/metal joint structure

A non-lubricated, gas film load support bearing wherein the rotating shaft is of ceramic material such as silicon nitride, and the surrounding bearing segments are of carbon-graphite material. The carbon-graphite surface is configured with lands and depressions for self-generation of the gas film from surrounding, hot, oxygen-bearing gases.

High temperature bearing

A regenerator drive system for a ceramic circular regenerator core comprising a cylindrical matrix adapted to be mounted for rotation about its central axis, said ceramic core having axial gas flow passages adapted, when it is installed in an engine, to accommodate flow therethrough of high temperature combustion gases and relatively cool combustor intake gases, a metallic ring gear surrounding the periphery of said core and radially spaced therefrom, an elastomeric lug and groove drive means situated between said core and said ring gear for distributing tangential driving forces therebetween, said drive means comprising a first series of elastomeric drive lugs bonded to the inner periphery of said ring gear at tangentially spaced locations and a second series of elastomeric drive lugs bonded to the external surface of the periphery of said core at tangentially spaced locations and in registry with the spaces between the drive lugs on said ring gear, said drive lugs having sufficient clearance therebetween to establish radial and axial compliance between the ring gear and the core, one with respect to the other.

Growing community of inventors

Tempe, AZ, United States of America

Gary L Boyd