General Electric Company

James John Luz

Thomas Charles McCarthy

Duane Howard Anstead

Christopher Mark Bordne

Robert Burton Brown

Thomas Bradley Kenney

Firas Younes

Craig M Gardner

Mark Gregory Wotzak

Bojan Lukovic

Keith Franklin Beatty

John R Seymour

Andrew Courtenay Fenn

Kenneth V Wellner

Thomas Charles Mccarthy

Keith Beatty

A system for lubricating components of a gas turbine engine includes a supply pump to pump lubricant from a reservoir through a supply conduit to lubricated component. An outer body deicing circuit is fluidly coupled in series with the supply conduit. Moreover, a scavenge conduit extends from the lubricated component to the reservoir and a scavenge pump pumps the lubricant from the lubricated component through the scavenge conduit. In addition, a valve is fluidly coupled in series with the supply conduit and the scavenge conduit and a bypass conduit extends from the valve to a location on the supply conduit downstream of the deicing circuit. When the lubricant is supplied to the valve, the valve directs the lubricant flowing through the scavenge conduit into the reservoir. When the supply of lubricant to the valve is halted, the valve directs the lubricant flowing through the scavenge conduit into the bypass conduit.

System for lubricating components of a gas turbine engine including a lubricant bypass conduit

A flow vortex spoiler including an oil sump wherein pressurization air flow moves about the oil sump through a sump pressurization cavity, the cavity having an inlet, a circumferential plate disposed across a portion of the pressurization cavity near the inlet. The circumferential plate is disposed at said inlet to said sump pressurization cavity. The circumferential plate has a plurality of closely spaced apertures. The pressurization air has a radial component and a tangential component wherein the circumferential plate and the plurality of closely spaced apertures substantially reduce the tangential component of the pressurization air and further wherein the vortex spoiler inhibits excessive pressure change within the pressurization cavity and inhibits oil leakage at seals adjacent to the oil sump.

Flow vortex spoiler

A gearbox vent apparatus includes: a gearbox; an accessory contained in a case mounted to the gearbox such than an interior space of the case communicates with an interior space of the gearbox, wherein the case includes a sidewall and an endwall, a hollow drive shaft mounted for rotation inside the case; an annular first seal element mounted to the drive shaft; an annular second seal element mounted to the case and contacting the first seal element so as to define a sealing interface; and a vent tube having a forward end coupled to the endwall in fluid communication with the drive shaft.

Gearbox with sealed accessory vent

Oil sump seal pressurization apparatus for a turbine engine are disclosed. An example oil sump seal pressurization apparatus may include an oil sump comprising at least one bearing mounted therein; an oil seal operatively disposed between a non-rotating structural member of the sump and the shaft; a generally radially inwardly oriented passage arranged to supply pressurization air to the outward side of the oil seal; a generally radially outwardly oriented pathway arranged to receive at least some of the pressurization air from the passage, the pathway being at least partially defined by a generally radially outwardly extending arm disposed on the shaft, the arm rotating with the shaft; and/or a windage shield at least partially separating the passage and the pathway, the windage shield being operatively mounted to the non-rotating structural member of the sump.

Mitigating vortex pumping effect upstream of oil seal

Oil sump seal pressurization apparatus for turbine engines are disclosed. An example oil sump seal pressurization apparatus may include a non-rotating oil sump housing a bearing; an oil seal isolating an interior of the oil sump; a passage arranged to supply pressurization air to an outward side of the oil seal; a drain arranged to allow draining of oil and venting of at least some of the pressurization air, the drain being positioned axially between the passage and the oil seal; a wide discourager tooth disposed on the shaft and extending radially outward towards a non-rotating land, which may be disposed axially between the passage and the drain, the wide discourager tooth being spaced apart from the land in a radial direction by a gap, the wide discourager tooth including an upper surface; and/or an adjacent tooth disposed on the shaft and extending radially outward from the shaft.

Wide discourager tooth

The mounting system 10 includes a base support structure 12, a load support 14 and a compressive force-applying member 16. Compression elements 18 and 20 are disposed between the base support structure 12 and load support 14 and the load support 14 and member 16, respectively. Rods 22 interconnect base support structure 12 and member 16. Elements 18 and 20 are pre-compressively loaded by displacing member 16 toward base support structure 14 and compression elements 18 and 20 carry compression and tensile loadings while under compression. Support rods 22 extend through apertures in load support 14 to ensure vibration isolation of load support 14 from base support structure 12.

Load mounting system having precompressed elastomeric support elements

A vibration damper assembly is provided which includes a first attachment element or bracket for securing the damping mechanism to a first component, the vibrations of which are to be damped. A visco-elastic spacer is secured to the element or bracket at one end, and to a cylinder of a piston/cylinder assembly at its other end. A piston is slidably received in the cylinder with a predetermined clearance between the peripheral surface of the piston and the cylinder wall. A piston rod extending from the piston and the opposite end of the cylinder is received within a housing of a viscous damping device, the piston rod having a plurality of discs mounted thereon in predetermined, spaced relationship. An interior wall of the housing is also formed with a plurality of disc-like surfaces projecting toward the radial center of the housing, with aligned apertures therein to accommodate the piston rod. The other or remote end of the viscous damper housing is secured to a second attachment element or bracket by which the damper is secured to a second component. The assembly is designed especially to damp extremely low amplitude vibrations, to accommodate long term displacement or creep between the components, and to withstand dynamic shock.

Growing community of inventors

Tewksbury, MA, United States of America

James John Luz