General Electric Company

Nestier Corporation

John D Von Benken

Emil L Munch

Alan M Carter

A frame for a gas turbine engine includes an outer casing, an inner hub, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart struts extending radially therebetween. Each strut includes first and second sidewalls defining a radial passage therein, and an elongate damper is disposed in respective ones of the strut passages. Each damper is disposed in an interference fit laterally between the first and second sidewalls for maintaining contact therewith for effecting sliding friction to dampen vibration of the struts.

Damped turbine engine frame

An improved lightweight frame for gas turbine engine is disclosed. The frame includes a hub and a radially spaced casing with two rows of circumferentially spaced tie rods extending between the hub and the casing. In a preferred embodiment, jam nuts are provided on the tie rods for accommodating compressive loads therein. The tie rods are pretensioned so that during operation in a gas turbine engine, for example, wherein the tie rods are heated by combustion gases, thermal expansion of the tie rods and resulting compressive stress will be accommodated by the pretension so that in a preferred embodiment the tie rods may operate nearly stress free at normal operation. The two rows of tie rods and jam nut pairs allow the frame to accommodate effectively blade-out loads channeled to the frame 30.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

John D Von Benken