General Electric Company

Joseph T Stevenson

James Michael Forrester

Jay L Cornell

Jan Christopher Schilling

Peter W Mueller

Jeffrey Clayton Potter

Sean Joel Corrigan

Wendy Wen-Ling Lin

Dewey D Dunkman

Elbert Stonom

Josef Panovsky

Christopher Charles Glynn

Scott Roger Finn

Kevin Warner Flanagan

James Claude Carnahan

James Edwin Rhoda

Rolf R Hetico

Daniel Edward Wines

Sang Yeng Park

Janine Elizabeth Bolt

The present invention provides tough, high modulus, low density thermoset polyurethane compositions which are useful in general as, for example, cast structural materials and in a preferred embodiment can be cured directly onto an aircraft engine fan blade, thereby providing a lighter blade, without concomitant loss in structural integrity or blade performance due to, for example, resistance to foreign object impacts and fuel efficiency. In a preferred embodiment, the composition is comprised of bis-amine compounds reacted with isocyanate-functional polyether polymers in the presence of hollow polymeric microspheres. The thermoset polymer compositions are formed by casting into a mold which is formed by a cavity within the metallic or composite fan blade or guide vane in the form of a pocket and a removable caul sheet. After the elastomeric polyurethane foam is injected through at least one injector port into the mold, the foam is cured.

Use of high modulus, impact resistant foams for structural components

A gas turbine engine rotor disk has a number of annular hubs circumscribed about a centerline and each of the hubs is connected to a disk rim by a web. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart circular arc dovetail slots are disposed through the rim. Circumferentially extending annular burst slots extend radially through the rim into the dovetail slots between each adjacent pair of the webs. The fan blades have circular arc dovetail roots disposed within the circumferentially spaced apart circular arc dovetail slots. A one piece spinner attached to a forward extension of the disk at a location between a tip and an axially aft spinner end of the spinner. Non-integral platforms circumferentially disposed between the fan blades. A booster spool is connected to the rotor disk by a mounting plate therebetween and the platforms are radially retained to the disk and mounting plates by pins through holes in mounting lugs depending radially inwardly from the platforms. Pairs of circumferentially oppositely facing retaining slots have retainers disposed therein which extend across the dovetail slots to axially retain the dovetail roots in the dovetail slots.

Circular arc multi-bore fan disk assembly

A gas turbine engine rotor disk has a number of annular hubs circumscribed about a centerline and each of the hubs is connected to a disk rim by a web. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart dovetail slots are disposed through the rim, extending circumferentially between disk posts, extending axially from a forward end to an aft end of the rim, and extending radially inwardly from a disk outer surface of the rim. Circumferentially extending annular burst slots extend radially through the rim into the dovetail slots between each adjacent pair of the webs. In the exemplary embodiment of the disk illustrated herein, the dovetail slots are circular arc dovetail slots. An axially forwardly extending overhang is located radially outwardly on each of the disk posts and a chamfer is on a radially outer corner of the each of the disk posts on a portion of the overhangs. A plurality of post holes extending axially aftwardly into the rim wherein each of the post hole extends axially aftwardly into a corresponding one of the disk posts.

Circular arc multi-bore fan disk

Non-integral fan platform

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is a spinner for a front end of a fan assembly of a gas turbine engine. The spinner includes a single piece substantially conically shaped hollow body circumscribed about a centerline extending aftwardly from a tip to an axially aft spinner end. A plurality of bolt holes extend axially parallel to the centerline through the hollow body at an axial location between the tip and the aft spinner end. The hollow body may include a forward conical section extending aftwardly from the tip to a transition section, an aft conical section extending aftwardly from the transition section to the aft spinner end, and the bolt holes are axially located in the transition section. An aft spinner flange attached to the axially aft spinner end includes a plurality of flange lightening holes axially disposed through the aft spinner flange and the flange lightening holes.

One piece spinner

A fan blade includes a metal airfoil having a pocket disposed in a first side thereof, with the pocket including a filler bonded thereto. The pocket includes a plurality of cells separated by corresponding ribs which are submerged in the filler.

Submerged rib hybrid blade

A fan blade includes a metal airfoil having first and second opposite sides extending radially between a root and a tip, and axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil further includes a pocket disposed in the first side having an elastomeric filler bonded therein. A panel is bonded to the filler along the pocket for allowing differential movement therebetween for damping vibratory response of the airfoil.

Panel damped hybrid blade

A fan blade includes a metal airfoil having first and second opposite sides extending radially between a root and tip, and axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil further includes a plurality of pockets disposed in the first side and separated by corresponding ribs. A filler is bonded in the pocket, and is coextensive with the airfoil first side. Radial and diagonal ribs respectively intersect solely each other for selectively increasing torsional and bending stiffness to increase frequency margin between adjacent torsional and bending resonant modes of vibration.

Frequency tuned hybrid blade

A fan blade includes a metal airfoil having first and second opposite sides extending longitudinally between a root and a tip, and laterally between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil further includes a plurality of fine striations spaced laterally apart between the leading and trailing edges in the airfoil first side, and extending longitudinally between the root and the tip. A viscoelastic filler is bonded in the striations for damping torsional vibrations of the airfoil.

Striated hybrid blade

The present invention provides a method and apparatus including a rotor mountable fixture for guiding a cutting tool powered by a hand held air motor to machine a gas turbine engine rotor without removing the rotor from its mountings in the engine. In one particular embodiment the fixture includes a root having the same contour as a blade root slot of a rotor, a base having a platform attached to the root, and a machining guide in the form of a bushing restrained in a guide slot operable to receive and guide a hand held air motor powered cutting tool for machining the rotor. The present invention provides an accurate means to machine a gas turbine engine rotor without removing the rotor from its mounting. In one particular embodiment a method for machining the rotor in the field is provided using a hand held air motor to power a machining tool to cut a blade damper pocket in the dovetail slot of a pressure compressor rotor.

Fixture and method for machining rotors

The present invention provides a phase independent damper and damper assembly capable of damping rotor blade vibrations in the axial, circumferential, and radial directions. One embodiment, particularly useful in an aircraft gas turbine engine compressor rotor, provides a damper and damper assembly including a generally axially extending blade damper operable to fictionally engage a generally axially extending circumferentially facing surface of a disk and axially extending angled surface under the platform of the blade. The invention provides an additional advantage of allowing simple and easy modification of existing engines to incorporate the damper of the present invention.

Blade damper

A method of using a rotor mountable fixture for guiding a cutting tool powered by a hand held air motor to machine a gas turbine engine rotor without removing the rotor from its mountings in the engine is provided. In one particular embodiment the fixture includes a root having the same contour as a blade root slot of a rotor, a base having a platform attached to the root, and a machining guide in the form of a bushing restrained in a guide slot operable to receive a guide a hand held air motor powered cutting tool for machining the rotor. The present invention provides an accurate means to machine a gas turbine engine rotor without removing the rotor from its mounting. In one particular embodiment a method for machining the rotor in the field is provided using a hand held air motor to power a machining tool to cut a blade damper pocket in the dovetail slot of a pressure compressor rotor.

Growing community of inventors

Amelia, OH, United States of America

Joseph T Stevenson