General Electric Company

Steve R Fledderjohn

Ambrose A Hauser

James C Przytulski

Randall Charles Bauer

Sidney B Elston, Iii

Alan L Webb

Alan R Gilchrist

Jonathon P Clarke

David G Hendley

A cooling system for use in a rotor assembly of a gas turbine engine, the rotor assembly including an annular disk rotatable about a centerline axis of the engine and a plurality of blades mounted on the disk. The disk includes alternating posts and slots, with each slot receiving a blade dovetail. The cooling system comprises an axially extending plenum disposed inward of each blade dovetail and a thermal isolation chamber, formed by a seal body, disposed over the outer surface of each disk post. An annular forward blade retainer is attached to the disk and sealed with adjacent structures via inner and outer seals. Alternative structures are disclosed for diverting the cooling air from the plenums, past the inner and outer seals, and into the isolation chambers during operation of the engine so as to cool each disk point, without compromising the structural integrity of the forward blade retainer. The cooling system further includes an aft retention member forming in part an annular plenum in fluid flow communication with each of the axially extending plenums. The annular plenum is further in fluid flow communication with a plurality of passages formed between disk post and blade dovetail relief surfaces, with air flowing through these passages effective for further cooling the disk posts. The air flowing through at least a portion of these passages is subsequently directed to the thermal is isolation chambers.

Rotor disk post cooling system

The present invention provides an annular integral bolt heat shield and axial retention apparatus to axially retain bolts used for holding together two rotor elements during assembly when the bolts are otherwise subject to sliding into a closed cavity of the assembled engine or one of its modules. The integral retainer and heat shield engage the bolts disposed through bolt holes in a gas turbine engine rotor shaft so that the bolts remain straight during assembly when a second rotor element such as a second shaft is being attached to the first shaft and bolt holes in the second shaft have to engage and fit over the bolts of the first shaft. One particular embodiment of the present invention provides a low pressure turbine rotor shaft assembly of a low pressure turbine module wherein forward and aft shafts are attached by bolts which have bolt heads in a closed cavity of the module and are slidably disposed through corresponding bolt holes of each shaft such that the bolt heads are disposed aft of the aft shaft. An integral heat shield and axial bolt retainer is mounted to the aft shaft aft of the bolt heads so as to trap and retain the bolt heads between the shield and the aft shaft.

Turbine heat shield and bolt retainer assembly

A turbine support assembly includes a turbine rotor joined to a fan shaft through a support shaft. The support shaft is joined to the fan shaft in a V-configuration having first and second legs joined together at an apex and inclined axially apart, with at least the first leg forming an integral part of the fan shaft. The second leg is rotatably supportable to a frame. The V-configuration increases the stiffness of the turbine support to reduce blade tip clearances. The present invention also provides an annular integral bolt heat shield and axial retention apparatus to axially retain bolts used for holding together two rotor elements during assembly when the bolts are otherwise subject to sliding into a closed cavity of the assembled engine or one of its modules. The integral retainer and heat shield engage the bolts disposed through bolt holes in a gas turbine engine rotor shaft so that the bolts remain straight during assembly when a second rotor element such as a second shaft is being attached to the first shaft, and bolt holes in the second shaft have to engage and fit over the bolts of the first shaft. One particular embodiment of the present invention provides a low pressure turbine rotor shaft assembly of a low pressure turbine module wherein forward and aft shafts are attached by bolts which have bolt heads in a closed cavity of the module and are slidably disposed through corresponding bolt holes of each shaft such that the bolt heads are disposed aft of the aft shaft. An integral heat shield and axial bolt retainer is mounted to the aft shaft aft of the bolt heads so as to trap and retain the bolt heads between the shield and the aft shaft.

Turbine support assembly including turbine heat shield and bolt retainer

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Steve R Fledderjohn