Lightweight engine turbine bearing support assembly for withstanding

Abstract

A gas turbine engine incorporates a bearing support assembly which mounts an inner annular bearing arrangement in radially spaced relation inwardly from a stationary outer casing. The bearing arrangement, in turn, mounts a turbine rotor within the outer casing for rotation about a central axis relative to the outer casing. A row of stationary stator vanes are fixedly attached to an extend radially inwardly from the outer casing toward the central axis. The bearing support assembly includes an inner ring structure extending about and mounting the inner bearing arrangement, elongated tie rods each having opposite outer and inner end portions and being disposed in circumferential spaced relation to one another and extending through the stationary vanes in radial relation to the central axis and between the outer casing and inner ring structure, and fastening elements fixedly clamping the outer casing and inner ring structure respectively to the outer and inner end portion of the tie rods such that the tie rods, outer casing and inner ring structure act together as a unit to uniformly distribute bearing-induced radial loads and to withstand bearing-induced radial loads in both tension and compression. An annular shell structure is disposed between and fixedly interconnects the inner ring structure and stationary vanes such that the annular structure, inner ring structure and stationary vanes act together as a unit to withstand axial loads induced by differences in air pressure existing axially through the outer casing.