Auxiliary housing suspension
A compact suspension system with a monobloc screed and integrated connecting rods addresses the inflexibility and bulkiness of traditional turbomachine attachments, improving design freedom and reducing mass and costs while preserving engine efficiency.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2023004697
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-05-11
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-05-11
AI Technical Summary
Existing turbomachine designs face challenges with bulky and inflexible auxiliary case attachments due to massive screeds and bulky fixing elements, which restrict design flexibility and require significant space, often necessitating modifications to air veins, impacting engine yield and environmental impact.
A compact suspension system using a monobloc screed with multiple coaxial and non-coaxial connecting rods, reducing the need for multiple screeds by integrating two connecting rods to a single screed, thereby minimizing mass and space requirements.
This solution enhances design flexibility, reduces mass and manufacturing costs, and maintains engine efficiency by allowing the auxiliary case to be positioned in less spacious locations without altering optimized air veins.
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Auxiliary housing suspension technical field
[0001] This disclosure relates to the structure of a turbomachine and in particular the attachment of an auxiliary housing to a turbomachine casing. Previous technique
[0002] A turbomachine generally includes an accessory gearbox (AGB) comprising a gear train connected to the turbomachine shaft and designed to distribute some of the power from the main shaft to auxiliary functions of the turbomachine, or even the aircraft. French patent document FR 3 117 530 A1 describes a turbomachine in which an accessory gearbox is attached to the turbomachine casing by means of several arms (or "connecting rods"). Each connecting rod has one end connected to a support (or "clevis") fixed to the casing and another end connected to a support fixed to the casing. Given the deformations induced by mechanical or thermal stresses, the connecting rods are connected to the clevises by pivots, or even by ball joints. French patent document FR 3 062 439 A1 provides an example of the connection between connecting rods and clevises.
[0003] Each of the yokes must be sufficiently massive for mechanical strength. Therefore, the connection between the connecting rods and the yokes may require the presence of a shaft, a nut, a pin, as well as bearings or bushings. Besides their potentially significant mass in a suspension system, these fasteners are bulky because, for maintenance purposes, it is necessary to provide space for access to tightening / loosening tools. The yokes are thus particularly large components.
[0004] The size of the yokes limits the flexibility in choosing the housing location: indeed, this method of attaching the housing to the casing requires positioning the housing in a location compatible with the size of the yokes. Put another way, if, during the turbomachine design, the housing must be located in a less spacious area of the turbomachine, the size of the yokes may necessitate modifying the airflow to create the space required to accommodate the housing and the yokes. However, modifying the airflow is not desirable because in some cases the airflow may have been optimized, and altering it would compromise the expected engine efficiency.
[0005] Altering performance is not an option since the Applicant takes into account the impacting factors in all phases of design and development to obtain less aeronautical components and products energy-efficient, more environmentally friendly and whose integration and use in civil aviation have moderate environmental consequences with the aim of improving the energy efficiency of aircraft.
[0006] Indeed, the Applicant is constantly working to reduce its negative climate impact by using methods and operating virtuous development and manufacturing processes that minimize greenhouse gas emissions to the minimum possible in order to reduce the environmental footprint of its activity.
[0007] This sustained research and development work focuses on new generations of aircraft engines, the lightening of aircraft, in particular through the materials used and lighter on-board equipment, the development of the use of electrical technologies to provide propulsion, and, as essential complements to technological progress, aviation biofuels.
[0008] The present application therefore aims to remedy this problem of bulkiness, by proposing an anchoring of the housing to the casing which is more compact and which therefore leaves the designer the freedom to place the housing in a less spacious position of the tur-bomachine. Summary
[0009] To this end, the present document relates to a turbomachine assembly comprising a transmission housing, a turbomachine casing and a suspension element which connects the transmission housing to the casing, the suspension element comprising: a one-piece yoke having a first connecting rod attachment lug comprising a first connecting rod attachment orifice and a second connecting rod attachment lug comprising a second connecting rod attachment orifice, the first and second connecting rod attachment orifices being coaxial, along a first axis, and the first connecting rod attachment lug being spaced from the second connecting rod attachment lug along the first axis, the yoke further comprising a third connecting rod attachment lug with a third connecting rod attachment orifice; a first connecting rod comprising an eye fixed between the first connecting rod attachment lug and the second connecting rod attachment lug;and a second connecting rod comprising a U-shaped head fixed to the third connecting rod mounting lug.
[0010] This assembly therefore allows for the shared anchoring of several connecting rods to a single yoke, thus eliminating the need for a separate yoke. This leads to a significant reduction in mass, as two separate yokes for attaching two connecting rods are considerably heavier than a single yoke to which two connecting rods are attached. Combining two distinct techniques for attaching the connecting rods to the yoke results in greater compactness. Consequently, this translates into savings in size and weight, as well as reduced manufacturing, logistics, and maintenance costs.
[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment, the screed comprises a base fixed to the housing, the first connecting rod mounting lug and the second connecting rod mounting lug extending in projection perpendicularly to the base.
[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment, the base is delimited by a contour and the third connecting rod attachment lug extends projecting from this contour.
[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment, the clevis comprises a base fixed to the housing, the third connecting rod fixing lug extending in projection perpendicularly to the base.
[0014] According to an advantageous embodiment, the base is delimited by a contour and the first connecting rod fixing ear and the second connecting rod fixing ear extend in projection from this contour.
[0015] According to an advantageous embodiment, the third connecting rod fixing orifice extends along a second axis not coaxial with the first axis.
[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment, the second axis is perpendicular to the first axis.
[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment, at least one fourth connecting rod attachment lug is arranged projecting on the contour of the base, the fourth connecting rod attachment lug having a fourth connecting rod attachment orifice which is not coaxial with any of the first, second and third connecting rod attachment orifices.
[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment, the clevis comprises a base provided with a plurality of screw passages for fixing the clevis to the housing, this plurality of screw passages delimiting a central area of the base from which extend the first connecting rod fixing ear and the second connecting rod fixing ear, or respectively the third connecting rod fixing ear, while the third connecting rod fixing ear, or respectively the first connecting rod fixing ear and the second connecting rod fixing ear, extend in projection from this central area.
[0019] According to an advantageous embodiment, the assembly includes a pair of additional connecting rod attachment ears, fixed or formed on the transmission housing; and a third connecting rod fixed to the housing and to the pair of additional connecting rod attachment ears, at least one of the additional connecting rod attachment ears being adjacent to the yoke.
[0020] According to an advantageous embodiment, the transmission housing has a curved shape and has a circumferential end area, the additional pair of ears and the yoke being arranged on a side wall of the housing in the circumferential end area. Brief description of the drawings
[0021] Other features, details and advantages will become apparent upon reading the detailed description below, and upon analysis of the accompanying drawings, on which:
[0022] [Fig.l] is an example of a standard screed;
[0023] [Fig.2] is a first example of a screed according to the present disclosure;
[0024] [Fig.3] is an example of a suspension component according to this disclosure;
[0025] [Fig.4] is an example of implementation of the organ of the [Fig.3];
[0026] [Fig.5] is a second example of a screed according to the present disclosure;
[0027] [Fig.6] is a third example of a screed according to the present disclosure. Description of the implementation methods
[0028] Fig. 1 shows a standard suspension member 1. This member 1 consists of a clevis 2 which retains a connecting rod 4 attached to a housing (not shown) by means of the serial screw elements 6 and 8.
[0029] The yoke 2 has two lugs 2.1, 2.2 spaced apart along a direction A. The lugs 2.1, 2.2 are rounded protrusions which have respective openings to accommodate the shaft 8. To this end, the openings of the two lugs 2.1, 2.2 are coaxial with the axis A. The connecting rod 4 has an eye-shaped head 41, housed between the two lugs 2.1, 2.2. The eye is aligned with the openings of the lugs 2.1, 2.2 and is traversed by the shaft 8. The eye can further accommodate a ball joint to allow the connecting rod to pivot about its longitudinal axis.
[0030] The clevis has a main body which forms a base 2.3 and which may have a substantially flat shape. In the base 2.3 are provided screw passages 2.4 allowing the screws 6 to connect the clevis 2 to the housing in a removable manner.
[0031] As mentioned above, the usual technology consists of equipping the housing with as many clevises of this type as there are connecting rods. This technology is therefore bulky and limits flexibility in the design of the housing's positioning.
[0032] Figure 2 shows a clevis used in the context of this disclosure. The clevis 20 has two lugs 21, 22, each having a respective orifice 21.1, 22.1. The orifices 21.1, 21.2 are coaxial along a first axis A.
[0033] The slab 20 also includes a base 23, which in the illustrated example is a plate. The contour 23.1 of the base 23 is here substantially square.
[0034] The ears 21, 22 extend from the base in a direction that may be substantially perpendicular to the base. In the illustrated example, the ears 21, 22 have substantially triangular shapes with one side of the triangle carried by the base 23 and an opposite vertex of the triangle which is rounded, for example with a curvature concentric to the axis A.
[0035] A plurality of screw holes 24 are provided on the base 23 for fixing the clevis 20 to the housing (see number 30 in [Fig. 4]). The screw holes 24 can define a central area 24.1 of the base 23 from which the lugs 21, 22 extend. The ears 21, 22 are thus centered on an area of resumption of effort.
[0036] The yoke 20 further contains a third lug 25 with a third opening 25.1. The third opening 25.1 is not necessarily coaxial with A. Here, it is coaxial with a second direction, denoted B, which in this example is coplanar and perpendicular to A. Other relative orientations of axes A and B are naturally possible. The third lug 25 can extend from the contour 23.1, and outside the central area 24.1, notably in a plane parallel to the plane of the base 23. The third lug 25 is therefore cantilevered with respect to the area where the yoke 20 is attached to the housing.
[0037] The third ear 25 may have a greater thickness than the thickness of the base 23 and / or greater than the thickness of the other ears 21, 22. [Fig.2] shows in this sense an extra thickness and connecting fillets.
[0038] A yoke is thus proposed which can receive two connecting rod heads. In order to further improve the compactness of this technological solution, the mechanism for fixing the two connecting rods to the yoke is different: a first connecting rod will couple to the pair of lugs 21, 22 while a second connecting rod will couple with the third lug 25.
[0039] This is visible in detail in [Fig. 3], which shows a component 10 according to the disclosure. The component includes the yoke 20 of [Fig. 2] and a first connecting rod 4 whose eye-shaped head 41 is housed between the lugs 21, 22. A second connecting rod 5 has a U-shaped head 51, i.e., with two arms 51.1, 51.2 that clamp the third lug 25. The arms 51.1, 51.2 of the U are drilled, and axles (screw and nut, for example) 8, 9 complete the fastening.
[0040] In the illustrated example, the first connecting rod 4 has a principal orientation (according to its length) which is substantially different from the orientation of the second connecting rod 5. Other configurations are naturally possible, depending on the arrangement of the connecting rod anchorage points on the housing.
[0041] Figure 4 shows a turbomachine assembly comprising component 10. The transmission housing 30 contains a gear train for redistributing part of the engine torque to auxiliary components. Additionally, the housing 30 can be used during the turbomachine start-up procedure to drive the engine shaft.
[0042] The housing 30 has a curved shape, for example concentric with the drive shaft. The housing 30 extends from a circumferential end zone 33 to another circumferential end zone (not visible in [Fig. 4]). The yoke 20 can be fixed to a side wall 34 of the housing 30, and more particularly to a radially internal portion of this wall 34. Other positions for the yoke 20 are also possible. The first connecting rod 4 connects the yoke 20 to a housing 40 which can be a compressor or combustion chamber housing, while the second connecting rod 5 can connect the yoke 20 to a part further upstream, for example at the compressors or the blower.
[0043] A third connecting rod 7 can join the housing 30 to the casing 40. In this example, the third connecting rod 7 is attached to a pair of additional lugs 31, 32 which are separate from the yoke 20. These lugs 31, 32 can be directly formed on the side wall 34 of the housing 30. They can each have two fillets for connecting to the side wall 34 of the housing 30.
[0044] The cleat 20 may be adjacent to the ears 31, 32, that is to say that the contour 23.1 of the base 23 overlaps a connecting fillet of at least one of the additional ears 31, 32.
[0045] The additional ears 31, 32 and the clevis 20 are thus arranged in the end zone 33. This end zone 33 can constitute 5 to 15% of the circumferential curvilinear length of the housing 30.
[0046] The additional lugs 31, 32 have respective orifices such that a fixing axis of the third connecting rod 7 is parallel to one of the axes (A, B) of the yoke 20. The third connecting rod 7 may be coplanar with the first connecting rod 4, or more precisely, a median plane of symmetry of the third connecting rod 7 may coincide with a median plane of symmetry of the first connecting rod 4. In this plane of coincidence, the first and third connecting rods 4, 7 may form an angle between 30° and 60°. The third connecting rod 7 may be between 1.5 and 2.5 times the length of the first connecting rod 4.
[0047] Figure 4 also shows the cantilever of the screed 20, fixed to the wall 34 on its base 23 but whose third ear extends outwards, in this case axially towards the upstream side of the turbomachine. The overhang can represent 20 to 50% of the total axial length of the yoke 20.
[0048] Figure 5 shows a variant in which the clevis 120 has a pair of ears 121, 122 which extend in the continuation of the base 123 from its contour 123.1 while the third ear 125 extends from a central area 124.1, delimited by the screw passages 124, and perpendicular to the base 123. In this example, it is the first and second ears 121, 122 which are cantilevered from the central area 124.1.
[0049] Figure 6 shows another variant of the 220 cap in which upper ears Additional lugs 226, 227, 228 are provided, each extending beyond the contour 223.1 of the base 223. Each lug 226, 227, 228 is designed to anchor a different connecting rod and therefore has a corresponding opening 226.1 for this purpose. In the illustrated version, three additional lugs 226, 227, 228 are provided, each with its own opening. In place of one or more of these lugs, pairs of lugs similar to those shown in [Fig. 5] could be provided. The orientations of the openings They can all be different.
[0050] In the illustrated example, four orifices are oriented parallel to each other. These orientations are illustrated here as orthogonal (in space) to the direction given by the first pair of ears 221, 222.
[0051] Fig. 6 also highlights the fact that the ears 221, 222 can be provided with notches 230 allowing the assembly to be made more compact by bringing the screw passages 224 closer to the center of the clevis 220.
Claims
Claims
1. A turbomachine assembly (4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 120, 220) comprising a transmission housing (30), a turbomachine casing (40) and a suspension member (10) which connects the transmission housing (30) to the casing (40), the suspension member (10) comprising: a one-piece yoke (20, 120, 220) provided with a first connecting rod attachment lug (21, 121, 221) comprising a first connecting rod attachment orifice (21.1) and a second connecting rod attachment lug (22, 122, 222) comprising a second connecting rod attachment orifice (22.1), the first and second connecting rod attachment orifices (21.1, 22.1) being coaxial, along a first axis (A), and the first connecting rod attachment lug (21, 121, 221) being spaced from the second connecting rod attachment lug (22, 122, 222) along the first axis (A), the yoke (20, 120, 220) further comprising a third connecting rod attachment lug (25, 125, 225) with a third connecting rod attachment hole (25.1); a first connecting rod (4) comprising an eye (41) fixed between the first connecting rod fixing lug (21, 121, 221) and the second connecting rod fixing lug (22, 122, 222); and a second connecting rod (5) comprising a U-shaped head (51) fixed to the third connecting rod fixing lug (25, 125, 225).
2. An assembly (4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 120, 220) according to claim 1, characterized in that the yoke (20, 120, 220) comprises a base (23, 123, 223) fixed to the housing (30), the first connecting rod fixing lug (21, 121, 221) and the second connecting rod fixing lug (22, 122, 222) extending in projection perpendicular to the base (23, 123, 223).
3. Assembly (4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 120, 220) according to claim 2, characterized in that the base (23, 123, 223) is delimited by a contour (23.1, 123.1, 223.1) and the third connecting rod fixing lug (25, 125, 225) projects from this contour (23.1, 123.1, 223.1).
4. Assembly (4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 120, 220) according to claim 1, characterized in that the yoke (20, 120, 220) comprises a base (23, 123, 223) fixed to the housing (30), the third connecting rod fixing lug (25, 125, 225) extending in projection perpendicular to the base (23, 123, 223).
5. Assembly (4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 120, 220) according to claim 4, characterized in that the base (23, 123, 223) is delimited by a contour (23.1, 123.1, 223.1), and the first connecting rod fixing ear (21, 121, 221) and the second connecting rod attachment ear (22, 122, 222) project from this contour (23.1, 123.1, 223.1).
6. Assembly (4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 120, 220) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the third connecting rod fixing orifice (25.1) extends along a second axis (B) not coaxial with the first axis (A).
7. Assembly (4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 120, 220) according to claim 6, characterized in that the second axis (B) is perpendicular to the first axis (A).
8. An assembly (4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 120, 220) according to claim 3 or 5, characterized in that at least one fourth connecting rod attachment lug (226, 227, 228) is arranged projecting from the contour of the base (23, 123, 223), the fourth connecting rod attachment lug (226, 227, 228) having a fourth connecting rod attachment hole (226.1) which is not coaxial with any of the first, second and third connecting rod attachment holes (21.1, 22.1, 25.1).
9. Assembly (4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 120, 220) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the yoke (20, 120, 220) comprises a base (23, 123, 223) provided with a plurality of passages (24, 124, 224) for screws for fixing the yoke (20, 120, 220) to the housing (30), this plurality of passages (24, 124, 224) for screws delimiting a central zone (24.1, 124.1, 224.1) of the base (23, 123, 223) from which the first connecting rod fixing lug (21, 121, 221) and the second connecting rod fixing lug (21, 121, 221) extend. connecting rod (22, 122, 222), or respectively the third connecting rod attachment lug (25, 125, 225), and wherein the third connecting rod attachment lug (25, 125, 225), or respectively the first connecting rod attachment lug (21, 121, 221) and the second connecting rod attachment lug (22, 122, 222), extend projecting from this central zone (24.1, 124.1,224.1).
10. An assembly (4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 120, 220) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the assembly comprises a pair of additional connecting rod fixing lugs (31, 32), fixed or formed on the transmission housing (30); and a third connecting rod (7) fixed to the casing (40) and to the pair of additional connecting rod fixing lugs (31, 32), at least one of the additional connecting rod fixing lugs (31, 32) being adjacent to the yoke (10).
11. Assembly (4, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 120, 220) according to claim 10, characterized in that the transmission housing (30) has a curved shape and has a circumferential end zone (33), the pair additional ears (31, 32) as well as the yoke (20, 120, 220) being arranged on a side wall (34) of the housing (30) in the circumferential end zone (33).