Lubricating oil tank and aero-engine lubricating system

Abstract

The invention discloses a lubricating oil tank and an aero-engine lubricating system, and belongs to the technical field of mechanical lubrication. The oil suction pipe is arranged in the lubricating oil tank body, oil suction openings are formed in the side walls of the upper end and the lower end of the oil suction pipe correspondingly, and an opening used for being connected with a lubricating oil pump is further formed in the oil suction pipe; and the oil suction pipe plunger is arranged in the oil suction pipe corresponding to the oil suction port, moves along the oil suction pipe under the action of gravity, and is used for controlling the opening and closing of the corresponding oil suction port. According to the lubricating oil tank, the automatic switching function is achieved through a pure mechanical structure, the working process completely depends on the gravity effect, no external control device is needed, the structure is simple and reliable, the oil suction position can be automatically switched when the posture of the lubricating oil tank changes through the structure of the lubricating oil tank, and therefore continuous and stable oil supply is guaranteed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of mechanical lubrication, in particular to a lubricating oil tank and an aero-engine lubrication system. BACKGROUND

[0002] In various mechanical equipment, the lubrication system is crucial to ensure stable and reliable operation of the equipment. For equipment working in complex conditions, such as aircraft, ships, engineering machinery, special vehicles, etc., large attitude changes (such as tilting, pitching, and shaking, etc.) often occur during operation. The lubrication system of such equipment needs to continuously and reliably supply oil to the lubrication points under various attitudes to avoid interruptions in oil supply that may cause equipment wear and even serious failures.

[0003] Traditional lubricating oil tanks can supply oil normally when the equipment is in a horizontal state, but when the attitude of the equipment changes greatly, the liquid level in the oil tank will tilt and shake, which may cause the oil suction port to be exposed to the air, resulting in air suction and oil supply interruption. Although some solutions exist, such as using a floating oil suction nozzle or a complex external control system, they often have problems such as complex structure, insufficient reliability, slow response, or high cost.

[0004] In particular, in the field of aviation, the reliability of the lubrication system is extremely high when the aircraft performs various complex maneuvers (such as climbing, diving, and inverted flight, etc.); in the field of ships, the ship will produce pitching, rolling, and other movements when sailing in waves; in the field of engineering machinery and special vehicles, the equipment will also produce various tilting attitudes when driving or working on rough roads. These application scenarios all pose special requirements for the lubrication system.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a lubricating oil tank that is simple in structure, reliable in operation, and can adapt to various changes in equipment attitude to ensure continuous and stable oil supply. SUMMARY

[0006] The purpose of the present application is to provide a lubricating oil tank and an aero-engine lubrication system to solve the problems existing in the prior art, which is simple in structure, does not require external control, and can automatically switch the oil suction position when the attitude of the oil tank changes, thereby ensuring continuous and stable oil supply.

[0007] To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides the following solutions: The present invention provides a lubricating oil tank, comprising a lubricating oil tank body, an oil suction pipe and an oil suction pipe plunger. The lubricating oil tank body is used to store lubricating oil. The oil suction pipe is arranged inside the lubricating oil tank body. Oil suction ports are respectively provided on the side walls at the upper and lower ends of the oil suction pipe. The oil suction pipe is also provided with an opening for connecting a lubricating oil pump. The oil suction pipe plunger is arranged inside the oil suction pipe corresponding to the oil suction port, moves along the oil suction pipe under the action of gravity, and is used to control the opening and closing of the corresponding oil suction port.

[0008] As one embodiment, when the diameter of the oil suction pipe plunger is the same as the inner diameter of the oil suction pipe, a first limiting protrusion is provided on the oil suction pipe, and the first limiting protrusion is provided corresponding to the oil suction port, for limiting the moving position of the oil suction pipe plunger; when the diameter of the oil suction pipe plunger is smaller than the inner diameter of the oil suction pipe, a first annular bulge is provided on the oil suction pipe, which protrudes toward the inner diameter side of the oil suction pipe, and the first annular bulge is provided corresponding to the oil suction port, and the first annular bulge is used to cooperate with the oil suction pipe plunger to form a sealing surface to seal the oil suction pipe.

[0009] As an embodiment, it further includes a connecting rod for connecting the oil suction pipe plungers located at the upper and lower ends of the oil suction pipe.

[0010] As an embodiment, the upper and lower ends of the oil suction pipe are provided with non-enclosed openings and an accommodating cavity for the movement of the oil suction pipe plunger, and the openings are used to discharge the lubricating oil in the accommodating cavity.

[0011] As one embodiment, lubricating oil tank avoidance pits are provided at the upper and lower ends of the lubricating oil tank body, respectively located above and below the oil suction pipe. The top end of the oil suction pipe extends to the interior of the lubricating oil tank avoidance pit. The lubricating oil tank avoidance pit is used to avoid the oil suction pipe and reduce the oil suction height of the oil suction pipe.

[0012] As an embodiment, it further includes an oil inlet pipe, which is connected to a lubricating oil transfer pump and is used to transfer the lubricating oil collected in the dry oil sump to the interior of the lubricating oil tank body.

[0013] As an embodiment, the first ventilation pipe and the second ventilation pipe are further included. The first ventilation pipe and the second ventilation pipe are respectively arranged at the upper and lower ends of the lubricating oil tank body and communicate with the interior of the lubricating oil tank body.

[0014] As one embodiment, the ends of the first ventilation pipe and the second ventilation pipe connected to the lubricating oil tank body are respectively provided with ventilation holes, and ventilation pipe plungers are provided corresponding to the ventilation holes. The ventilation pipe plungers are used to control the opening and closing of the ventilation holes under the action of gravity.

[0015] As an embodiment, the first ventilation pipe and the second ventilation pipe converge into one ventilation main pipe outside or inside the lubricating oil tank body and are connected to a dedicated breather tank or an engine crankcase.

[0016] The application also provides an aero-engine lubrication system comprising a dry oil sump, a lubricating oil transmission pump and the lubricating oil tank, wherein the dry oil sump is connected to the lubricating oil tank through the lubricating oil transmission pump.

[0017] The application has the following technical effects relative to the prior art: The oil suction pipe is provided with oil suction ports at both upper and lower ends, and an oil suction pipe plunger freely movable under the action of gravity is arranged inside the oil suction pipe. When the lubricating oil tank is in a horizontal upright state, the lower oil suction pipe plunger falls under the action of gravity to open the corresponding lower oil suction port, and the upper oil suction pipe plunger falls to close the corresponding upper oil suction port, thereby realizing normal oil suction. When the posture of the lubricating oil tank changes to expose the originally lower oil suction port, the corresponding oil suction pipe plunger immediately falls to close the port to prevent air suction, and the originally upper oil suction port is immersed in the lubricating oil, the corresponding oil suction pipe plunger falls under the action of gravity to open the oil suction port, thereby completing automatic switching of the oil suction port. The application realizes automatic switching function through a pure mechanical structure, and the working process completely relies on the action of gravity without any external control device. The structure is simple and reliable, and can automatically switch the oil suction position when the posture of the lubricating oil tank changes, thereby ensuring continuous and stable oil supply. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the lubricating oil tank in the embodiments of the present application. In the drawings, 1 is a lubricating oil tank body, 2 is an oil inlet pipe, 3 is an oil suction pipe, 4 is an oil suction pipe plunger, 5 is a first ventilation pipe, 6 is a second ventilation pipe, 7 is a ventilation pipe plunger, 8 is an oil suction port, 9 is a first limiting protrusion, and 10 is an opening part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0021] The present application aims to provide a lubricating oil tank and an aero-engine lubricating system to solve the problems of the prior art, and the lubricating oil tank and the aero-engine lubricating system have simple structure, do not need external control, and can automatically switch the oil suction position when the oil tank posture changes, thereby ensuring continuous and stable oil supply.

[0022] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, characteristics and advantages of the present application more apparent, comprehensible and easier to understand, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1 The present application provides a lubricating oil tank, comprising: a lubricating oil tank body 1 for storing lubricating oil; an oil suction pipe 3 arranged inside the lubricating oil tank body 1, the oil suction pipe 3 is provided with an oil suction port 8 on the side wall of each of the upper and lower ends of the oil suction pipe 3, and the oil suction pipe 3 is further provided with an opening for connecting a lubricating oil pump; and an oil suction pipe plunger 4 arranged inside the oil suction pipe 3 corresponding to the oil suction port 8, the oil suction pipe plunger 4 moves along the oil suction pipe 3 under the action of gravity and is used to control the opening and closing of the corresponding oil suction port 8.

[0024] Preferably, the material of the lubricating oil tank body 1 is aluminum alloy, the lubricating oil tank body 1 is formed by welding a plurality of sheet metal parts to form a closed container, the outer surface of the lubricating oil tank body 1 is provided with a reinforcing rib or a profiled groove to bear the load and vibration generated by the shaking of the lubricating oil, improve the structural rigidity and strength, and the lubricating oil tank body 1 is further welded with mounting lugs or supports for firmly fixing the lubricating oil tank to the structural parts to be installed, and the shape of the lubricating oil tank body 1 is a polyhedron to make full use of the narrow and irregular space in the engine compartment or equipment compartment.

[0025] Preferably, the oil suction pipe 3 is in the shape of a vertical line perpendicular to the upper and lower end faces of the lubricating oil tank body, the two oil suction ports 8 are respectively located at the two ends of the vertical line, and the opening for connecting the lubricating oil pump is located at the middle of the vertical line, and a pipeline perpendicular to the vertical line is connected to the opening, and the pipeline is connected to the lubricating oil pump.

[0026] The oil suction pipe 3 is provided with oil suction ports 8 at both upper and lower ends, and the oil suction pipe 3 is internally provided with oil suction pipe plungers 4 which can freely move under the action of gravity. When the lubricating oil tank is in a horizontal upright state, the lower oil suction pipe plunger 4 falls due to gravity to open the corresponding lower oil suction port 8, and the upper oil suction pipe plunger 4 falls to close the corresponding upper oil suction port 8, thereby realizing normal oil suction. When the posture of the lubricating oil tank changes, for example, is inverted or inclined, the originally lower oil suction port 8 is exposed, and the corresponding oil suction pipe plunger 4 immediately falls to close the port to prevent air suction, while the originally upper oil suction port 8 is immersed in the lubricating oil, and the corresponding oil suction pipe plunger 4 falls to open the oil suction port 8 due to gravity, thereby completing the automatic switching of the oil suction port 8. The present application realizes the automatic switching function through a pure mechanical structure, and the working process completely relies on gravity without any external control device, and the structure is simple and reliable, and can automatically switch the oil suction position when the posture of the lubricating oil tank changes, thereby ensuring continuous and stable oil supply.

[0027] As an embodiment, the diameter of the oil suction pipe plunger 4 is the same as the inner diameter of the oil suction pipe 3, the oil suction pipe 3 is provided with a first limiting protrusion 9, specifically, the first limiting protrusion 9 is one or more bulges machined in the circumferential direction on the inner wall of the oil suction pipe 3, the first limiting protrusion 9 is arranged corresponding to the oil suction port 8, and the two sides of each oil suction port 8 are provided with the first limiting protrusion 9 for limiting the movement position of the corresponding oil suction pipe plunger 4; when the diameter of the oil suction pipe plunger 4 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the oil suction pipe 3, the oil suction pipe 3 is provided with a first annular bulge protruding to the inner diameter side of the oil suction pipe 3, and the two sides of each oil suction port 8 are provided with the first annular bulge, specifically, the first annular bulge refers to a ring-shaped shoulder machined on the inner wall of the oil suction pipe 3 and protruding inward, the first annular bulge is arranged corresponding to the oil suction port 8, and the oil suction pipe plunger 4 is stopped when moving to the first annular bulge, and the contact surface between the oil suction pipe plunger 4 and the shoulder forms a sealing surface, and the first annular bulge is used to form a sealing surface with the oil suction pipe plunger 4 to seal the oil suction pipe 3.

[0028] Preferably, the material of the oil suction pipe plunger 4 is copper alloy, which not only has a larger weight to make the oil suction pipe plunger 4 smoothly slide up and down in the oil suction pipe 3, but also has good wear resistance and corrosion resistance.

[0029] As an embodiment, a connecting rod is further included for connecting the oil suction pipe plungers 4 at the upper and lower ends of the oil suction pipe 3, the connecting rod can keep the actions of the two oil suction pipe plungers 4 synchronous, avoid the difference in the opening or closing speed of the two oil suction pipe plungers 4, and the weight of the connecting rod can also accelerate the response speed of the oil suction pipe plunger 4.

[0030] As an embodiment, the upper and lower ends of the oil suction pipe 3 are provided with an open part 10 which is not closed and a containing cavity for the movement of the oil suction pipe plunger 4. Specifically, the containing cavity is the area formed between two adjacent first limiting protrusions 9 or first annular bulges for cooperating with the same oil suction pipe plunger 4, and the open part 10 is used to discharge the lubricating oil in the containing cavity to avoid the formation of liquid lock and hinder the movement of the oil suction pipe plunger 4.

[0031] As an embodiment, the upper and lower ends of the lubricating oil tank body 1 are both provided with lubricating oil tank avoiding pits, which are located above and below the oil suction pipe 3 respectively. The top end of the oil suction pipe 3 extends into the interior of the lubricating oil tank avoiding pit. The lubricating oil tank avoiding pit is used to avoid the oil suction pipe 3 and reduce the oil suction height of the oil suction pipe 3, so as to ensure that there is always one oil suction port 8 immersed in the lubricating oil liquid even in the case of low lubricating oil level, and further improve the reliability of the lubricating oil tank.

[0032] As an embodiment, the lubricating oil tank further comprises an oil inlet pipe 2 connected to a lubricating oil transmission pump, which is used to transport the lubricating oil collected by the dry oil pan to the interior of the lubricating oil tank body 1. The lubricating oil transmission pump makes the oil inlet pipe 2 always maintain a certain positive pressure, so that the reverse flow of lubricating oil will not occur even when the lubricating oil tank is inverted.

[0033] Further, a cyclone oil-gas separator is arranged between the lubricating oil transmission pump and the lubricating oil tank, which is used to separate the air carried in the lubricating oil.

[0034] As an embodiment, the lubricating oil tank further comprises a first ventilation pipe 5 and a second ventilation pipe 6, which are arranged at the upper and lower ends of the lubricating oil tank body 1 respectively and communicate with the interior of the lubricating oil tank body 1, and are used to discharge the air in the lubricating oil tank and maintain the stable pressure in the interior of the lubricating oil tank.

[0035] Preferably, the lubricating oil tank only comprises the first ventilation pipe 5. If the lubricating oil tank is mostly in a horizontal upright or near-horizontal upright state, the first ventilation pipe 5 is arranged at the upper end of the lubricating oil tank body 1 and communicates with the space above the interior of the lubricating oil tank. If the lubricating oil tank is mostly in a completely inverted or near-completely inverted state, the first ventilation pipe 5 is arranged at the lower end of the lubricating oil tank body 1 and communicates with the space below the interior of the lubricating oil tank.

[0036] As an embodiment, the first ventilation pipe 5 and the second ventilation pipe 6, which communicate with the ends of the lubricating oil tank body 1, are respectively provided with a ventilation port and a non-closed ventilation pipe end. The ventilation port is arranged on the side wall of the end of the first ventilation pipe 5 and the second ventilation pipe 6 which communicates with the lubricating oil tank body 1. A ventilation pipe plunger 7 is arranged corresponding to the ventilation port, and the ventilation pipe plunger 7 is used to control the opening and closing of the ventilation port under the action of gravity.

[0037] Preferably, when the diameter of the ventilation pipe plunger 7 is smaller than the diameter of the ventilation pipe, the first ventilation pipe 5 and the second ventilation pipe 6 are each provided with a second annular bulge protruding towards the inner diameter of the ventilation pipe. Specifically, the second annular bulge refers to a ring-shaped shoulder protruding inwardly processed on the inner wall of the ventilation pipe, and the second annular bulge is arranged corresponding to the ventilation port. When the ventilation pipe plunger 7 moves to the second annular bulge, the ventilation pipe plunger 7 is blocked and the contact surface between the ventilation pipe plunger 7 and the shoulder forms a sealing surface. The second annular bulge is used to cooperate with the ventilation pipe plunger 7 to form a sealing surface to seal the ventilation pipe. When the diameter of the ventilation pipe plunger 7 is the same as the inner diameter of the ventilation pipe, the ventilation pipe is provided with a second limiting protrusion. Specifically, the second limiting protrusion is one or more bulges processed on the inner wall of the ventilation pipe. The second limiting protrusion is arranged corresponding to the ventilation port and is used to limit the moving position of the ventilation pipe plunger 7.

[0038] As an embodiment, the first ventilation pipe 5 and the second ventilation pipe 6 converge into a ventilation main pipe outside or inside the lubricating oil tank body 1, and are connected to a special breather tank or an engine crankcase.

[0039] A preferred embodiment of the lubricating oil tank of the present application is applied to an aircraft engine lubrication system. The dry sump of the aircraft engine is communicated with the oil inlet pipe 2 of the lubricating oil tank through a lubricating oil transfer pump. The upper and lower ends of the oil suction pipe 3 are provided with oil suction ports 8. The middle part of the oil suction pipe 3 is provided with an opening connected to the lubricating oil pump. The first limiting protrusion 9 and the non-closed opening part 10 are arranged corresponding to the oil suction port 8. The diameter of the oil suction pipe plunger 4 is the same as the diameter of the oil suction pipe 3. The lower end surface and the upper end surface of the lubricating oil tank are respectively communicated with the first ventilation pipe 5 and the second ventilation pipe 6. When the aircraft is flying upright, the two oil suction pipe plungers 4 are located at the lower limit position under the action of gravity. At this time, the upper oil suction port 8 is closed by the corresponding oil suction pipe plunger 4, and the lower oil suction port 8 is opened. The lubricating oil pump sucks lubricating oil through the lower oil suction port 8. At the same time, the two ventilation pipe plungers 7 are also located at the lower limit position. At this time, the first ventilation pipe 5 remains closed, and the second ventilation pipe 6 remains open. When the aircraft is flying upside down, the oil suction pipe plunger 4 and the ventilation pipe plunger 7 are moved to the upper limit position under the action of gravity. The opening and closing states of the oil suction port 8 and the ventilation port are switched: the originally upper oil suction port 8 is opened, and the originally lower oil suction port 8 is closed. The lubricating oil pump sucks lubricating oil through the originally upper oil suction port 8. The first ventilation pipe 5 is opened, the second ventilation pipe 6 is closed, and the first ventilation pipe 5 is communicated with the inside of the lubricating oil tank.

[0040] The present application also provides an aero-engine lubrication system, which comprises a dry sump, a lubricating oil transfer pump and a lubricating oil tank. The dry sump is connected to the lubricating oil tank through the lubricating oil transfer pump.

[0041] The principles and implementation manners of the present application are described by using specific examples in the present application, and the above examples are only used for helping to understand the method of the present application and its core idea; meanwhile, for the general technical personnel in the art, according to the idea of the present application, the specific implementation manners and application ranges will be changed. In conclusion, the content of the present specification should not be understood as the limitation of the present application.

Claims

1. A lubricating oil tank, characterized in that: include: A lubricating oil tank body (1) for storing lubricating oil; An oil suction pipe (3), the oil suction pipe (3) being arranged inside the lubricating oil tank body (1), and oil suction ports (8) being respectively provided on the side walls at the upper and lower ends of the oil suction pipe (3), and an opening for connecting to a lubricating oil pump being further provided on the oil suction pipe (3); And an oil suction pipe plunger (4), which is arranged inside the oil suction pipe (3) corresponding to the oil suction port (8), moves along the oil suction pipe (3) under the action of gravity, and is used to control the opening and closing of the corresponding oil suction port (8).

2. The lubricating oil tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the diameter of the oil suction pipe plunger (4) is the same as the inner diameter of the oil suction pipe (3), a first limiting protrusion (9) is provided on the oil suction pipe (3), and the first limiting protrusion (9) is provided corresponding to the oil suction port (8) and is used to limit the moving position of the oil suction pipe plunger (4); when the diameter of the oil suction pipe plunger (4) is smaller than the inner diameter of the oil suction pipe (3), a first annular bulge is provided on the oil suction pipe (3) and protrudes toward the inner diameter side of the oil suction pipe (3), and the first annular bulge is provided corresponding to the oil suction port (8). The first annular bulge is used to cooperate with the oil suction pipe plunger (4) to form a sealing surface to seal the oil suction pipe (3).

3. The lubricating oil tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a connecting rod for connecting the oil suction pipe plunger (4) located at the upper and lower ends of the oil suction pipe (3).

4. The lubricating oil tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper and lower ends of the oil suction pipe (3) are provided with non-enclosed openings (10) and a housing cavity for the oil suction pipe plunger (4) to move, and the openings (10) are used to discharge lubricating oil in the housing cavity.

5. The lubricating oil tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper and lower ends of the lubricating oil tank body (1) are both provided with lubricating oil tank avoidance pits, which are respectively located above and below the oil suction pipe (3). The top end of the oil suction pipe (3) extends into the interior of the lubricating oil tank avoidance pit. The lubricating oil tank avoidance pit is used to avoid the oil suction pipe (3) and reduce the oil suction height of the oil suction pipe (3).

6. The lubricating oil tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an oil inlet pipe (2), which is connected to a lubricating oil transfer pump and is used to transfer the lubricating oil collected by the dry oil sump to the interior of the lubricating oil tank body (1).

7. The lubricating oil tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a first ventilation pipe (5) and a second ventilation pipe (6), wherein the first ventilation pipe (5) and the second ventilation pipe (6) are respectively arranged at the upper and lower ends of the lubricating oil tank body (1) and are in communication with the interior of the lubricating oil tank body (1).

8. The lubricating oil tank according to claim 7, characterized in that: The ends of the first ventilation pipe (5) and the second ventilation pipe (6) connected to the lubricating oil tank body (1) are respectively provided with ventilation holes, and ventilation pipe plungers (7) are provided corresponding to the ventilation holes. The ventilation pipe plungers (7) are used to control the opening and closing of the ventilation holes under the action of gravity.

9. The lubricating oil tank according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first ventilation pipe (5) and the second ventilation pipe (6) are combined into a ventilation main pipe outside or inside the lubricating oil tank body (1) and connected to a dedicated breathing tank or an engine crankcase.

10. An aircraft engine lubrication system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a dry oil sump, a lubricating oil transfer pump and the lubricating oil tank according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the dry oil sump is connected to the lubricating oil tank via the lubricating oil transfer pump.

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