Actuator Torque Box Mounting for Gas Turbine Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thermal growth during flight conditions affects the alignment of actuators with bell cranks in gas turbine engines, leading to positioning errors of inlet guide vanes due to tolerances in attachment and alignment issues between the actuator and the engine case.
Innovation Solution
An actuation system where a torque box is mechanically coupled to the engine case, with an actuator mounted via elongate fasteners extending in different directions, improving alignment by decoupling the actuator's direct attachment to the engine case and enhancing mechanical power communication through a bell crank mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the actuator is mounted directly to the engine case, then the installation is simpler, but the alignment between the actuator and bell crank deteriorates due to thermal growth and tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The torque box serves as an intermediary component between the actuator and the engine case. It provides a stable mounting surface that maintains precise alignment between the actuator and bell crank mechanism, eliminating the need for direct attachment to the engine case while accommodating thermal growth through its integrated design with the bell crank support structure.
2Reliability
If the actuator is mounted to the torque box via multiple elongate fasteners, then the alignment stability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure merges the torque box and bell crank support into a single integrated component. The elongate fasteners extend in multiple directions to distribute mounting loads across the torque box structure, while the integrated design eliminates separate alignment mechanisms, reducing overall complexity despite using multiple fasteners.
3Manufacturing precision
If the actuator and torque box are positioned radially outward, then the alignment is improved, but the engine cross-sectional profile increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator and torque box are positioned in the axial dimension rather than extending radially outward. This repositioning in another dimension achieves the necessary alignment precision while minimizing the increase in engine cross-sectional profile, as the components occupy space along the engine axis rather than expanding the radial envelope.
Data Source
AI summary
An actuator system mounted to a gas turbine engine that communicates mechanical power for positioning variable guide vanes within the gas turbine engine. The actuator system includes a torque box having components for communicating mechanical power to the variable guide vanes for positioning the vanes and an actuator mechanically coupled to provide mechanical power to the components of the torque box used to communicate the provided mechanical power to the inlet guide vanes. The actuator is mounted to the torque box via an elongate fastener extending in one direction and another elongate fastener extending in another direction.