Adjustable Tube Assembly for Gas Turbine Port Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rigid tubes in gas turbine engines often face installation challenges due to different engagement vectors at opposed ends, leading to excessive installation stresses and physical constraints, making traditional rigid tube installation difficult or impossible in constricted spaces.
Innovation Solution
A tube assembly comprising a rigid tube, a tube adapter with adjustable connections, and a coupling that allows for alignment and secure engagement with different installation vectors, enabling flexible installation by translating and rotating the adapter along the port axis and slipping the coupling over the tube end.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If rigid tubes are installed with different engagement vectors at opposed ends, then the tube can connect ports with different orientations, but excessive installation stresses occur
Solution Approach 1:
A tube adapter is introduced as an intermediary component between the rigid tube and the engine case port. The adapter has a proximal end portion that connects to the engine case and a distal end portion that connects to the rigid tube, allowing it to mediate the connection between components with different engagement vectors and reduce installation stresses
Solution Approach 2:
The tube adapter is made adjustable rather than fixed, allowing it to be positioned at different orientations and angles. This dynamic adjustability enables the adapter to accommodate different engagement vectors at opposed ends while maintaining proper alignment, thereby reducing installation stresses on the rigid tube
2Adaptability or versatility
If rigid tubes are installed in constricted spaces with different engagement vectors, then connection between ports is achieved, but installation becomes physically challenging or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The tube assembly is segmented into multiple components: the rigid tube, the tube adapter, and the coupling. This segmentation allows each component to be installed separately and independently, making it easier to navigate constricted spaces and assemble the complete connection in difficult-to-reach areas
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable tube adapter and coupling mechanism provide dynamic positioning capabilities, allowing installers to adjust the adapter to different angles and positions to accommodate the specific geometric constraints of constricted spaces, thereby making installation feasible where fixed rigid tubes would be impossible to install
Data Source
AI summary
A tube assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a rigid tube having first and second ends for connection to first port and second ports on the gas turbine engine. The first and second ports have different orientations providing for different installation vectors. The tube assembly further includes a tube adapter adjustably connected to the second port and a coupling, which, is, in turn, adjustably mounted to a distal end of the tube adapter for connection with the second end of the tube.