Augmentor Spray Bar Tip Bushing for Uniform Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing augmentor configurations for gas turbine engines suffer from uneven air swirl currents around the spray bar tip due to dimensional variations, structural deflections, and thermal growth, leading to non-uniform and unpredictable airflow.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a spray bar tip with a tip body, tip bushing, and tip support struts that maintain a uniform air gap and guide fluids through specific flow passages to ensure consistent airflow, using a tip body extending through a bushing bore with support struts connecting the tip body to the bushing, which stabilizes the air gap and fluid trajectories.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the spray bar tip is not connected to the trailing edge box endwall with an air gap, then the spray bar tip can be easily manufactured and installed, but the air gap becomes vulnerable to dimensional variation, structural deflection, thermal growth and vibration causing non-uniform airflow
Solution Approach 1:
A support strut is introduced as an intermediary component between the spray bar tip and the trailing edge box endwall. This strut maintains a uniform air gap while providing structural support, eliminating the problems of dimensional variation and vibration that would otherwise cause non-uniform airflow, while still preserving the benefits of an unc connected tip design
Solution Approach 2:
The air gap dimension is changed from a variable parameter subject to thermal growth and deflection to a controlled constant parameter maintained by the support strut. This parameter change ensures uniform airflow by preventing the air gap from varying during engine operation
2Adaptability or versatility
If the air gap varies due to thermal growth and vibration, then the structure can accommodate thermal expansion, but the airflow becomes non-uniform and unpredictable
Solution Approach 1:
The support strut acts as a mediator that decouples the thermal adaptation function from the airflow uniformity function. It allows the structure to accommodate thermal expansion while maintaining a constant air gap, thereby ensuring predictable airflow despite thermal growth
3Strength
If the spray bar tip is connected directly to the trailing edge box endwall, then structural stability is improved, but the air gap cannot be maintained uniformly due to deflection and vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The support strut serves as an intermediary that provides structural stability while maintaining manufacturing precision of the air gap. It connects the spray bar tip to the trailing edge box endwall to prevent excessive deflection, while its design ensures the air gap remains uniform and within specified tolerances
Data Source
AI summary
An augmentor for a gas turbine engine includes an augmentor spray bar with a spray bar outlet, and an augmentor spray bar tip. The spray bar tip includes a tip body, a tip bushing and a tip support strut. The tip body includes a first flow passage extending therethrough between a tip inlet and a tip outlet, wherein the tip inlet is connected to the spray bar outlet. The tip bushing includes a bushing bore. The tip body extends through the bushing bore defining a second flow passage between the tip body and the tip bushing. The tip support strut connects the tip body to the tip bushing across the second flow passage.