Additively Built Bearing Compartment Spring for Precise Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines face challenges in achieving precise alignment and stress distribution due to manufacturing tolerances and gaps in bearing compartments, which can lead to rotational issues during assembly and limited design complexity from traditional manufacturing techniques.
Innovation Solution
A bearing compartment with a housing integrally formed with a deformable spring, featuring axially extending struts and an internal lattice structure, is manufactured using additive manufacturing, allowing for complex geometries and enhanced structural stability, with features like a keyway for precise positioning and weep holes for powder removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional casting and machining techniques are used to manufacture bearing compartment parts, then manufacturing process simplicity is maintained, but design complexity is limited and manufacturing precision is reduced due to tooling constraints and assembly tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The spring and housing are merged into a single integrally formed component through additive manufacturing. This eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and assembly processes, achieving precise alignment without gaps while enabling complex geometries that would be impossible with traditional casting and machining techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing method changes from traditional casting and machining to additive manufacturing. This parameter change enables both high manufacturing precision and complex design, as additive manufacturing can directly create complex geometries with high precision without tooling constraints.
2Ease of manufacture
If bearing compartments are assembled with multiple individually manufactured parts, then ease of manufacture is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to gaps from assembly tolerances and stacking of individual tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple parts (spring and housing) are merged into a single integrally formed component. This eliminates gaps caused by assembly tolerances while the additive manufacturing process maintains ease of manufacture by creating the complex integrated structure in one piece without requiring complex assembly procedures.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional manufacturing techniques are used, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision is limited due to inherent constraints in casting and machining processes
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing technology parameter changes from traditional casting and machining to additive manufacturing. This enables high manufacturing precision while simultaneously allowing for high structural complexity, as additive manufacturing can create complex internal geometries and structures that are impossible with conventional methods.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables precise alignment and stress distribution, enhances structural stability, and allows for complex geometries, improving the assembly process and reducing rotational issues in gas turbine engines.
Implementation Method 1
a spring configured to deform in response to a force
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3~5
AI summary
There is provided herein a bearing compartment (202) that includes a housing (230) integrally formed with a spring (220) configured to deform in response to a force. The housing (230) includes an overhang region (236) that is supported by the spring (220) during an additive manufacturing build process. The spring (220) includes a plurality of struts (222) that extend axially within the housing (230).