Blade Retention Plate Axial Preload Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The mounting of blade retention plates in gas turbine engines is complex due to the requirement of pre-mounting a securing ring, which complicates the process and increases production costs, and existing methods often result in gaps or play between components, leading to reduced axial fixing quality and increased vibration risks.
Innovation Solution
An assembly and method where the radially inner region of the blade retention plate is brought into contact with a securing ring under axial preload, allowing the securing ring to be fastened after the blade retention plate is mounted, eliminating the need for pre-mounting and ensuring a secure axial fixation without gaps or play.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the securing ring is pre-mounted to fix the blade retention plate axially, then the axial fixing is achieved, but the mounting process becomes complex and requires pre-assembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of pre-mounting the securing ring and then attaching the blade retention plate, the invention inverts the sequence: the blade retention plate is mounted first, and the securing ring is installed afterward to secure the plate. This reversal eliminates the need for complex pre-assembly operations and allows for simpler, more direct mounting procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade retention plate is prepared with a projection that will engage with the securing ring in advance. This preliminary configuration of the plate's geometry allows the securing ring to be simply pressed into place afterward, eliminating complex mounting steps while ensuring reliable axial fixation.
2Manufacturing precision
If the securing ring is pre-mounted, then the axial position is controlled, but the mounting time and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention reverses the traditional mounting sequence by installing the blade retention plate before the securing ring. This inversion eliminates time-consuming pre-assembly operations while maintaining precise axial positioning through the plate's projection that engages with the subsequently installed securing ring.
3Ease of manufacture
If the blade retention plate is fixed without axial preload, then the mounting is simpler, but gaps or play occur between components reducing fixing quality
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces axial preload as a critical parameter by designing the blade retention plate with a projection that, when secured by the ring, applies continuous axial force. This parameter change from zero-load to preload conditions eliminates gaps and play between components, ensuring high-quality fixing while maintaining mounting simplicity.
4Ease of operation
If complex geometries are used in the recess to accommodate pre-mounted securing ring, then the securing ring can be pre-positioned, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the mounting sequence and installing the securing ring after the blade retention plate, the invention eliminates the need for complex recess geometries designed to accommodate pre-positioned rings. The simpler recess geometry reduces manufacturing complexity and production costs while the plate's projection ensures proper ring positioning.
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
Simplifies the mounting process, reduces production costs, and provides a high-quality axial fixation with minimized wear and vibration risks by ensuring the blade retention plate bears on the securing ring under axial preload, eliminating the need for complex geometries and pre-mounting the securing ring.
Implementation Method 1
which implies an elastic deformation of the radially inner region in the axial direction towards the rotor blade during the mounting
Implementation Method 2
Provision is made for the radially inner region of the blade retention plate to bear on the securing ring under axial preload
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an assembly for a gas turbine engine which has a rotor disc, rotor blades and an annular blade retention plate, which adjoins the axially front side or the axially rear side of the rotor disc. The blade retention plate includes a radially outer region, which fixes the rotor blades axially, and a radially inner region, which is fixed axially by means of a securing ring in a recess on the axially front side or on the axially rear side of the rotor disc. Provision is made for the radially inner region of the blade retention plate to bear on the securing ring under axial preload. The invention relates further to a method for fastening a blade retention plate to a rotor disc of a gas turbine engine.