Turbomachine Casing Arm With Removable Additional Piece
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing maintenance process for bearings in aircraft turbine engines is complex, lengthy, and expensive, requiring the removal of the entire turbine engine to access and replace the bearing, which is housed in a casing arm.
Innovation Solution
A casing arm design with a removable additional piece and spacer allows for maintenance of the bearing without disassembling the intermediate casing, enabling the additional piece to move towards the base, thereby accessing the bearing for maintenance without removing the turbine engine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bearing is housed in a fixed casing arm structure, then the structural integrity and mechanical cohesion of the intermediate casing is maintained, but the maintenance operations become complex, lengthy and expensive requiring complete engine removal
Solution Approach 1:
The casing arm is divided into a fixed base structure and a removable additional piece that can be separated. The additional piece houses the bearing and can be removed independently from the base, allowing bearing maintenance without complete engine disassembly while the base remains fixed to maintain structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing housing function is extracted from the fixed casing arm structure and placed in a separate removable additional piece. This allows the bearing to be accessed and replaced by removing only the additional piece rather than the entire engine assembly
2Ease of operation
If the entire turbine engine is removed for bearing maintenance, then complete access to the bearing is achieved, but operational time and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The casing arm is segmented into removable and fixed portions, allowing the bearing-containing additional piece to be accessed and removed independently. This provides complete bearing access without requiring removal of the entire turbine engine from the aircraft
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing maintenance function is extracted from the engine-level operation and moved to the component-level operation. The additional piece can be removed and the bearing serviced at a simpler maintenance station without engine removal, dramatically reducing maintenance time
Data Source
AI summary
To facilitate the removal of a bearing housed in an arm of a turbomachine casing, which bearing guides a transmission shaft of the turbomachine, a casing arm includes a body with a vertical portion and a base defining a portion of a shaft housing; an additional part removably attached to the body and defining a bearing housing opening in the shaft housing; and a removable shim inserted between the base and the additional part. A turbomachine including such a casing arm is also described, as well as a method for removing the bearing from such a turbomachine, including removing the shim and moving the additional part towards the base, thereby allowing access to the bearing.