CMC Rotor Module Eliminates Fasteners
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing gas turbine engine designs with high temperature superalloys and fasteners increase weight and complexity due to the additional material required for supporting fasteners, which is not efficiently addressed by conventional technologies.
Innovation Solution
A rotor module made of Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) integrates multiple rows of airfoils and a common CMC drum, eliminating the need for inter-stage fasteners and reducing hardware complexity and weight by forming a unitary CMC structure with knife edge seals and other features bonded or mounted within it.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If traditional fasteners and supporting material are used to assemble rotor disks, then structural integrity is maintained, but weight and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple rotor disks and fasteners into a single integrated CMC rotor module. The CMC drum integrates the function of multiple rotor disks, while airfoils are directly bonded to the drum, eliminating the need for separate fasteners and supporting structures. This consolidation reduces both weight and complexity while maintaining structural integrity through the monolithic CMC construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the fastener system entirely from the rotor assembly. By using CMC materials with direct bonding capabilities, the patent removes the need for metal fasteners and their supporting structures, achieving weight reduction and complexity simplification without compromising the assembly's structural integrity.
2Quantity of substance
If metal fasteners and supporting structures are used, then assembly is straightforward, but weight and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The CMC rotor module combines multiple components into a single integrated structure where airfoils are directly bonded to the CMC drum. This merging eliminates the need for separate fasteners and supporting materials, significantly reducing total material mass while the bonding process maintains manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes CMC (ceramic matrix composite) materials that enable direct bonding between components without requiring metal fasteners. This composite material approach reduces the quantity of substance needed while maintaining ease of manufacture through the bonding process, achieving both weight reduction and manufacturing simplicity.
3Strength
If inter-stage fasteners are used to connect rotor disks, then structural strength is ensured, but weight and stress concentration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the fastening function into the CMC drum structure itself, where airfoils are directly bonded to the drum surface. This eliminates separate fasteners and their supporting structures, reducing weight while distributing stresses uniformly across the bonded interface rather than concentrating them at fastener points.
Solution Approach 2:
The CMC material enables direct bonding between airfoils and the drum, providing structural strength without requiring metal fasteners. This composite material approach eliminates the weight penalty of fasteners and supporting structures while maintaining or improving strength through the bonded connection and uniform stress distribution.
Data Source
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AI summary
A rotor (62) module for a gas turbine engine (20) including a multiple of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) airfoil rows (74A,74B,74C) which extend from a common CMC drum (66). A corresponding turbine assembly and a method of assembling are also provided.