Composite Turbine Vane Support With Flex-Activated Load Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Composite materials used for turbine engine vanes in aircraft offer reduced rigidity, necessitating increased thickness to withstand high loading conditions, which can lead to stress concentration and potential failure under high-stress scenarios like stall, surge, and takeoff.
Innovation Solution
Designing vanes with composite materials to allow flexing under stress conditions, incorporating additional load paths through vane supports with projections or tapered surfaces to transfer loads from the vane to the support, reducing stress on the rail attachments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If composite materials are used for turbine engine vanes, then weight is reduced and flexibility is improved, but rigidity decreases leading to stress concentration under high loading conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The vane support structure is segmented into multiple load-bearing elements including rails, hooks, and projection features that distribute stress across multiple attachment points. The vane itself is designed with an outer band and airfoil structure that segments the load paths, preventing stress concentration at single critical points.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces additional dimensional complexity through three-dimensional projection features extending from the vane support, creating multiple load transfer paths in different spatial directions. The hooked rails and projection elements create a multi-dimensional load distribution network that enhances strength without increasing vane thickness.
2Strength
If vane thickness is increased to withstand high loading conditions, then strength is improved, but stress concentration increases leading to potential failure
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing function is segmented from the vane blade to the vane support structure. The vane transfers loads to multiple discrete support points (hooks, rails, projections) rather than relying on thickened material, distributing stress across the support structure where it can be better managed.
Solution Approach 2:
The vane support structure acts as an intermediary between the composite vane and the engine housing. This intermediate structure, typically made of more rigid material than the composite vane, absorbs and redistributes concentrated loads, protecting the vane from stress concentration while maintaining the benefits of composite material usage.
3Ease of manufacture
If clearances are maintained during assembly, then ease of assembly is improved, but load transfer efficiency decreases under operating conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The vane support structure incorporates dynamic clearance management through projection features and hooked rails that can accommodate assembly tolerances while maintaining load-bearing contact during operation. The structure transitions from a static clearance gap to a dynamic contact system that engages under load conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The vane and vane support structure are designed to self-adjust during operation. The projection features and hooked rails automatically engage and disengage based on operational loads, with the structure itself managing the clearance-to-contact transition without requiring external adjustment mechanisms.
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
Enhances the ability of composite vanes to withstand high-stress conditions by distributing loads effectively, maintaining clearances during assembly and reducing rail stress, thus preventing failure and ensuring operational reliability.
Implementation Method 1
the outer band being positioned in the channel to form a gap between the support-facing surface and the vane-facing surface under assembly conditions of the turbine engine, the vane-facing surface and the support-facing surface being shaped to form a contact configuration, in which, during flexing of the vane under an operating condition of the turbine engine, at least a portion of the support-facing surface contacts the vane-facing surface over a contacting region to eliminate the gap over the contacting region
Data Source
AI summary
A turbine engine for an aircraft. The turbine engine includes a vane support and a vane. The vane support has a vane-facing surface. A first hook and a second hook extend from the vane-facing surface and define a channel therebetween. The vane includes an airfoil and an outer band connected to the airfoil. The outer band is positioned in the channel to form a gap between a support-facing surface of the outer band and the vane-facing surface under assembly conditions of the turbine engine. The vane-facing surface and the support-facing surface are shaped to form a contact configuration that occurs when, under an operating condition of the turbine engine, the vane flexes and at least a portion of the support-facing surface contacts the vane-facing surface over a contacting region to eliminate the gap over the contacting region.