Compressor Rotor Destacking Tool with Keyed Puck Retention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current tooling for disassembling compressor rotor stages in gas turbine engines often slips or moves during operation, leading to potential damage and the need for costly repairs or replacements.
Innovation Solution
A disassembly tool system featuring legs with radially inwardly extending keys that engage with a puck's groove, allowing for secure installation and axial force application to safely disengage rotor stages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current tooling is used to apply pulling force to separate rotor stages, then the rotor stages can be disassembled, but the tooling may slip or move during operation causing damage to the rotor stage
Solution Approach 1:
The tooling is divided into multiple legs (typically three) that are distributed around the rotor stage circumference. Each leg independently engages with the rotor stage through keys that fit into grooves, distributing the pulling force across multiple contact points. This segmentation prevents any single contact point from slipping under load, thereby eliminating the harmful slippage effect while maintaining disassembly capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The leg structure incorporates a nested design where the leg body contains a key that fits into a groove on the rotor stage, and the leg itself is retained within the rotor bore. This nested arrangement ensures that each component is precisely positioned and constrained, preventing movement or slippage during force application while enabling effective force transmission to separate the rotor stages.
2Force
If high degree of force is applied to separate rotor stages connected via interference fit, then the rotor stages can be disassembled, but the tooling may move during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The leg design incorporates asymmetric features including keys of specific orientations and grooves positioned at predetermined locations on the rotor stage. This asymmetric configuration ensures that the keys engage with the grooves in a specific orientation that prevents rotational movement or slippage of the legs during force application. The asymmetric geometry provides mechanical interlocking that maintains tooling position stability even under high pulling forces.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A disassembly tool (74) for a rotor assembly (60) of a gas turbine engine (20) includes a plurality of legs (80) configured for installation into a rotor bore (66) of a rotor of the rotor assembly (60). Each leg (80) includes one or more keys (96) extending radially inwardly toward a center of the rotor bore (66). A puck (94) is configured for installation into the rotor bore (66) radially inboard of the plurality of legs (80). The puck (94) includes a groove (98) receptive of the one or more keys (96) to retain the puck (94) to the plurality of legs (80).