Gas Turbine Engine Mount Structure for Torque Reaction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional support structures for attaching gas turbine engines to aircraft pylons face challenges such as aerodynamic penalties, increased risk of load failure, and difficulty in providing compact open-lattice structures that can react roll torque effectively.
Innovation Solution
A support structure that includes a front mount, a rear mount, an axial load transfer means, and a roll-torque transfer formation, which allows for reduced profiles of the front and rear mounts, enabling them to be positioned closer together to improve torque reaction while maintaining structural stability, and facilitating an open-lattice structure in the pylon without compromising stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the front mount is moved forward to increase separation from the rear mount, then the ability to react pitch and yaw moments is improved, but the pylon requires extended upper bifurcation or local blister fairing which produces aerodynamic penalty
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the torque reaction function into two separate systems: the front and rear mounts handle pitch and yaw moments, while the roll-torque transfer formation (comprising torque links and torque beam) specifically handles roll torque. This segmentation allows the mounts to be positioned closer together without compromising pitch/yaw stability, eliminating the need for extended fairings and their associated aerodynamic penalties.
2Volume of moving object
If the profiles of the front and rear mounts are reduced, then the size of fairings is reduced, but the mounts are exposed to increased risk of being unable to support the resulting loads and transfer roll torque
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the load transfer functions by introducing a dedicated roll-torque transfer formation that handles roll torque separately from the front and rear mounts. This allows the mounts to have reduced profiles and smaller fairings while maintaining the capability to support loads, as the roll torque transfer function is assigned to the specialized torque link and torque beam structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The roll-torque transfer formation acts as an intermediary structure between the engine and pylon, specifically designed to handle roll torque. This intermediary system relieves the front and rear mounts of the roll torque transfer burden, allowing them to be smaller while maintaining overall system reliability for load support.
3Ease of manufacture
If an open-lattice structure is provided in the front section of the pylon, then engine-to-pylon systems routing is facilitated, but it is difficult to provide a compact structure that can react roll torque
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the roll torque reaction function from the pylon structure itself and assigns it to a separate, dedicated roll-torque transfer formation. This allows the pylon to maintain a compact open-lattice structure for ease of systems routing, while the specialized torque link and torque beam structure provides the necessary roll torque reaction capability.
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
The solution reduces the mechanical burden on the front and rear mounts, allowing them to be positioned closer together to improve torque reaction, enhances stability by connecting the front mount to the stiff structure formed by the outlet guide vanes, and improves aerodynamic performance by eliminating the need for extended fairings.
Implementation Method 1
a first torque link pivotally joined at a lower end thereof to one side of the core casing, a second torque link pivotally joined at a lower end thereof to the other side of the core casing
Implementation Method 2
a torque beam which extends across the top of the core casing and which is pivotally joined at opposite ends of the beam to respective upper ends of the first and second torque links
Implementation Method 3
a central portion of the torque beam between the support positions forms a hinge joint such that an upward vertical load transmitted through one of the torque links and a simultaneous downward vertical load transmitted through the other torque link are reacted at the support positions to transfer roll torque from the core casing to the pylon, whereas simultaneous movement of both torque links in the same vertical direction hinges the hinge joint to substantially prevent vertical loads being reacted at the support positions
Implementation Method 4
a front mount joined to the engine and configured to attach to the pylon at the front attachment position... each of the front and rear mounts being configured to transfer lateral and vertical loads from the engine to the pylon
Implementation Method 5
a rear mount joined to the core casing and configured to attach to the pylon at the rear attachment position... each of the front and rear mounts being configured to transfer lateral and vertical loads from the engine to the pylon
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
A gas turbine engine (10) includes a support structure (43) for attaching the engine to an aircraft pylon (13) at front, mid and rear attachment positions thereof. The support structure includes a front mount (31) joined to the engine and configured to attach to the pylon at the front attachment position and a rear mount joined to a core casing (42) and configured to attach to the pylon at the rear attachment position, each of the front and rear mounts being configured to transfer lateral and vertical loads from the engine to the pylon, and the rear mount being spaced from the front mount such that yaw and pitch torques are also transferred from the engine to the pylon through the front and rear mounts. The support structure also includes an axial load transfer means (29) configured to transfer axial loads from the engine to the pylon and a roll-torque transfer formation (33) configured to transfer roll torque from the core casing to the pylon.