Fan Rotor Fastening for Compact Radial Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fan rotor designs for turbine engines face challenges when the fan diameter is small, as there is insufficient radial space to accommodate the necessary bolts and flanges, making it difficult to assemble and disassemble the rotor, and there is a risk of the cap being torn off due to ingested objects, potentially leading to blade ejection.
Innovation Solution
A fan rotor design that includes a ring with lugs and annulus for reduced radial size, using bolts that pass through holes in the lugs for cap and annulus fastening, and a cap with blind holes for secure attachment, made of lightweight materials with a high-strength annulus to prevent separation, along with indexing and extractor features for proper positioning and removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional bolts and flanges are used for fastening the cap and annulus, then secure attachment is achieved, but radial space requirements increase making assembly difficult in small diameter fans
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fastening functions of the cap and annulus into a single integrated bolt system. Bolts pass through lugs on both components simultaneously, merging two separate fastening operations into one, thereby reducing radial space requirements while maintaining secure attachment of both components to the disk
Solution Approach 2:
The bolts serve multiple functions: they fasten the annulus to the disk, fasten the cap to the disk, and connect both components to each other through the lugs. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate flanges and reduces the overall radial footprint of the fastening system
2Strength
If traditional multi-component fastening systems are used, then secure attachment is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple fastening components (separate flanges, multiple bolt sets) into a simplified integrated system where bolts pass through lugs on both the cap and annulus simultaneously, reducing the total number of parts and assembly steps while maintaining secure attachment
Solution Approach 2:
The lugs serve as universal attachment points that accommodate both the cap and annulus fastening requirements, and the bolts perform multiple fastening functions, thereby reducing device complexity through component multi-functionality
Data Source
AI summary
A fan rotor including a disk carrying blades including roots engaged in slots in the disk, a frustoconical cap mounted on the disk upstream from the blades, and a retaining mechanism axially retaining the blades on the disk and including a ring mounted in an annular groove of the disk and forming an abutment for the roots of the blades, the ring being festooned or crenellated and co-operating with a festooned radial annular bead of the annular groove of the disk, and a mechanism preventing the ring from moving in rotation, which includes an annulus carrying at least one axial tooth inserted in hollow portions of the bead of the disk and of the ring, the annulus being fastened by bolts on an upstream radial face of the disk.