Gas Turbine Fan Stand Alignment for Engine Reassembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern gas turbine engines are too large to fit into standard cargo aircraft holds, necessitating their separation into components for transportation, which requires precise alignment and handling to facilitate safe and efficient loading and reassembly.
Innovation Solution
A gas turbine engine fan stand with a base frame and a fan case frame hinged together, allowing for rotation, tilt, and lateral movement to enable precise alignment and separation of the fan case from the core engine, along with a core stand for axial translation, ensuring controlled separation and reassembly without lateral, vertical, or twisting movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the gas turbine engine is separated into fan case and core engine components, then the components can be transported in standard cargo aircraft holds, but precise alignment and handling are required to facilitate safe and efficient loading and reassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The fan stand acts as an intermediary device between the fan case and the core engine stand. It provides a controlled interface with multiple degrees of freedom (rotation about hinge, tilt about yaw axis, rotation about roll axis) that mediates the alignment process, allowing operators to precisely position the fan case relative to the core engine without direct manual handling
Solution Approach 2:
The fan stand transforms from a static support structure to a dynamic positioning system. The fan case frame is made movable through hinges and rotational joints, enabling it to rotate about the hinge between abutting the base frame and substantially perpendicular thereto, tilt about the yaw axis, and rotate about the roll axis. This dynamic capability allows real-time adjustment of the fan case position and orientation to achieve precise alignment during assembly
2Manufacturing precision
If the fan case frame is made movable with multiple degrees of freedom, then precise alignment can be achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fan stand is segmented into distinct functional modules: the base frame, the hinge connection, the fan case frame, and the coupling arrangement. Each segment has a specific function - the hinge provides rotation capability, the yaw axis enables tilting, and the roll axis allows rotational adjustment. This segmentation allows each degree of freedom to be independently controlled and adjusted, simplifying the overall control strategy while achieving high alignment precision
Solution Approach 2:
The fan stand structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it supports the fan case during transportation, enables precise alignment through multi-axis movement, and facilitates coupling with the core engine. The same mechanical structure that provides movement capability also serves as the support framework, eliminating the need for separate alignment devices and reducing overall system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A method of reassembling a gas turbine engine including steps to support a core engine on a core stand and support a fan case on a fan stand that includes a base frame coupled a fan case frame by a hinge. The fan case frame is arranged to (i) rotate about an axis of the hinge between abutting the base frame and being perpendicular to the base frame, and (ii) tilt about a yaw axis perpendicular to the hinge, which is located in a plane of the fan case frame. The method includes rotating and tilting the fan case frame to align the fan case and core engine, translating at least one of the core engine and the fan case into axial abutment, coupling the fan case and the core engine to reassemble the gas turbine engine, and decoupling the fan case from the fan stand.