Gas Turbine Fluid Coupler Maintenance Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bearing supports for gas turbine engines face significant leakage issues due to the failure of single-setting epoxy in fluid couplers, leading to the scrapping of entire components when blind fits fail, and lack a mechanism for preventative maintenance or repair.
Innovation Solution
A fluid coupler design with a cylindrical body, flange, and O-ring seals that allows for repeatable coupling and decoupling of fluid tubes, featuring a removable access cover for maintenance and a threaded surface for secure sealing, enabling the fluid coupler to be repaired or replaced without replacing the entire bearing support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If single-setting epoxy is used to fix the fluid coupler in the fluid egress, then the fluid coupler is retained in position, but the coupling fails over time causing significant leakage and requires scrapping of the entire bearing support
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing support is divided into separable components: the fluid coupler can be independently removed from the fluid egress without destroying the bearing support. The threaded bore and removable cover allow the coupler to be segmented as a separate replaceable part, resolving the contradiction between retention reliability and ease of repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluid coupler connection transitions from a static, permanent epoxy bond to a dynamic, reversible threaded connection. The coupler can be installed and removed multiple times through the threaded bore and removable cover mechanism, providing both secure retention during operation and easy replacement when needed.
2Ease of manufacture
If the bearing support is designed as a cast piece with integrated fluid coupler, then manufacturing is simplified, but the entire support must be scrapped when the coupler fails
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing support structure is segmented to separate the fluid coupler from the main cast body. The threaded bore is formed in the cast support, but the coupler itself is a separate component that can be independently replaced, preventing waste of the entire bearing support when only the coupler fails.
Solution Approach 2:
The design enables discarding only the failed fluid coupler while recovering and reusing the bearing support structure. The threaded bore and removable cover system allows the coupler to be replaced without damaging or wasting the expensive cast bearing support.
3Reliability
If a secondary retention feature is added to prevent fluid coupler disengagement, then coupling security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retention function is merged into the threaded connection mechanism itself. The threads provide both the primary coupling security and the retention function, eliminating the need for separate secondary retention features and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A gas turbine engine includes a bearing support positioned fore of a compressor section along a primary flowpath. The bearing support internally includes a fluid reservoir with a reservoir tube, a fluid pump with a fluid pump tube, and a fluid coupler coupling the reservoir tube to the fluid pump tube.