Gas Turbine Front Center Body Modular Architecture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines face challenges in the ease and speed of servicing their components, particularly due to the complexity of bolted flange joints which complicate maintenance and repair.
Innovation Solution
A gas turbine engine design featuring a central body support with a geared architecture and flex support that includes tooth groups and vanes, allowing for efficient torque transfer and facilitating rapid disassembly through accessible fasteners and interference fits, enabling the removal of the geared architecture as a module without disturbing the bearing that supports the spool.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bolted flange joints are used to join case sections, then the engine static structure can withstand various loads, but the ease and speed of servicing components is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The engine case is divided into modular sections (front case section, rear case section, intermediate case section) that can be independently removed and serviced. This segmentation allows components within each module to be accessed and repaired without disassembling the entire engine structure, resolving the contradiction between structural reliability and servicing ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The geared architecture is extracted as a separate removable module from the engine case. This allows the gearbox to be removed and serviced independently while the bearing support structure remains in place, enabling targeted maintenance without complete disassembly and improving both servicing efficiency and structural integrity.
2Strength
If traditional bolted flange joints are used, then structural integrity is maintained, but maintenance time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The case is segmented into modular sections with defined interfaces that maintain structural integrity while enabling rapid module removal and replacement. This modular architecture reduces maintenance time by allowing technicians to work with discrete sections rather than the entire engine assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The engine case is pre-configured with standardized interfaces, mounting features, and access pathways that facilitate quick module removal. These preliminary design actions enable maintenance personnel to efficiently service components without time-consuming custom fabrication or complex disassembly procedures.
3Power
If the geared architecture is integrated into the central body support, then torque transfer is efficient, but disassembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The geared architecture is segmented as a distinct removable module from the central body support. This segmentation maintains efficient torque transfer within the gearbox while simplifying disassembly, as the entire geared module can be removed as one unit rather than disassembling individual gear components.
Solution Approach 2:
The geared architecture is extracted as a separate serviceable module that can be removed from the engine case without disturbing the bearing support structure. This extraction reduces disassembly complexity by isolating the gearbox as an independent unit with its own access pathways and mounting interfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A gas turbine engine includes a central body support that provides an inner annular wall for a core flow path. The central body support includes a first mount feature. A geared architecture interconnects a spool and a fan rotatable about an axis. A flex support interconnects the geared architecture to the central body support. The flex support includes a second mount feature that cooperates with the first mount feature for transferring torque there between. A method of disassembling a front architecture of a gas turbine engine includes the steps of accessing forward-facing fasteners that secure a central body support to a flex support, wherein the flex support includes a geared architecture supported thereon, removing the fasteners, and decoupling first and second mount features respectively provided on the central body support and the flex support.