Epicyclic Gear Carrier Bushing Design for Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gear carriers in gas turbine engines face challenges with component movement due to tolerance issues in bolt connections, leading to reduced operational life under high thermal loads and pressure ratios.
Innovation Solution
A gear carrier design utilizing bushings with collars and chamfers to connect end plates to connector plates, along with temperature manipulation to ensure precise alignment and secure attachment, reducing relative movement and enhancing stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bolt connections are used to connect end plates to connector plates, then the gear carrier can be assembled, but component movement occurs due to tolerance issues reducing operational life
Solution Approach 1:
A bushing is introduced as an intermediary component between the end plates and connector plates. The bushing has a collar that fits over the connector plate and a chamfered end that fits into the end plate, creating a precise fit that eliminates tolerance-related movement while still allowing assembly. This intermediary component resolves the contradiction by providing both stability and assembly capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system is segmented into multiple components: the bushing, the collar, and the chamfered end. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function - the bushing for precision fitting, the collar for connection, and the chamfer for alignment - thereby reducing overall component movement while maintaining assembly feasibility.
2Reliability
If traditional single-piece gear carrier design is used, then manufacturing is simpler, but component movement and tolerance issues occur under high thermal loads
Solution Approach 1:
The gear carrier is divided into multiple segments (end plates, connector plates, and bushings) that can be manufactured separately with precise tolerances and then assembled. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for thermal stability while the precise fit of the bushing assembly eliminates movement issues that would occur in a single-piece design under thermal loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the physical parameters of the connection interface by introducing the bushing with specific geometric features (collar and chamfer). These parameter changes enable precise alignment and fitting that maintains stability under thermal expansion and contraction, while the modular nature manages the complexity through standardized components.
3Manufacturing precision
If precise alignment is achieved through temperature manipulation, then component stability increases, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing is designed with preliminary geometric features (collar and chamfer) that guide alignment during assembly. The collar fits over the connector plate and the chamfered end fits into the end plate, creating self-aligning features that achieve precise alignment without requiring complex temperature manipulation or specialized manufacturing equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing serves as an intermediary that provides built-in alignment features through its geometry. The collar and chamfered end create a mechanical guide system that ensures precise alignment during assembly, eliminating the need for complex temperature-based alignment processes while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
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 bushing-based gear carrier design reduces component movement, increases stability, and extends operational life by minimizing tolerance-related issues under high thermal and pressure conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a bushing configured to extend through the second end plate and into the connector plate to connect the second end plate to the connector plate
Implementation Method 2
The gear carrier may also include a bolt configured to extend through a bolt aperture of the bushing and be received by a bolt terminal of the connector plate for resisting movement of the bushing relative to the second end plate and the connector plate
Implementation Method 3
connecting the first end plate to the connector plate using the bushing may include increasing a temperature of the first end plate and the connector plate, decreasing a temperature of the bushing, and inserting the bushing into the end bushing aperture of the first end plate and the connector bushing aperture of the connector plate
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
A gear carrier (200) includes a first end plate (202;502;602). The gear carrier (200) also includes a connector plate (208;508;608) connected to the first end plate (202;502;602). The gear carrier (200) also includes a second end plate (204;504;604). The gear carrier (200) also includes a bushing (212) configured to extend through the second end plate (204;504;604) and into the connector plate (208;508;608) to connect the second end plate (204;504;604) to the connector plate (208;508;608).