Gas Turbine Gearbox Damping System with Multi-Directional Deflection Limiters
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines face challenges in damping resonance and limiting deflection of planetary gearboxes, particularly due to misalignment and vibration issues, which existing technologies have not adequately addressed, especially in multiple directional movements.
Innovation Solution
A multidirectional damping system is introduced, comprising a soft mount with flexible inner and outer sleeves and damping couplers that restrict movement in axial, radial, and circumferential directions while attenuating vibrations, using a lubricant to enhance damping capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a soft mount structure is used to isolate the gearbox from externally applied misalignments, then the gearbox flexibility and misalignment protection are improved, but the gearbox deflection control and vibration attenuation are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines deflection limiters and dampers into a single integrated assembly that is part of the soft mount structure. This merging allows the system to simultaneously provide flexibility for misalignment protection while incorporating hard stops for deflection control and damping elements for vibration attenuation, resolving the contradiction between isolation and harmful factor control.
Solution Approach 2:
The soft mount structure is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides flexible mounting for misalignment accommodation, incorporates deflection limiters to constrain gearbox movement, and includes dampers to attenuate vibrations. This multi-functionality allows a single structure to address both misalignment protection and vibration control simultaneously.
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 system effectively limits gearbox movement and damps vibrations in multiple directions, reducing dynamic response and preventing overloading of individual gears, thereby enhancing the stability and performance of gas turbine engines.
Implementation Method 1
A planetary gear train for an engine casing includes a sun gear rotatable by a shaft, a ring gear, a plurality of planet gears rotatably mounted in a planet carrier and meshing with the sun gear and the ring gear, and a damping system. The damping system includes a soft mount disposed about the shaft and coupling the planet carrier the engine casing.
Implementation Method 2
The shafts are typically mounted on soft bearing supports that allow compliance and flexibility to limit shaft bending during high external stresses external misalignment.
Implementation Method 3
Planetary gearboxes include a number of rotating gears, which can wear over time from misalignment caused by external stress.
Data Source
AI summary
A planet gear train for an engine casing includes a sun gear rotatable by a shaft, a ring gear, a plurality of planet gears rotatably mounted in a planet carrier and meshing with the sun gear and the ring gear, and a damping system. The damping system includes a soft mount disposed about the shaft and coupling the planet carrier the engine casing. The soft mount includes a flexible inner sleeve and a flexible outer sleeve. The flexible inner sleeve and the flexible outer sleeve are fixedly coupled together at respective central portions thereof near the shaft. The damping system further includes a plurality of damping couplers disposed about an outer flange of the planet carrier. The plurality of damping couplers is configured to flexibly couple the flexible inner sleeve to the flexible outer sleeve.