Integral Bearing Support Assembly for Gas Turbine Engine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional centering springs and bearing support members in gas turbine engines are costly to fabricate and prone to radial deflection due to stress concentrations, particularly the flange 'kink' feature, which complicates maintenance and increases the engine's size and weight.
Innovation Solution
An integral one-piece bearing support assembly that combines a centering spring and bearing support member, featuring conically extending beams and a cylindrical main body, eliminating the need for a flange and reducing part count, weight, and fabrication costs, while enhancing stiffness and load path efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional centering springs are machined with a flange kink feature, then the bearing support member can be assembled, but the fabrication cost increases and stress concentration occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the centering spring and bearing support member into a single integral assembly, eliminating the need for separate flange kink features and multiple machining operations. This unified structure removes stress concentration points while reducing fabrication complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the problematic flange kink feature from the design. By removing this unnecessary geometric discontinuity, the patent eliminates the associated stress concentration and machining complexity while maintaining structural functionality.
2Device complexity
If multiple parts are used for centering spring and bearing support member, then assembly flexibility is maintained, but the part count and fabrication complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the centering spring and bearing support member into one integral assembly, reducing the part count from multiple components to a single piece. This merger maintains assembly flexibility through the integral design's inherent load path optimization while eliminating the need for separate fastening operations.
3Stability of the object's composition
If flange kink feature is included in centering spring, then connection is achieved, but radial deflection increases due to stress concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the flange kink feature that causes stress concentration and radial deflection. The integral design eliminates this geometric discontinuity, resulting in improved structural stability and reduced radial deflection under load.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding a flange kink feature to achieve connection, the invention inverts the approach by creating a smooth, continuous integral structure that achieves connection without geometric discontinuities, thereby eliminating stress concentration and radial deflection.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A bearing support assembly (14) for supporting a bearing assembly (16) within a bearing compartment (12) of a gas turbine engine (10) includes a centering spring (44) and a bearing support member (42) integrally joined together to form a one-piece structure. The centering spring (44) connects to the bearing assembly (16) and has a portion (46) that extends conically relative to a centerline axis of the gas turbine engine. The bearing support member (42) extends from the centering spring to connect to an engine case (38) of the gas turbine engine.