Turbine Nose Cone Assembly Snap Fit Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine machines face challenges with the weight and complexity of mounting nose cones, which increase the overall weight and require labor-intensive processes due to the use of bolts and support rings, making it difficult to balance and position the nose cone efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A nose cone assembly featuring flexible spring flanges, bayonet flanges, and pilot flanges that engage with a hub to provide axial and rotational alignment, reducing the need for bolts and support rings, and allowing for a snap-fit configuration or reduced fastener usage, thereby simplifying the mounting process and reducing weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bolts and support rings are used to mount the nose cone, then the structural integrity and reliability are improved, but the weight of the assembly increases and the mounting complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the support ring component entirely from the assembly. The nose cone is mounted directly to the turbine shaft using bayonet flanges and snap-fit features, eliminating the need for separate support rings and reducing the number of fasteners required, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting features (bayonet flanges, snap-fit elements, alignment features) are integrated directly into the nose cone and shaft structures. This merging of functions eliminates separate mounting components and reduces assembly complexity while maintaining reliable structural connection
2Reliability
If bolts and support rings are used to mount the nose cone, then the structural integrity is improved, but the device complexity and mounting time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the support ring and reduces fastener count by using direct mounting features on the shaft. This extraction of unnecessary components simplifies the overall device structure and reduces mounting complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple mounting functions (alignment, retention, structural connection) are merged into integrated bayonet flange and snap-fit features that combine multiple operations into a single mounting action, reducing the number of discrete steps and components
3Reliability
If the nose cone is mounted using conventional bolting methods, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the balancing and positioning efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The nose cone and shaft are pre-configured with complementary bayonet flanges and snap-fit features during manufacturing. These preliminary actions ensure proper alignment and positioning are built into the design, eliminating the need for time-consuming field alignment and balancing operations
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting operation merges alignment, positioning, and structural connection into a single integrated action through the bayonet flange engagement and snap-fit features, dramatically improving mounting efficiency compared to sequential bolting operations
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 solution significantly reduces the weight and complexity of the nose cone assembly, simplifies the mounting process, and improves balance and alignment, while maintaining structural integrity under operational loads.
Implementation Method 1
one or more flexible spring flanges disposed around the circumference of the base portion, each of the flexible spring flanges forming a hub engaging surface
Implementation Method 2
one or more bayonet flanges disposed around the circumference of the base portion, each of the bayonet flanges forming a hub engaging surface parallel to and facing in the opposite direction as the hub mating surface
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of coupling a nose cone to a turbine machine. Nose cone assembly weight and coupling difficulty are each reduced by reducing or eliminating the number of bolts used to mount the nose cone to the turbine machine, as well as the support or retaining ring. The disclosed nose cone comprises a plurality of hub mounting elements disposed around the circumference of a base portion, each of the hub mounting elements comprising a flexible flange extending toward the central axis and having a ridge protruding from a radially outward facing surface. The flexible flange is configured to deflect toward the central axis upon engagement with the hub.