Gas Turbine Rotor Assembly with Adjustable Protective Core
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing rotor assemblies in gas turbine engines are prone to damage from high-speed operation, particularly due to delamination of composite blades and stress concentration at the blade-disk interface, which also necessitates balancing processes that can damage the disk.
Innovation Solution
A rotor assembly with a weight-adjustable protective core placed between the blades and the disk, featuring mounting portions on its surface that allow for the attachment and detachment of weights, thereby aligning the rotation axis and center of gravity without the need for disk grinding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wear strip is attached between the blade and the disk to prevent wear, then the blade and disk are protected from direct contact damage, but stress is concentrated in the limited contact area causing high stress levels
Solution Approach 1:
The protective core serves as an intermediary component positioned between the blade and disk. It distributes the contact area through its geometry (including curved surfaces and support portions), thereby reducing stress concentration while maintaining protection functionality.
2Stability of the object's composition
If balancing work is performed by grinding the disk to adjust the center of gravity, then the rotor assembly achieves proper balance, but the disk is inevitably damaged during the grinding process
Solution Approach 1:
The balancing function is segmented from the disk itself and transferred to the protective core. Weights can be attached to or removed from the protective core to adjust the center of gravity, eliminating the need to grind or damage the disk structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The center of gravity is adjusted by changing the weight distribution on the protective core rather than modifying the disk geometry. This allows balancing through parameter adjustment (adding/removing weights) without structural damage.
3Weight of moving object
If composite materials are used for blades to reduce weight, then the blade weight is reduced improving engine performance, but the blades become vulnerable to delamination from foreign object collision and vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The protective core is installed beforehand to provide cushioning protection to the composite blade. It absorbs the impact of foreign objects and mitigates vibration effects before they can cause delamination in the composite blade structure.
4Device complexity
If the protective core has fixed geometry without adjustable weights, then the structure is simple, but the center of gravity cannot be adjusted without damaging the disk
Solution Approach 1:
The protective core incorporates adjustable weights that can be attached or removed to dynamically adjust the center of gravity. This makes the system adaptable for balancing without requiring complex permanent modifications to the disk or blade assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a rotor assembly including a protective core. The rotor assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a disk that is inserted into a rotating shaft and has a plurality of seating grooves in a circumferential direction thereof, a plurality of blades inserted into the seating grooves, respectively, and a protective core which is arranged between the blades and the disk, has a plurality of mounting portions on one surface thereof, and includes a plurality of weights that are attachable to and detachable from the mounting portions.