Gas Turbine Rotor Assembly with Replaceable Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current spool structures in gas turbine engines, formed from metal or composite systems with integral blades, complicate maintenance as a single broken blade requires replacement of entire sections, leading to increased complexity and weight.
Innovation Solution
A rotor assembly with blades extending from a platform, installed within a spool from the inside, minimizing retention devices and utilizing a ceramic matrix composite for lightweight, monolithic structures that allow for individual blade replacement without replacing entire assemblies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal or composite spool structures with integral blades are used, then structural strength and reliability are improved, but maintenance complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor assembly is divided into separable components: individual blades that can be independently removed and replaced from the spool interior, rather than being integrally formed. This segmentation allows maintenance of single blades without replacing entire blade rows or the spool assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Blades are extracted as separate replaceable components from the spool structure. The design enables individual blade extraction and reinstallation through the spool interior, separating the blade replacement function from the spool structure itself.
2Strength
If metal or composite spool structures with integral blades are used, then structural strength is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spool is constructed from ceramic matrix composite materials that provide high strength-to-weight ratio, thermal stability, and damage tolerance. This composite material selection reduces rotor assembly weight while maintaining or improving structural strength compared to traditional metal spools.
3Ease of manufacture
If integral blade structures are used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but ease of repair deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor assembly is divided into separable components: individual blades that can be independently removed and replaced from the spool interior, rather than being integrally formed. This segmentation allows maintenance of single blades without replacing entire blades or the spool assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Individual damaged blades can be discarded and replaced with new or refurbished blades, while the spool and other intact blades are recovered and retained in service. This selective replacement approach simplifies repair operations.
4Reliability
If complex retention devices are used to secure blades, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Blades are extracted as separate replaceable components from the spool structure. The design enables individual blade extraction and reinstallation through the spool interior, separating the blade replacement function from the spool structure itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade retention system is designed to be self-servicing through simple geometric interlocking features between blades and spool apertures, eliminating the need for complex external retention devices. The aperture geometry itself provides the retention function.
Data Source
AI summary
A rotor assembly is provided, along with gas turbine engines for its use. The rotor assembly may include a spool defining a plurality of apertures arranged in a first row and spaced circumferentially around the spool, wherein each aperture of the plurality of apertures extends through the spool from a radially inward-facing surface to a radially outward-facing surface; and a blade assembly comprising at least two blades connected to each other via a platform, wherein each blade extends through a respective aperture.