Sacrificial Sleeve Welded to Gas Turbine Support Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cracks in welds between support structures and service tubes in gas turbine engines can propagate, leading to breaches in the service tubes, which is undesirable and potentially harmful.
Innovation Solution
A sacrificial sleeve is disposed around the service tube, extending between the support structure and the tube, and welded to the support structure, creating a barrier to arrest and confine potential cracks, preventing them from breaching the service tube.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If service tubes are directly welded to support structures, then the connection is strong and reliable, but cracks can form and propagate through the service tubes causing breaches
Solution Approach 1:
A sacrificial sleeve is introduced as an intermediary component between the service tube and support structure. The sleeve is welded to the support structure while the service tube passes through it, creating a buffer zone that prevents direct weld-induced stress concentration on the service tube, thereby stopping crack propagation while maintaining connection strength
Solution Approach 2:
The sacrificial sleeve is designed as a consumable component that sacrifices itself to protect the service tube. When cracks develop, they are contained within the sleeve rather than propagating to the service tube, allowing the sleeve to be replaced while preserving the expensive service tube and maintaining system reliability
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 sacrificial sleeve effectively prevents cracks from propagating through the service tubes by acting as a barrier, ensuring the integrity of the lubricant circulation system in gas turbine engines.
Implementation Method 1
the sacrificial sleeve welded to the support structure
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly for a gas turbine engine has a support structure and a tube configured to circulate lubricant and mounted to the support structure, a sacrificial sleeve extending around the tube and disposed between the support structure and the tube, the sacrificial sleeve welded to the support structure. A method of mounting a fluid carrying tube to a support structure in a gas turbine engine is provided.