Segmented Damper Ring Prevents Friction Locking in Gas Turbine Rotors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional damper rings in gas turbine engines can become locked by friction at high speeds, leading to reduced effectiveness in vibration damping and increased rotor vibratory stress, potentially causing in-flight engine failure.
Innovation Solution
A circumferentially segmented damper ring with locally reduced stiffness between segments, designed to maintain relative sliding and prevent friction locking, achieved through cut-outs or low-stiffness links, allowing for optimal placement and retention within a rotor groove.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional wire ring damper is installed in a rotor groove, then vibration damping is provided through friction forces, but at high speeds the centrifugal load creates sufficient friction force to stick the damper to the rotor, causing damper lock and loss of damping effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The damper ring is divided into multiple circumferential segments with gaps between them. This segmentation allows the segments to move independently relative to each other, preventing the entire ring from locking to the rotor at high speeds while maintaining friction-based damping through the segment-to-rotor interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The damper ring has non-uniform stiffness distribution around its circumference, with locally reduced stiffness at specific locations. This creates zones of different mechanical properties that allow controlled relative motion between the damper and rotor, preventing complete locking while maintaining damping effectiveness in other regions.
2Reliability
If a damper ring is designed with high friction engagement to the rotor, then vibration damping effectiveness is improved, but the friction force becomes sufficient to prevent relative sliding at high speeds, resulting in damper lock
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the damper ring circumferentially, the design maintains high friction engagement between each segment and the rotor surface for effective damping, while the gaps between segments allow independent motion that prevents complete locking, preserving relative sliding capability at high speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The segmented structure enables the damper to dynamically adjust its behavior - maintaining firm friction contact for damping where needed while allowing relative motion between segments to prevent locking, adapting to different operating conditions automatically.
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 segmented damper ring design ensures continuous vibration damping by preventing friction locking, thereby reducing rotor stress and extending service life by maintaining effective energy dissipation through sliding friction.
Implementation Method 1
providing vibration damping by friction forces
Implementation Method 2
provide energy dissipation by friction
Implementation Method 3
Such ring dampers are subjected to centrifugal load that creates reaction force between the damper and the mating rotor part
Data Source
AI summary
A damper ring is mounted in frictional engagement with a radially inwardly facing surface of a circumferential groove defined in a rotary part of a gas turbine engine. Energy dissipation is provided via sliding friction of the ring in the groove. The damper ring has a circumferentially segmented ring body having a non-uniform circumferential stiffness around its circumference including a locally reduced stiffness in a circumferential direction between each pair of circumferentially adjacent ring segments.