Side Link Mounting System for Gas Turbine Auxiliary Components
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mounting systems for auxiliary components in gas turbine engines, such as gearboxes, fail to withstand high shock loads from events like blade outages, leading to component separation or damage due to inadequate design balancing competing criteria of weight reduction and durability.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a side link mounting system with strategically positioned apertures and fasteners that restrict rotational movement, allowing for back-and-forth movement to accommodate thermal growth and vibration, and a contact surface to prevent excessive rotation of auxiliary components during high-load events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional mounting systems use light-weight materials to reduce aircraft weight, then weight is reduced, but the mounting system cannot withstand high shock loads from blade out events
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into multiple side links (first side link, second side link) that connect the auxiliary component to the engine case. Each side link can move independently, allowing the system to be lightweight yet distribute shock loads across multiple segments rather than requiring a single heavy robust connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The side links are designed with rotational freedom about their fastener axes, allowing them to dynamically adjust their orientation during shock events. This dynamic movement capability enables the lightweight mounting system to absorb and accommodate high shock loads from blade out events without requiring excessive structural strength in each individual component.
2Reliability
If the mounting system restricts all rotational movement to prevent component separation, then reliability under shock load improves, but the auxiliary component cannot accommodate thermal growth and vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system provides different degrees of freedom at different locations. The side links allow rotational movement about their own fastener axes (local freedom) while the third fasteners restrict rotation about the engine case attachment flange axes (local constraint). This localized differentiation enables both thermal growth accommodation and shock load resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The side links are designed with selective rotational freedom - they can rotate about their own fastener axes to accommodate thermal expansion and vibration, while the third fasteners prevent rotation about the engine case attachment axes. This dynamic selective freedom allows the system to adapt to thermal growth while maintaining reliability under shock loads.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the mounting system allows rotational movement to accommodate thermal growth, then adaptability improves, but the auxiliary component may experience excessive rotation during high-load events
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system implements different constraint qualities at different rotational axes. Rotation about the side link's own fastener axis is permitted (local freedom for thermal growth), while rotation about the engine case attachment flange axis is restricted by the third fastener (local constraint for position stability). This localized quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between adaptability and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The third fastener acts as an intermediary element that mediates between the need for rotational freedom (for thermal growth) and the need for position stability (for reliability). It allows controlled movement in certain directions while preventing excessive rotation during high-load events, thus balancing adaptability and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An arrangement for mounting an auxiliary component to an engine case includes an engine case attachment flange, a side link, and first, second, and third fasteners. The first fastener is received through a first aperture disposed in a first end of the side link for coupling the side link to the auxiliary component. The second fastener is received through a second aperture disposed in a second end of the side link for coupling the side link to the engine case attachment flange. A third fastener is received through a third aperture disposed in the second end of the side link for restricting rotational movement of the side link, about the second fastener, with respect to the engine case attachment flange. In various embodiments, a stopping surface is provided at the first end of the side link to restrict rotational motion of the auxiliary component with respect to the side link.