Splayed Inlet Guide Vanes Force Cancellation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional self-balanced vanes in gas turbine engines face challenges in maintaining balance over a range of angles of attack, leading to accumulating resisting forces that increase the size and weight of the actuator system, affecting fluid flow control efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A system with articulating vanes positioned within a channel, where each vane has a unique axis of articulation spaced from the aerodynamic center and is coupled through a linkage, allowing forces to be partially or fully canceled during articulation, reducing the net force on the actuation system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional self-balanced vanes are used, then the aerodynamic forces are balanced at a specific angle of attack, but the vanes cannot maintain self-balancing over a range of angles of attack, leading to accumulating resisting forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the axis of articulation at a specific location on the vane that is deliberately offset from the aerodynamic center. This asymmetric positioning creates a moment arm that generates a restoring moment to counteract the aerodynamic forces. The asymmetric location allows the vane to maintain balance across a range of angles of attack rather than at a single angle, resolving the contradiction between operational ease and resisting forces.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the axis of articulation is positioned at the aerodynamic center, then the vane is self-balanced at that position, but the aerodynamic forces vary differently on leading and trailing surfaces at different angles of attack
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by carefully selecting the specific location of the axis of articulation on the vane. This localized positioning creates a moment arm that provides a restoring moment specifically at the articulation point. The local quality of this positioning allows the vane to maintain stability across varying angles of attack while adapting to the different aerodynamic forces on leading and trailing surfaces, resolving the contradiction between balance stability and adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If larger actuators are used to handle accumulating forces, then the vanes can be actuated over a range of angles of attack, but the size and weight of the engine duct envelope increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the counterweight principle by using the aerodynamic forces themselves to create a restoring moment that counteracts the accumulating resisting forces. The moment arm created by the offset articulation axis generates a counter-moment that balances the aerodynamic forces on the vane surfaces. This eliminates the need for oversized actuators to handle accumulating forces, thereby reducing the weight of the engine duct envelope while maintaining actuation range.
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
This design minimizes the resisting forces on the actuator, enabling the use of smaller actuators and improving fluid flow control by balancing the forces across the vanes, thus optimizing the system's efficiency and reducing the overall weight and size of the engine duct.
Implementation Method 1
the vanes are subjected to fluid impingent on the surface of the vane which imparts an aerodynamic force on the vane
Data Source
AI summary
A system for directing the flow of a fluid and controlling the rate of flow of the fluid. The system comprises a channel for directing the flow of the fluid; at least a pair of articulating vanes positioned within the channel for controlling the flow rate of the fluid within the channel; and a linkage between the vanes coupling the articulation of each of the vanes to the other of the vanes, wherein each vane imparts a force on the linkage when the relative angle of attack is greater than zero, wherein the force imparted on the linkage by one of the vanes is at least partially cancelled by the force imparted on the linkage by the other of the vanes during the articulation of the vanes.