Rotational Spool Balance Weights for In-Situ Turbine Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engine rotational spools experience imbalances leading to vibrations, noise, and accelerated wear due to high rotational velocities.
Innovation Solution
A spool balancing system with circumferentially extending track components and balance weights that can be secured or unsecured, allowing adjustment without disassembly, using access ports for tool engagement and a balancing algorithm to correct imbalances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If balance weights are fixed during operation, then rotational balancing is maintained, but adjustment requires disassembly and reassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The balance weights are nested within a track component that is integrated into the rotational spool structure. The track component contains circumferential channels that guide and constrain the balance weights, allowing them to move along a predetermined path while remaining contained within the spool assembly. This nested arrangement enables adjustment without disassembly while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The balance weights are designed to be dynamically adjustable during operation rather than being statically fixed. The track component allows the balance weights to move circumferentially along the track, enabling real-time adjustment of the balancing configuration. This dynamic capability resolves the contradiction by allowing both fixed positioning (for reliability) and adjustable positioning (for ease of repair) at different operational states.
2Adaptability or versatility
If balance weights are made adjustable during operation, then in-situ balancing is enabled, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The balancing system is segmented into discrete balance weights that can be independently positioned along the track. Each balance weight is a separate component that can be individually adjusted, allowing for precise balancing control. This segmentation enables adaptability while keeping individual components simple and manageable, offsetting the overall structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The track component serves as an intermediary mechanism between the balance weights and the rotational spool structure. It provides a guided pathway that constrains the balance weights to move only along the circumferential track, simplifying the adjustment mechanism while enabling in-situ balancing. The track acts as a mediator that translates simple linear movement into effective rotational balancing without requiring complex mechanisms.
3Ease of repair
If access ports are provided for tool engagement, then maintenance accessibility is improved, but structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The access ports are designed as thin-walled openings in the non-rotational member structure. These openings are sufficiently small and strategically positioned to provide tool access to the balance weights while minimizing the reduction of structural integrity. The thin film nature of the port walls allows for tool engagement without creating large structural weaknesses in the engine housing.
Data Source
AI summary
A gas turbine engine is provided that includes a combustor, a rotational spool, a spool balancing system, and at least one access port. The rotational spool includes turbine and compressor sections, and a shaft that connects the turbine and compressor sections. The spool balancing system includes a circumferentially extending track component and a plurality of balance weights that are engaged with the track component. The balance weights are disposable in secured and unsecured configurations. The track component and the balance weights are disposed to rotate with the rotational spool. The access port is disposed within a non-rotational member of the gas turbine engine. The access port is configured to receive a tool for engagement with the balance weights.