Gas Turbine Attachment Assembly for Thermal Growth Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine engine components, particularly those in the exhaust section, face high temperatures due to heat absorption from exhaust gases, requiring materials and designs that can withstand extreme heat while also managing thermal growth and cooling effectively.
Innovation Solution
An attachment assembly for a gas turbine engine that includes a bushing and a bushing adapter with a threaded bolt system, allowing for differential thermal growth and controlled cooling airflow, enabling the use of high-temperature-resistant materials like ceramic matrix composites and providing a swivel joint to manage high plug loads without overturning moments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional attachment methods are used to connect center structure to outer structure, then structural integrity is maintained, but thermal growth differential causes stress and potential failure at high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment assembly allows for thermal expansion by permitting relative movement between the center structure and outer structure. The bushing and bushing adapter configuration enables differential thermal growth without creating excessive stress, allowing the engine to operate at higher temperatures while maintaining attachment reliability.
2Temperature
If advanced high-temperature materials are used in the center structure, then temperature resistance is improved, but cooling requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment assembly extracts thermal energy from the center structure by allowing cooling air to flow through the bushing and bushing adapter. This configuration provides a dedicated cooling path that removes heat from the high-temperature center structure, enabling the use of advanced materials while controlling cooling flow requirements.
3Strength
If rigid attachment is used to prevent movement, then structural stability is improved, but high plug loads create overturning moments that can cause failure
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment assembly transitions from a rigid connection to a dynamic configuration that can accommodate movement. The bushing and bushing adapter allow controlled relative motion between the center structure and outer structure, preventing the buildup of overturning moments from high plug loads while maintaining structural stability through friction and geometric constraints.
4Temperature
If cooling airflow is increased to manage heat, then temperature control is improved, but weight and complexity of cooling system increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing and bushing adapter serve multiple functions: they provide structural attachment, enable differential thermal growth, allow controlled cooling airflow, and prevent excessive movement. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate cooling system components, reducing overall weight and complexity while maintaining effective temperature control.
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 solution allows the gas turbine engine to operate in higher temperature environments, reduces cooling flow requirements, minimizes weight, and prevents failure from high plug loads, while enabling the use of advanced materials for improved performance.
Implementation Method 1
allowing for differential thermal growth
Implementation Method 2
allowing a cooling air flow to the centerbody
Data Source
AI summary
An attachment assembly for attaching a center structure to an outer structure at least partially circumscribing the center structure, the attachment assembly having a bushing provided within the center structure or the outer structure, the bushing defining a first through passage, a bushing adapter slidably mounted within the first through passage and defining a second through passage, a threaded passage provided on the other of the center structure or the outer structure and a bolt passing through the first through passage and the second through passage and threaded into the threaded passage.