Wear Liner Installation Tool for Gas Turbine Fan Cases
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of wear liners in gas turbine engine fan cases is challenging due to extreme vibrations and high temperatures, leading to wear and potential damage when force is applied to seat the liners perfectly straight, as existing methods risk damaging the liners if they become stuck at a diagonal.
Innovation Solution
A tool with a body, handle, and guide feet, specifically designed to align and pull the wear liner into the groove in a circumferential direction, using chamfered surfaces to avoid direct force application and ensure full seating without damaging the liner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If large amounts of blunt force are applied with a hammer to force the wear liner to fully seat, then the wear liner can be forced into the groove, but this risks causing damage to and failure of the wear liner
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a specialized installation tool as an intermediary device between the installer and the wear liner. This tool includes a guide foot with a rounded leading edge and chamfered surfaces that interface with the wear liner, allowing controlled seating without direct hammer blows to the liner itself. The guide foot acts as a mediator that distributes and directs force appropriately.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide foot of the installation tool is designed with preliminary geometric features (rounded leading edge, chamfered surfaces) that prepare the path for the wear liner before the actual seating force is applied. These features create a guided pathway that aligns the liner and reduces resistance before the main seating action occurs.
2Manufacturing precision
If the wear liner is not placed into the groove perfectly straight, then the wear liner can get stuck at a slight diagonal, but achieving perfect alignment is difficult with existing methods
Solution Approach 1:
The guide foot serves as a mediating alignment device that physically guides the wear liner into the groove at the correct angle. The rounded leading edge and chamfered surfaces of the guide foot create a self-aligning mechanism that makes it easy to achieve perfect alignment without requiring operator skill or complex positioning procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide foot incorporates a rounded leading edge and chamfered surfaces that provide a curved, progressive entry path for the wear liner. This curvature allows the liner to be gently guided into alignment rather than forced straight, making the alignment process easier and more reliable.
3Reliability
If a tool is used to pull the wear liner into the groove in a circumferential direction, then the wear liner can be seated without damage, but this requires a specialized tool design
Solution Approach 1:
The installation tool with its guide foot acts as an intermediary device that pulls the wear liner into the groove using a circumferential motion. This mediating action allows the liner to be seated without direct impact forces, maintaining integrity while requiring a somewhat complex tool design with specific geometric features.
Data Source
AI summary
A tool for seating a wear liner into a first groove of a fan case of a gas turbine engine includes a body, a handle, and a first guide foot. The body includes a first end and a second end. The handle is connected to and extends from the body. The first guide foot is connected to and extends from the first end of the body. The first guide foot includes a first end connected to the body and a second end opposite from the first end of the first guide foot. The second end of the first guide foot is rounded and includes a chamfered portion.