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US 10,473,028 B2Granted
Clutched compressor section for gas turbine engine
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsJohn C. DiTomasso, Enzo DiBenedetto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clutched compressor section of a gas turbine engine coupled to a rotor shaft. The clutched compressor section includes at least one decoupleable rotor stage, the decoupleable rotor stage switchable between a coupled condition and a decoupled condition with a clutch mechanism, the coupled condition coupling the decoupleable rotor stage with the rotor shaft, the decoupled condition decoupling the decoupleable rotor stage from the rotor shaft.
Claims15
A clutched compressor section of a gas turbine engine coupled to a rotor shaft, comprising:
- at least one decoupleable rotor stage, the decoupleable rotor stage switchable between a coupled condition and a decoupled condition with a clutch mechanism, the coupled condition coupling the decoupleable rotor stage with the rotor shaft, the decoupled condition decoupling the decoupleable rotor stage from the rotor shaft;
- a plurality of compressor rotor stages axially spaced from each other and operatively coupled to each other, the at least one decoupleable rotor stage being one of the plurality of compressor rotor stages;
- and
- a group of stages of the plurality of compressor rotor stages coupled to each other and to the rotor shaft, the at least one decoupleable rotor stage coupled to the group of stages in the coupled condition and decoupled from the group of stages in the decoupled condition, the decoupled condition allowing the decoupleable rotor stage to freely rotate independently of the group of stages, the clutch mechanism comprising:
- a first engagement member extending from a disk of one of the stages of the group of stages;
- and
- a second engagement member extending from a disk of the decoupleable stage, the relative position of the first engagement member and the second engagement member determining if the decoupleable stage and the group of stages are in the coupled condition or the decoupled condition.
4 more elements
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a compressor section;
- a combustor section;
- a turbine section;
- a rotor shaft coupling the compressor section and the turbine section;
- at least one rotor stage of the compressor section that is decoupleable from the rotor shaft with a clutch mechanism configured to switch between a coupled condition and a decoupled condition;
- a plurality of compressor rotor stages axially spaced from each other and operatively coupled to each other, the at least one decoupleable rotor stage being one of the plurality of compressor rotor stages;
- and
- a group of stages of the plurality of compressor rotor stages coupled to each other and to the rotor shaft, the at least one decoupleable rotor stage coupled to the group of stages in the coupled condition and decoupled from the group of stages in the decoupled condition, the decoupled condition allowing the decoupleable rotor stage to freely rotate independently of the group of stages, the clutch mechanism comprising:
- a first engagement member extending from a disk of one of the rotor stages;
- and
- a second engagement member extending from a disk of the decoupleable stage, the relative position of the first engagement member and the second engagement member determining if the decoupleable stage and the remainder of the stages are in the coupled condition or the decoupled condition.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.