Turbofan case for controlling blade deflection
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorNicholas Joseph Kray
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A containment structure configured to provide close tolerance for a rotation structure. The containment structure includes an annular inner casing having an inner annular surface being formed of an abradable material. The rotation structure is configured to be received within the annular inner casing such that the rotation structure is normally spaced-apart from the inner annular surface. The inner annular surface surrounds the rotation structure and has a first width. The rotation structure has a second width and the first width is greater than the second width. At least a section of the inner annular surface of the abradable material is cylindrical.
Claims10
A method of making a containment structure of a fan comprising the steps of:
- modeling operation of the fan;
- simulating a rub load condition between a fan blade of the fan and the containment structure;
- measuring simulated axial deflection of the fan blade measured relative to a normal plane defined by an axial position of a leading edge of the fan blade at a blade tip thereof during a normal condition;
- providing the fan containment structure with a first tapered abradable section that extends aft of the normal plane and a second abradable section that extends forward of the normal plane;
- and
- wherein the second abradable section has a width generally equal to the simulated axial deflection.
A method of making a fan assembly having:
- a containment structure that includes an abradable annular surface;
- a fan that is positioned within the containment structure and that includes a disk and a plurality of blades mounted to the disk;
- and
- the blades having a leading edge that defines a normal plane;
- the method comprising:
- modeling operation of the fan assembly;
- simulating a rub load condition between the plurality of blades and the containment structure;
- providing the abradable annular surface with a first tapered section that extends aft of the normal plane and a second section that extends forward of the normal plane;
- and
- wherein the second section has a width generally equal to the simulated axial deflection.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.