Variable pitch fan actuator
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsDaniel Alan Niergarth, Darek Tomasz Zatorski, Brandon Wayne Miller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas turbine engine including a core having in serial flow order a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine—the compressor, combustor, and turbine together defining a core air flowpath. The gas turbine engine additionally includes a fan section mechanically coupled to the core, the fan section including a plurality of fan blades, and each of the plurality fan blades defining a pitch axis. An actuation device is operable with the plurality fan blades for rotating the plurality fan blades about their respective pitch axes, the actuation device including an actuator located outward of the core air flowpath to, e.g., simplify the gas turbine engine.
Claims8
An actuation device for a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine comprising a core and a fan section mechanically coupled to the core, the core defining a core air flowpath, the fan section comprising a plurality of fan blades each rotatable about a pitch axis, the actuation device defining a central axis and comprising:
- an actuator configured for installation in the gas turbine engine and for rotating the plurality of fan blades;
- and
- a connection assembly coupled to the actuator and configured for operably connecting the actuator to the plurality of fan blades, the connection assembly comprising a multi-jointed coupling and a rotating to static transfer device, the multi-jointed coupling comprising multiple non-linear joints and extending between the actuator and the rotating to static transfer device to provide a non-linear connection between the actuator and the rotating to static transfer device, wherein a first non-linear joint of the multiple non-linear joints is positioned closer in proximity to the actuator than any other non-linear joint of the multiple non-linear joints, a second non-linear joint of the multiple non-linear joints is positioned closer in proximity to the rotating to static transfer device than any other non-linear joint of the multiple non-linear joints, and the first non-linear joint is positioned farther from the central axis, in a radial direction perpendicular to the central axis, than the second non-linear joint.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.