Variable guide vane control system
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorDavid Menheere
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A variable guide vane control system comprises an actuator and a rolling contact joint. The joint includes a drive ring rotatable about a drive axis and at least one roller rotatable about a roller axis parallel to the drive axis and drivingly connectable to a vane. A first flexible member and a second flexible member connect the drive ring and the roller to one another. The first flexible member and the second flexible member are respectively tensioned when the drive ring rotates about the drive axis in a first direction and in a second direction opposite the first direction.
Claims19
A variable guide vane control system for a turbine engine having at least one vane rotatable about a vane axis, comprising:
- an actuator;
- and
- a rolling contact joint including:
- a drive ring rotatable about a drive axis and rotatably coupled to the actuator,
- at least one roller rotatable about a roller axis parallel to the drive axis and drivingly connectable to the at least one vane, and
- a first flexible member and a second flexible member tethering the drive ring and the at least one roller to one another, the first flexible member and the second flexible member respectively tensioned when the drive ring rotates about the drive axis in a first direction and in a second direction opposite the first direction.
A turbine engine comprising:
- a duct defining a gas path;
- at least one vane rotatably connected relative to the duct so as to extend in the gas path and be rotatable about a vane axis between a first vane position and a second vane position relative to the gas path;
- an actuator;
- and
- a rolling contact joint including:
- a drive ring rotatable about a drive axis and rotatably coupled to the actuator,
- at least one roller rotatable about a roller axis parallel to the drive axis and drivingly connected to the at least one vane, and
- a first flexible member and a second flexible member tethering the drive ring and the at least one roller to one another, the first flexible member and the second flexible member respectively tensioned when the drive ring rotates about the drive axis in a first direction and in a second direction opposite the first direction.
A method of controlling rotation of at least one vane about a vane axis,
- the method comprising:
- rotating a drive ring about a drive axis;
- transmitting a rotation of the drive ring to at least one roller radially outward of the drive ring and rotatable about a roller axis parallel to the drive axis to rotate the at least one roller about the roller axis;
- transmitting a rotation of the at least one roller to the at least one vane to rotate the at least one vane about the vane axis;
- and
- tensioning a first flexible member and a second flexible member tethering the drive ring and the at least one roller to one another, the first flexible member and the second flexible member respectively tensioned when the drive ring rotates about the drive axis in a first direction and in a second direction opposite the first direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.