Unbalanced rotor for unbalance testing of aircraft power plant
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorsJeff Lee, Vinod Para
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An unbalanced rotor is provided to perform unbalance testing on an aircraft power plant. The unbalanced rotor includes a hollow body rotatable about a rotation axis and an unbalancing weight installed inside of the hollow body. The unbalancing weight is installed inside of the hollow body to intentionally vibrate the rotor during rotation of the rotor. The unbalancing weight is fastened to the hollow body via one or more fasteners. A portion of the unbalancing weight is disposed radially inwardly of a retainer of the hollow body and is engaged with the retainer to define a radial load path between the unbalancing weight and the hollow body via the retainer. The radial load path excludes the one or more fasteners.
Claims20
An unbalanced rotor of an aircraft power plant, the unbalanced rotor comprising:
- a hollow body rotatable about a rotation axis, an interior of the hollow body including a retainer;
- and
- an unbalancing weight installed inside of the hollow body to intentionally vibrate the rotor during rotation of the rotor, the unbalancing weight being fastened to the hollow body, a portion of the unbalancing weight being disposed radially inwardly of the retainer of the hollow body and being engaged with the retainer to define a radial load path between the unbalancing weight and the hollow body via the retainer, the radial load path excluding any of one or more fasteners fastening the unbalancing weight to the hollow body, the unbalancing weight having an angular span extending only partially around the rotation axis.
An aircraft power plant comprising:
- a bladed rotor including a hub, the bladed rotor being rotatable about a rotation axis;
- a nose cone fastened to the hub of the bladed rotor, the nose cone and the hub cooperatively defining an internal cavity;
- and
- an unbalancing weight installed inside the internal cavity to intentionally vibrate the bladed rotor during rotation of the bladed rotor, the unbalancing weight including:
- a carrier engaged with a radially inner surface of the nose cone so that the radially inner surface of the nose cone prevents radially outer movement of the carrier during rotation of the bladed rotor, the carrier having an angular span extending only partially around the rotation axis;
- and
- one or more additional weights mounted to the carrier.
A method of performing an unbalance test on an aircraft power plant, the method comprising:
- receiving an aircraft power plant having a rotor with a first balance state;
- installing an unbalancing weight on the rotor to intentionally cause the rotor to have a second balance state that is more unbalanced than the first balance state of the rotor, the unbalancing weight having an angular span extending only partially around a rotation axis of the rotor;
- rotating the rotor to intentionally vibrate the rotor using the unbalancing weight;
- while the rotor is being rotated:
- radially supporting the unbalancing weight using a retainer of the rotor, the retainer being disposed radially outwardly of a portion of the unbalancing weight and being engaged with the portion of the unbalancing weight;
- and
- monitoring the aircraft power plant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.