Radial loading element for turbine vane
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorsEric DUROCHER, Yves Caron
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vane assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising a number of radial loading elements disposed between lugs of the vane ring and the vane support, such as to generate a radial load force against the vane ring. The radial load force prevents unwanted relative movement between the vane ring and the vane support during operation of the gas turbine engine.
Claims20
A vane assembly for a gas turbine engine, the vane assembly comprising an inner vane support and a vane ring, the vane ring including a plurality of airfoils radially extending between inner and outer vane platforms, the vane assembly being concentric with a longitudinal axis of the gas turbine engine, the vane ring having a plurality of lug members radially protruding therefrom, each lug member being disposed in radial sliding engagement with a corresponding recess of the vane support such as to at least partially support and position the vane ring in place within the gas turbine engine, and wherein a radial loading element is disposed between a remote end of each of the lug members and the vane support, the radial loading elements generating a radial load force against the vane ring such as to radially bias the vane ring relative to the vane support, thereby limiting relative radial movement between the vane ring and the vane support during operation of the gas turbine engine.
A vane assembly for a gas turbine engine, the vane assembly comprising an inner vane support and a vane ring, the vane ring including a plurality of airfoils radially extending between inner and outer vane platforms, the vane assembly being concentric with a longitudinal axis of the gas turbine engine, the vane ring having a plurality of lug members radially protruding therefrom, each lug member being disposed in radial sliding engagement with a corresponding recess of the vane support such as to at least partially support and position the vane ring in place within the gas turbine engine, and a means for generating a radial load force against the vane support, said means radially biasing the vane ring relative to the vane support thereby limiting relative radial movement between the vane ring and the vane support during operation of the gas turbine engine.
A method of reducing vibration in a gas turbine engine having a turbine vane assembly including a vane ring and a vane support, the vane ring having a plurality of airfoils radially extending between an inner and outer vane platforms defining a gas path therebetween, the vane ring being concentric with a longitudinal axis of the gas turbine engine, the method comprising generating a substantially constant radial load against the vane ring at a number of equally circumferentially distributed points thereon outside of the gas path, thereby radially biasing the vane ring relative to the vane support.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.