Electric machine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsDarek Tomasz Zatorski, Mohamed Osama, Christopher Charles Glynn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electric machine is provided. The electric machine defines a centerline and includes: a stator assembly; a rotor assembly rotatable relative to the stator assembly about the centerline; and an actuator coupled to the rotor assembly, the stator assembly, or both for moving the rotor assembly, the stator assembly, or both along the centerline between a first position and a second position, the rotor assembly positioned closer to the stator assembly when in the first position than when in the second position.
Claims20
An electric machine defining a centerline and comprising:
- a stator assembly;
- a rotor assembly rotatable relative to the stator assembly about the centerline;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the rotor assembly, the stator assembly, or both for moving the rotor assembly, the stator assembly, or both between a first position and a second position, the rotor assembly positioned closer to the stator assembly when in the first position than when in the second position.
A gas turbine engine defining an engine centerline and comprising:
- a turbomachine comprising a rotating assembly configured to rotate about the centerline;
- and
- an electric machine defining an electric machine centerline, the electric machine comprising
- a stator assembly;
- a rotor assembly rotatable with the rotating assembly of the turbomachine relative to the stator assembly about the electric machine centerline;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the rotor assembly, the stator assembly, or both for moving the rotor assembly, the stator assembly, or both along the electric machine centerline between a first position and a second position, the rotor assembly positioned closer to the stator assembly when in the first position than when in the second position.
A method of operating an electric machine, the electric machine comprising a stator assembly and a rotor assembly and defining a centerline, the method comprising:
- operating the electric machine to convert electrical power to rotational power, to convert rotational power to electrical power, or both while the rotor assembly is in a first position relative to the stator assembly;
- receiving information indicative of a fault condition within the electric machine;
- and
- moving one of the rotor assembly or stator assembly relative to the other of the rotor assembly or stator assembly along the centerline of the electric machine from the first position to a second position in response to receiving information indicative of the fault condition within the electric machine, the rotor assembly positioned closer to the stator assembly in the first position than in the second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.