Engine shaft balance assembly
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRichard A. Wesling, Terry T. Eckert, Phillip W. Rambo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A balancing assembly for a gas turbine hollow drive shaft is disclosed. The balance assembly includes an expandable balance weight carrier and means for expanding the carrier inside the hollow drive shaft. In a preferred embodiment the carrier comprises a split ring with a plurality of apertures at which balance weights can be received. Combinations of balance weights can be located around the carrier ring to establish an imbalance correction on the carrier. The carrier can then be positioned inside the shaft and expanded against the shaft with the imbalance correction directed opposite the shaft imbalance.
Claims10
An engine shaft balancing assembly for establishing a predetermined imbalance correction characterized by a magnitude and a direction, the balancing assembly comprising:
- a) gas turbine hollow drive shaft having an inside surface;
- b) carrier means insertable in the drive shaft and expandable against the drive shaft inside surface, the carrier means including a radially inward first inclined surface, the carrier means adapted to eccentrically receive a plurality of balance weights at a plurality of positions on the carrier means for establishing the predetermined imbalance correction magnitude;
- and
- c) expansion means for expanding the carrier means against the drive shaft inside surface to fix the direction of imbalance correction relative to the drive shaft, the expansion means insertable in a center of the carrier means and including a second inclined surface for sliding engagement with the carrier means first inclined surface.
A balancing assembly for establishing a predetermined imbalance correction characterized by a magnitude and a direction in a gas turbine engine hollow drive shaft having an internal surface, the balance assembly comprising:
- a) a split balance weight carrier ring insertable in the drive shaft and including a radially outward contact surface and a radially inward first inclined surface, the carrier ring adapted to eccentrically receive a plurality of balance weights at a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart positions on the carrier ring generally symmetrically with respect to a first radial axis and asymmetrically to a second radial axis for establishing the predetermined shaft imbalance correction magnitude;
- b) a sleeve insertable in the carrier ring and having a second inclined surface for sliding engagement with the carrier ring first inclined surface;
- and
- c) nut means for urging the carrier ring first inclined surface against the sleeve second inclined surface to expand the carrier ring outward contact surface against the drive shaft inner surface and fix the imbalance correction direction relative to the drive shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.