Gas turbine engine including a bearing support tube cantilevered from a turbine nozzle wall

A gas turbine engine comprising:

• a housing including an outer wall having an air inlet and an exhaust outlet affixed to opposite ends thereof;
• a shaft;
• a bearing assembly mounting the shaft for rotation in the housing about an axis;
• a compressor affixed to the shaft at a position adjacent the inlet;
• a turbine affixed to the shaft at a position adjacent the exhaust and axially spaced from the compressor;
• an annular combustion chamber including radially spaced apart inner and outer liners and an end liner extending radially inward from an end of the outer liner at a primary combustion zone end of the chamber and axially upstream of an exhaust end of the chamber, the liners concentric to the shaft and disposed between the compressor and turbine;
• an outer annulus defined between the outer wall and outer liner;
• a diffuser affixed at a first support portion thereof to the housing and for directing compressor discharge air into the outer annulus;
• a nozzle affixed at a first support portion thereof to the housing and for directing exhaust from combustion chamber to the turbine;
• a fuel slinger affixed to the shaft and positioned to discharge fuel radially outward into the primary combustion zone;
• means for directing air from the outer annulus to the combustion chamber;
• characterized by:
• the bearing assembly including a support tube concentric to the shaft and affixed to the housing between the compressor and turbine, the tube having a first end positioned adjacent the turbine and a second end positioned adjacent the slinger, first and second axially spaced apart antifriction bearings respectively associated with the tube first and second ends and supporting the shaft on interior portions of the tube;
• an air/fuel annulus defined between the support tube and shaft and providing a flow path for supplying an air/fuel mixture to the slinger and for lubricating the bearings;
• and
• air/fuel delivery means supplying the air/fuel mixture to the air/fuel annulus at a position axially interposed the tube first end and the first bearing.

A gas turbine engine comprising:

• a housing including an outer wall having an air inlet and an exhaust outlet affixed to opposite ends thereof;
• a shaft;
• a bearing assembly mounting the shaft for rotation in the housing about an axis;
• a compressor affixed to the shaft at a position adjacent the inlet;
• a turbine affixed to the shaft at a position adjacent the exhaust and axially spaced from the compressor;
• an annular combustion chamber including radially spaced apart inner and outer liners concentric to the shaft and axially disposed between the compressor and turbine;
• an outer annulus defined between the outer wall and outer liner;
• a diffuser affixed at a first support portion thereof to the housing and for directing compressor discharge air into the outer annulus;
• a nozzle affixed at a first support portion thereof to the housing and for directing exhaust from the combustion chamber to the turbine;
• fuel supply means directing fuel to the combustion chamber;
• means for directing air from the outer annulus to the combustion chamber;
• characterized by:
• the housing outer wall defined by a cylindrical member including first and second ends respectively associated with the air inlet and exhaust outlet, an outside diameter defining a maximum diameter of the engine, and an inside diameter concentrically receiving the diffuser and nozzle respectively at the first and second ends;
• fastener means for affixing the diffuser first support portion to the cylindrical member, the fastener means including a first plurality of circumferentially spaced apart first openings in the wall of the cylindrical member and axially disposed between the diffuser first support portion and the cylindrical member first end, a plurality of first lugs having radially outer extents snugly disposed in the first openings and having radially inner portions affixed to the diffuser first support portion.

A gas turbine engine comprising:

• a housing including an outer wall having an air inlet and an exhaust outlet affixed to opposite ends thereof;
• a shaft;
• a bearing assembly mounting the shaft for rotation in the housing about an axis;
• a compressor affixed to the shaft at a position adjacent the inlet;
• a turbine affixed to the shaft at a position adjacent the exhaust and axially spaced from the compressor;
• an annular combustion chamber including radially spaced apart inner and outer liners concentric to the shaft and axially disposed between the compressor and turbine;
• an outer annulus defined between the outer wall and outer liner;
• a diffuser affixed at a first support portion thereof to the housing and for directing compressor discharge air into the outer annulus;
• a nozzle affixed at a first support portion thereof to the housing and for directing exhaust from the combustion chamber to the turbine;
• fuel supply means directing fuel to the combustion chamber;
• means for directing air from the outer annulus to the combustion chamber;
• characterized by:
• the diffuser having a single set of guide vanes for diffusing radial outflow of air from the compressor and for turning the air flow axially into the outer annulus.