Method of assembling a rotary machine
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsHarvey I. Weiner, Christopher G. Demers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for assembling a rotary machine, such as a gas turbine engine, having rotor elements and associated seal lands. Various details of the method are developed for facilitating assembly of the rotary machine that are, in one embodiment, applicable to installing fan blades to a fan rotor disk while rotating the rotor disk by hand. In one embodiment, a lubricant is applied to a seal land to reduce friction between the rotor element and the seal land during assembly.
Claims21
A method of assembling a rotary machine having an axis of rotation Ar and a flow path for working medium gases which extends through the machine, the machine having in the assembled condition a rotor assembly which rotates in the circumferential direction about the axis Ar during assembly and under operative conditions, and having a stator assembly which circumscribes the rotor assembly, each assembly extending through at least a portion of the engine to bound the flow path, each assembly having arrays of airfoils extending radially across the flow path into close proximity with the other assembly, one of said assemblies having a first element and the other having a first seal land associated with the first element which extends circumferentially about the axis Ar and circumferentially with respect to the first element and in at least close proximity to said other assembly with a tolerance band, as measured at an axial location with respect to the average diameter Dav of the seal land in the non-operative condition, for blocking the flow of working medium gases from the flowpath under operative conditions, comprising:
- applying a lubricant to a surface of the first seal land which extends circumferentially about the engine;
- disposing the first seal land relative to the first element which includes
- radially orienting the seal land with respect to the first element such that a tolerance band having a minimum clearance dimension and a maximum clearance dimension defines the relative radial position of the first seal land and the first element at an axial location, with respect to the average diameter Dav of the seal land at that location in the non-operative condition;
- radially engaging the seal land with at least a portion of the first element such that an interference fit exists between the seal land and the first element during assembly over at least a portion of the circumferential travel of the rotor element;
- rotating the rotor assembly during assembly with respect to the stator assembly by applying a turning moment to the rotor assembly which is smaller than the turning moment required to rotate a rotor assembly having no lubricant.
A method of assembling a gas turbine engine having a low pressure compressor, the engine having a stator assembly and a rotor assembly, the rotor assembly extending axially through the engine about an axis of rotation Ar, the gas turbine engine having a stator assembly which circumscribes the rotor assembly, the stator assembly further including an outer case formed from a circumferentially continuous structure which is split longitudinally into at least two axially and circumferentially extending portions, the circumferentially extending portions being joined together in the assembled condition and supporting and positioning at least one inner seal land and at least one air outer seal land such that each seal land is not a perfect circle at a first axial location on each seal land and has an average diameter Dav at that location in the non-operative condition, each outer seal land extending circumferentially with respect to an array of rotor blades, each inner seal land extending circumferentially with respect to a knife edge element for blocking the flow of working medium gases from the flowpath under operative conditions, comprising:
- orienting a gas turbine engine subassembly to receive an outer case assembly, the subassembly including at least part of a rotor assembly of the low pressure compressor which includes the fan rotor disk but does not include the fan rotor blades;
- disposing a silicone oil lubricant on a surface of at least three of the inner air seal lands and on the surfaces of at least two of the rear most outer air seal lands of the low pressure compressor;
- disposing the outer case assembly about the engine subassembly, each seal land having at the associated first axial location an associated tolerance band having a minimum clearance dimension and a maximum clearance dimension as measured with respect to the average diameter Dav that defines the relative radial position of each seal land with respect to the rotor assembly, and engaging each of said at least two rearmost outer air seal lands with an associated array of rotor blades which is axially aligned with the seal lands and engaging said inner air seal lands such that at least a portion of the knife edges of at least three of the associated inner air seal lands engages the associated seal land with an interference fit over at least a portion of the circumferential travel of the rotor element;
- rotating the low pressure rotor assembly about the axis of rotation by applying a torque of less than one hundred foot pounds force to the rotor assembly;
- assembling a fan rotor blade to the rotor assembly;
- repeating at least one time the steps of rotating the low pressure rotor assembly and assembling a fan rotor blade;
- wherein the step of applying the silicone oil to the inner seal and the outer seal is performed prior to the step of rotating the low pressure rotor assembly about the axis of rotation and assembling a fan rotor blade to the rotor assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.