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US 6,619,915 B1Granted
Thermally free aft frame for a transition duct
AssigneePower Systems Mfg., LLC
InventorStephen W. Jorgensen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A transition duct with a thermally free aft frame for use in a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The transition duct includes an aft frame that is thermally free through the use of a plurality of retention lugs, bushings, and bulkhead assemblies. The aft frame is allowed to adjust from thermal changes as a result of relative sizing between the bushings and retention lugs of the aft frame. An additional feature of this invention is the use of radially extending ribs along the sidewalls of the aft frame, to form an interlocking sealing means with adjacent transition ducts to reduce the amount compressor air leakage into the turbine inlet.
Claims14
A transition duct for a gas turbine engine comprising:
- a panel assembly having:
- a first panel formed from a single sheet of metal;
- a second panel formed from a single sheet of metal;
- said first panel fixed to said second panel along a plurality of axial seams by means such as welding, thereby forming a duct having an inner wall, an outer wall, and a first thickness there between said inner and outer walls, a generally cylindrical inlet end, and a generally rectangular exit end, said generally rectangular exit end defined by a pair of arcs of different diameters concentric about a center and connected by a pair of radial lines extending from said center;
- a generally cylindrical inlet sleeve having an inner diameter and outer diameter, said inlet sleeve fixed to said inlet end of said panel assembly;
- a generally rectangular aft frame having opposing sidewalls, said frame fixed to said exit end of said panel assembly and having a plurality of radially extending ribs extending outward therefrom along said sidewalls, each of said sidewalls is generally perpendicular to said arcs of said generally rectangular end;
- a plurality of retention lugs located on said aft frame proximate said arcs of said generally rectangular exit end;
- each of said retention lugs having a second thickness and containing a slot having a first circumferential length and a first radial width;
- the outermost retention lugs located proximate ends of said arcs which define said generally rectangular exit end;
- inner and outer bulkhead assemblies including:
- a first inner and first outer bulkhead having a plurality of first through holes;
- a second inner and second outer bulkhead having a plurality of second through holes;
- a plurality of bushings, each bushing having a second axial length, a second circumferential length, a second radial width, and a third through hole;
- means for fastening said bulkheads and bushings to said retention lugs of said aft frame such that one of said bushings is located within each of said slots of said outermost retention lugs and said fastening means for each of said bulkhead assemblies passes through said first and second through holes of said first and second bulkheads and through said slot of said retention lugs.
11 more elements
A transition duct for a gas turbine engine comprising:
- a panel assembly having:
- a first panel formed from a single sheet of metal;
- a second panel formed from a single sheet of metal;
- said first panel fixed to said second panel along a plurality of axial seams by means such as welding, thereby forming a duct having an inner wall, an outer wall, and a first thickness therebetween said inner and outer walls, a generally cylindrical inlet end, and a generally rectangular exit end, said generally rectangular exit end defined by a pair of arcs of different diameters concentric about a center and connected by a pair of radial lines extending from said center;
- a generally cylindrical inlet sleeve having an inner diameter and outer diameter,
- said inlet sleeve fixed to said inlet end of said panel assembly;
- a generally rectangular aft frame having opposing sidewalls, said frame fixed to said exit end of said panel assembly;
- a plurality of retention lugs located on said aft frame proximate said arcs of said generally rectangular exit end;
- each of said retention lugs having a second thickness and containing a slot having a first circumferential length and a first radial width;
- the outermost retention lugs located proximate ends of said arcs which define said generally rectangular exit end;
- inner and outer bulkhead assemblies including:
- a first inner and first outer bulkhead having a plurality of first through holes;
- a second inner and second outer bulkhead having a plurality of second through holes;
- a plurality of bushings, each bushing having a second axial length, a second circumferential length, a second radial width, and a third through hole;
- means for fastening said bulkheads and bushings to said retention lugs of said aft frame such that one of said bushings is located within each of said slots of said outermost retention lugs and said fastening means for each of said bulkhead assemblies passes through said first and second through holes of said first and second bulkheads and through said slot of said retention lugs.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.