Back to results
US 6,784,597 B1Granted
Self-locking nut for stud shaft and stacked wheel assembly for the rotor of a rotary machine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJohn Raymond Hess, Roger Clayton Walker, Gabriel E. Robledo, Paul Jeffrey Meyer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Stacked wheels of the rotor of a rotary machine are axially coupled to one another by tie bolt assemblies. Each tie bolt assembly includes a stud having forward and aft ends. The aft end of the stud includes a self-locking nut to thereby lock the stud/nut assembly against rotation relative to the rotor.
Claims20
A stacked wheel assembly for the rotor of a rotary machine comprising:
- a plurality of stacked wheels for rotation about a common axis and forming part of the rotor;
- and
- a plurality of elongated tie bolts passing through aligned bolt holes of said stacked wheels for retaining the wheels in axially stacked relation, said plurality of tie bolts being spaced from one another circumferentially of the rotor;
- at least one of said tie bolts comprising a stud having a locking nut at least one of mounted to and defined at one longitudinal end thereof, said locking nut comprising at least one tab component projecting radially therefrom, wherein an end face of said plurality of stacked wheels includes a receptacle for receiving said locking nut and said at least one tab component.
1 more element
A self locking nut comprising:
- a main body;
- a forward radial flange defined at a first longitudinal end of said main body;
- an aft radial flange defined at a second longitudinal end of said main body;
- and
- a tab component projecting radially from a radially outer peripheral surface of said aft radial flange.
2 more elements
A method for retaining stacked wheels for the rotor of a rotary machine in an assembled relation comprising:
- stacking a plurality of wheels so as to align bolt holes respectively defined therethrough, to thereby define a plurality of tie bolt passages axially of said stacked wheels;
- providing at least one tie bolt comprising a stud having a locking nut at least one of mounted to and defined at one longitudinal end thereof, said locking nut comprising at least one tab component projecting radially therefrom;
- inserting said stud through a said tie bolt passage defined by aligned bolt holes of said stacked wheels;
- disposing said locking nut and said at least one tab component in a receptacle defined in an end face of said plurality of stacked wheels;
- and
- axially fixing said at least one tie bolt to said stacked wheels.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.