Gas turbine engine variable vane assembly
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsNathan Gerard Cormier, Wayne Ray Bowen, James Edwin Rhoda, Mitchell Jay Headley
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Abstract
A method facilitates assembling a variable vane assembly for a gas turbine engine including a casing and an inner shroud. The method comprises providing at least one variable vane including a radially inner spindle that includes a groove defined therein that has at least one machined face, and coupling the variable vane radially between the casing and the inner shroud such that at least a portion of the radially inner spindle is inserted at least partially through an opening extending radially through the inner shroud. The method also comprises securing the variable vane to the inner shroud by engaging the spindle machined face with a retainer coupled to the inner shroud.
Claims17
A method for assembling a variable vane assembly for a gas turbine engine including a casing and an inner shroud, said method comprising:
- providing at least one variable vane including a radially inner spindle that includes a groove defined circumferentially therein that has at least one machined face;
- coupling the variable vane radially between the casing and the inner shroud such that at least a portion of the radially inner spindle is inserted at least partially through an opening extending radially through the inner shroud;
- coupling a bushing around at least a portion of the variable vane radially inner spindle;
- and
- securing the variable vane to the inner shroud by engaging the spindle machined face with a retainer coupled to the inner shroud such that at least a portion of the retainer extends through a portion of the bushing.
A variable vane assembly for a gas turbine engine including a casing, said variable vane assembly comprising:
- a variable vane comprising a radially inner spindle and a radially outer spindle, said radially inner and outer spindles configured to rotatably couple said vane within the gas turbine engine, at least one of said radially inner and radially outer spindles comprises at least one groove defined therein, said at least one groove comprising at least one machined face;
- a bushing extending circumferentially around at least a portion of said radially inner spindle;
- and
- a retainer for engaging said groove at least one machined face to securely couple said variable vane within the gas turbine engine, said retainer is configured to facilitate reducing wear of said variable vane, said retainer is further configured to contact at least two opposing sides of said variable vane, at least a portion of said retainer extends through a portion of said bushing.
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a rotor comprising a rotor shaft and a plurality of rows of rotor blades;
- a casing surrounding said rotor blades;
- and
- a variable vane assembly comprising at least one row of circumferentially spaced variable vanes and a retainer assembly, said at least one row of variable vanes rotatably coupled to said casing and extending between an adjacent pair of said plurality of rows of rotor blades, each said variable vane comprising a radially inner spindle configured to rotatably couple said vane within said gas turbine engine and at least one bushing, each of said radially inner spindles comprises at least one groove defined therein and comprising at least one machined face, said at least one groove extends circumferentially within each of said radially inner spindles, said retainer assembly comprising at least one retainer for engaging each said spindle groove at least one machined face to securely couple each said variable vane within said gas turbine engine, wherein at least a portion of said at least one retainer extends through said vane assembly at least one bushing, each said retainer is configured to facilitate reducing wear of each of said variable vanes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.