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US 7,581,382 B2Granted
Gas turbine engine air valve assembly
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsAndreas Sadil, Joseph F. Englehart
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AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsAndreas Sadil, Joseph F. Englehart
Estimating the term…
A gas turbine engine air valve assembly has first and second valving elements. The second element is rotatable about a first axis relative to the first element. The rotation controls a flow of air through the first and second elements. An actuator is coupled by a linkage to the second element. A plurality of follower member assemblies each have an insertion portion extending through a corresponding first aperture in the first valving element and a corresponding second aperture in the second element. The insertion portion is circumferentially fixed relative to one of the first and second valving elements and circumferentially moveable relative to the other of the first and second valving elements.
An air valve assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Final actuators: by passing part of the fluid
Varying effective cross-sectional area of nozzles or guide conduits: by means of shiftable members or valves obturating part of the flow path
Features, components parts, details or accessories, not provided for in, or of interest apart form groups F02C1/00 - F02C6/00; Air intakes for…:…
With one degree of freedom: in rotation
About 1 year 7 months of term left · ends 1 Jun 2028 (estimated)
This invention relates to a valve assembly for a gas turbine engine. Specifically, this invention relates to a valve assembly that controls the amount of cooling air supplied to a nozzle of a gas turbine engine.
The major components of a typical gas turbine engine may include (beginning at the upstream end, or inlet) a compressor section, a burner (combustor) section, a turbine section, and a nozzle section. The engine may have an afterburner section between the turbine section and the nozzle section.
If the engine is a turbofan, then the compressor section includes a fan section, typically at the upstream end. After passing the fan section, the turbofan engine separates the air into two flow paths. A primary flow (also referred to as core engine flow) enters the remainder of the compressor section, mixes with fuel, and combusts in the burner section. The gases exit the burner section to power the turbine section.
FIG. 1 is a partially schematic cut-away view of an exemplary gas turbine engine in a first condition/configuration.
FIG. 2 is a view of the engine of FIG. 1 in a second condition/configuration.
FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal view of a nozzle cooling valve of the engine of FIG. 1 in a first orientation.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show an exemplary engine 100 in two different configurations. FIG. 1 shows the engine 100 in a first configuration, such as a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) configuration. FIG. 2 shows the engine 100 in a second configuration, such as a short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) configuration. FIG. 2 also shows, in phantom line, the engine 100 in transition between the CTOL and STOVL configurations.
The engine 100 has an inlet 101, a compressor section 103, a burner section 107, a turbine section 109, an afterburner section 111, and a nozzle section 113. The compressor section 103 includes a fan section 105 at the upstream end. The engine 100 also includes a bypass duct 115 for the secondary flow of air. The air flows through the engine 100 in the direction indicated by arrow F. The engine spools or rotors rotate about an axis 500 which may be at least partially coincident with an engine centerline 502. In the STOVL configuration, the centerline 502 departs from the axis 500 downstream of the rotors.