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US 7,603,844 B2Granted
Gas turbine engine assembly and methods of assembling same
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsThomas Ory Moniz, Robert Joseph Orlando
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for assembling a gas turbine engine includes coupling a low-pressure turbine to a core turbine engine, coupling a gearbox to the low-pressure turbine, coupling a first fan assembly to the gearbox such that the first fan assembly rotates in a first direction, and coupling a mechanical fuse between the first fan assembly and the low-pressure turbine such that the mechanical fuse fails at a predetermined moment load.
Claims16
A method for assembling a gas turbine engine, said method comprising:
- coupling a low-pressure turbine to a core turbine engine;
- coupling a gearbox to the low-pressure turbine using a drive shaft;
- coupling a first fan assembly to the gearbox such that the first fan assembly rotates in a first direction;
- coupling a second fan assembly directly to the low-pressure turbine such that the second fan assembly rotates in a second direction opposite the first direction;
- and
- coupling a mechanical fuse that is approximately disk-shaped between the first fan assembly and the low-pressure turbine such that the mechanical fuse fails at a predetermined moment load, after the mechanical fuse fails at the predetermined moment load, second fan assembly remains driven by the low pressure turbine and the first fan assembly is decoupled from the low pressure turbine.
3 more elements
A counter-rotating fan assembly comprising:
- a gearbox coupled to a low-pressure turbine using a drive shaft;
- a first fan assembly coupled to said gearbox, said first fan assembly comprising a disk and a plurality of rotor blades coupled to said disk and configured to rotate in a first rotational direction;
- a second fan assembly coupled to said low-pressure turbine such that said second fan assembly rotates in a second direction opposite the first direction;
- and
- a mechanical fuse that is approximately disk-shaped coupled between said first fan assembly and said low-pressure turbine such that said mechanical fuse fails at a predetermined moment load, after the mechanical fuse fails at the predetermined moment load, second fan assembly remains driven by the low pressure turbine and the first fan assembly is decoupled from the low pressure turbine.
2 more elements
A turbine engine assembly comprising:
- a core turbine engine;
- a low-pressure turbine coupled to said core turbine engine;
- a gearbox coupled to said low-pressure turbine using a drive shaft;
- a first fan assembly coupled to said gearbox, said first fan assembly comprising a disk and a plurality of rotor blades coupled to said disk and configured to rotate in a first rotational direction;
- a second fan assembly coupled to said low-pressure turbine such that said second fan assembly rotates in a second direction opposite the first direction;
- and
- a mechanical fuse that is approximately disk-shaped coupled between said first fan assembly and said low-pressure turbine such that said mechanical fuse fails at a predetermined moment load, after the mechanical fuse fails at the predetermined moment load, second fan assembly remains driven by the low pressure turbine and the first fan assembly is decoupled from the low pressure turbine.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.