Turbofan engine assembly and method of assembling same
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRobert Joseph Orlando, Thomas Ory Moniz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A turbofan engine assembly includes a core gas turbine engine including a high-pressure compressor, a combustor, and a high-pressure turbine, a booster compressor coupled upstream from the core gas turbine engine, an intermediate-pressure turbine coupled to the booster compressor, the intermediate-pressure turbine disposed downstream from the core gas turbine engine, a first fan assembly coupled to a low-pressure turbine, a second fan assembly disposed downstream from the first fan assembly, and a gearbox coupled between the second fan assembly and the low-pressure turbine. A method of assembling the above turbofan engine assembly is also described herein.
Claims20
A method of assembling a turbofan engine assembly, said method comprising:
- coupling a booster compressor to an upstream end of a core gas turbine engine;
- coupling an intermediate-pressure turbine downstream from the core gas turbine engine;
- directly coupling the booster compressor to the intermediate-pressure turbine using a first shaft;
- directly coupling a first fan assembly to a low-pressure turbine;
- and
- coupling a second fan assembly positioned downstream of the first fan assembly to the low-pressure turbine using a gearbox, wherein the first fan assembly and the second fan assembly each extend to a nacelle surrounding the first and second fan assembly.
A turbofan engine assembly comprising;
- a booster compressor coupled to an upstream end of a core gas turbine engine;
- an intermediate-pressure turbine directly coupled to said booster compressor, said intermediate-pressure turbine disposed downstream from said core gas turbine engine;
- a first fan assembly directly coupled to a low-pressure turbine;
- a second fan assembly disposed downstream from said first fan assembly, wherein said first fan assembly and said second fan assembly each extend to a nacelle surrounding said first and second fan assembly;
- and
- a gearbox coupled between said second fan assembly and said low-pressure turbine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.