Vane assembly
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorAlison J. McMillan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vane assembly for a gas turbine engine, the assembly including a plurality of vanes 14 with an asymmetric organic metal/ceramic matrix composite lay up, such that when the vanes 14 are placed in tension or compression the profile of the vane 14 will alter by twisting or untwisting. Other materials may be provided for the vanes 14, and/or other methods may be used for placing the vanes 14 in tension or compression to provide positive changes to the profile thereof.
Claims26
A variable guide vane assembly for a gas turbine engine having a center, the variable guide vane assembly comprising:
- a plurality of elongated guide vanes disposed radially within the gas turbine engine relative to the center of the gas turbine engine, with at least some of the guide vanes configured such that when the conditions encountered by the guide vanes are positively varied, the angle of the guide vanes will alter, the guide vanes are made of layers of a composite material, with the layers of the composite material arranged in an asymmetric pattern relative to a mid plane of the guide vanes such that the guide vanes have asymmetric mechanical characteristics, and
- a means for applying radial compression to the guide vanes such that the angle of the guide vanes will alter, wherein
- the guide vanes each defining side surfaces at opposing ends along the direction of elongation, the radial compression being applied along the entire length of one side surface of each guide vane.
A variable guide vane assembly for a gas turbine engine having a center, comprising:
- a plurality of elongated guide vanes disposed radially within the gas turbine engine relative to the center of the gas turbine engine, each guide vane having a center and a side surface, the guide vanes being made of layers of a composite material arranged in an asymmetric pattern relative to a plane extending through the center of each guide vane, and
- an actuator that applies radial compression to the guide vanes to adjust the angle of the guide vanes, wherein the guide vanes each defining side surfaces at opposing ends along the direction of elongation, the radial compression being applied along the entire length of one side surface of each guide vane.
A variable guide vane assembly for a gas turbine engine having a center, the variable guide vane assembly comprising:
- a plurality of elongated guide vanes disposed radially within the gas turbine engine relative to the center of the gas turbine engine, with at least some of the guide vanes configured such that when the conditions encountered by the guide vanes are positively varied, the angle of the guide vanes will alter, the guide vanes are made of layers of a composite material, with the layers of the composite material arranged in an asymmetric pattern relative to a mid plane of the guide vanes such that the guide vanes have asymmetric mechanical characteristics, and
- a means for applying radial compression to the guide vanes such that the angle of the guide vanes will alter, wherein
- some of the layers in the composite material only extend for part of the length of the guide vane, and
- some of the layers of the composite material extend wholly across the guide vanes in a shallow S configuration and others of the layers of composite material extend only part of the length thereof from the edge towards the centre of the guide vanes.
A variable guide vane assembly for a gas turbine engine, the variable guide vane assembly comprising:
- a plurality of vanes, with at least some of the vanes configured such that when conditions encountered by the guide vanes are positively varied, the angle of the guide vanes will alter, the guide vanes are made of layers of a composite material, with the layers of the composite material arranged in an asymmetric pattern relative to a mid plane of the guide vanes such that the vanes have asymmetric mechanical characteristics, wherein
- the guide vanes are configured such that they can snap-through between two varied stress angles,
- the guide vanes will remain in one of the varied angles until sufficient respective forces are applied to urge the guide vanes to the other angle, and
- some of the layers of the composite material extend wholly across the guide vanes in a shallow S configuration and others of the layers of composite material extend only part of the length thereof from the edge towards the centre of the guide vanes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.