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TITLE FAN REACTION ENGINE AND BEARING COMPRESSION SUPPORT

INVENTOR CIOKAJLO JOHN JOSEPH RITCHIE HENRY BRUCE

USA PRIORITY *

SHORT QUESTION INDUSTRIAL INVENTION DECEMBER 16, 1989 N. 285.570

Rome, June 18, 1993

THE MANAGER (ATTILIO RONCACCI)

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A. APPLICANT (S):

1) surname, first name / company. type city, (prov.l / nation Z) coonome name / ditla. Udo

TO THE MINISTRY OF THE TRADE AND CRAFTS INDUSTRY

CENTRAL PATENT OFFICE - ROME

PATENT APPLICATION FOR INDUSTRIAL INVENTION applicant code L?) Residenra code L³l®l4 [______GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY_________

I SCHENECTADY NEW YORK (USA) _____

L __..., _______________._______________________________ city, (prov.l / nation ί __________________________________________.___, ________ I identification code Lj. JIJ IIJ .1! .. I ..I..1.J

B. REPRESENTATIVE; representative code Jl no. albo 1jLZs§ surname name L -., ?? J. cHELOTTI_GIULIAN0______________________________I ™ ι. «", ι, | Qi7jSiQj7iQi8j0j1i59ì_j..j..i_i.J denominino studio to belong to it L. SAIO BRE VETT I SRL ___________________________ — .----- J «» 1 VIALE ....... BIANCA MARIA___________j,_1ί1,5] _[lt1i &lt;MILAN _______ ________________ | ""₁2£₁L_THE2_the2. _(Prov)

C. ELECTIVE DOMICILE: callsign L ... JYff PJ— &amp; PPJÌA .____________________________________________________ 1 vlB I .__________ _______________________________________________________1 'η. I,, 1 1 IJ (ini I _____-___ I cep Li ι I lj (prov) L_1 J

D. TITLE class proposals (sez./ci/icl (: I__JLQ2F________I | VENT 0 LA REPLACEMENT M0TORE AND BEARING COMPRESSOR SUPPORT |

L................................................. ....... .............................. ......_ J _____________________________________________________________________. J

I .................................... ............. ................... .......................__....... .................................THE

E. DESIGNATED INVENTORS:

surname, given name surname, given name JOHN JOSEPH CIOKAJLO___________J ₃, L______________________________________l _?) : HENRY BRUCE RITCHIE___ | "_______________ |

F. PRIORITY: code piloted Lll netione type number dates

On {3 TATIUNITI D'AMERICA I PATENT APPLICATION _____ | I 265.570 | h sfìi / il&gt; Pi / iQtRtWl! l IS ___________________________________________________________ I I__________________I L. ~ ...... ................, JI ι ι / ι ii / jij j..J

G. CULTURE COLLECTION CENTER ENABLED. FOR MICROBIOLOGICAL PROCEDURES denomination; THERE

H. SPECIAL NOTES:

| ................. NO

I ___________________________________________________

ATTACHED DOCUMENTATION

1) LJSJ RlS / St n. L2l3 zi LiSd Ris / si η. lo U

3) I..JLS31 RIS / SI / NO

d) L.jNd RIS / SI / NO

6) iRJaS ris / si / no

B) LELj / S RIS / SI / NO

7) LjNO RIS / SI / NO β} certificate of lira payment

LOU description with summary and drawing table claims

IKKWd'tdCMiH.X'ecura and reference general power of attorney designation inventor of ownership documents with Italian translation authorization or transfer of full name of the applicant

L ___________ 334.OOO.nr _________________ date Ι1ι4τ / ι1ι2ι / ι1ι9ι8ι9ΐ

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J, of the myth of IDICEMJBAE-J

The year one thousand nine hundred I ___. ΘϊϊΑ ^ .ΤΔίίθΥ.1? —-, _____ ll.it day L FOURTEEN

Ιψ) requests (i) upraindicetofi / he (lianno) presented to me, the prBjiMQ ^ rBgj ^ * N || submitted by n. (L9J additional sheets for granting the above patent. I. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES OF THE OFFICIAL ROGANTE: I______

THE DEPOSITAN: flO

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LE ROGANTE

HI A.

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-1SAIC BREVETTI SRL

DESCRIPTION of the industrial invention having the title: Jet engine fan and bearing compressor bearing '' on behalf: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY of nationality: American based in: Schenectady New York (USA) designated inventors: John Joseph Ciokajlo

Henry Bruce Ritchie filed on: ^ 4 DEC. 1889 on No.:

SUMMARY

Sub-assembly of a turbocharger derivation jet engine. A row of structural fan stators and a row of fixed structural compressor blades have their outer ends attached to an external engine duct.

Structural internal ends of the stator are attached by means of an internal support cone to an external sliding ring nut of a bearing with rolling fan elements and internal ends of the fixed structural vanes are attached to another internal support cone inside the external sliding ring nut. of the rolling element bearing of the compressor. The

226 δ 5 A / 89

-2SAIC BREVETTI SRL external compressor and fan sliding rings are interconnected by a tie rod. The sub-assembly eliminates the compressor and motor fan frames.

TEXT OF DESCRIPTION

The present invention generally refers to turbocharger jet reaction engines and more particularly to a bearing support for one compressor and one. fan of this engine with the fan on the front (usually called the front fan motor) which eliminates the need for conventional motor frames.

Front fan motors derive part of their thrust from a central turbojet and part of their thrust from a front fan in which the external part of the air flow from the front fan revolves around the central turbojet. The front fans, driven by a turbine section of the central engine, act as propellers to provide thrust to the engine.

The central turbojet includes a compressor followed in order by a combustion chamber, a turbine, and a discharge nozzle. The compressor compresses the incoming air for better combustion of the fuel injected

-3SAIC BREVETTI SRL in the combustion chamber. The mixture of fuel and air ignites, and the ignited gases coming from the combustion chamber make the turbine blades turn to operate the compressor and then leave the exhaust nozzle to provide thrust to the engine. The known front fan motors usually have two motor frames whose only purpose is to support the front fan bearings and the central turbojet compressor. These engine frames add weight to the engine, and eliminating them would lead to better specific fuel consumption and lower manufacturing costs.

The fans and compressors comprise rotating blades whose ends touch surrounding ducts. The required clearances are determined in part by the radial elastic constants of the engine frames. A higher radial elastic constant allows a lower required clearance, therefore decreasing the leakage, thus being able to improve the specific fuel consumption. It is known, in engines consisting of a central turbojet, how to eliminate the engine frame that supports the compressor, and in its place the

-4SAIC BREVETTI SRL compressor bearing can be supported by a row of fixed compressor blades which perform a double role of air flow guide and bearing support. In other known jet engines, turbine nozzle vanes (or support rods passing through the vanes) support a turbine bearing. However, such solutions have not been available in the front fan motors to support the fan and compressor bearings although it is desirable to make such a support without the need for heavy motor frames.

In describing the invention the terminology structural fan stators and fixed structural compressor vanes will be used. For the purpose of this invention, a structural fan stator is a fan stator (or part of it) that supports a load or is a fan stator comprising a rod (or the like) that supports a load. Likewise, for the purpose of this invention, a fixed structural compressor pallet is a fixed compressor pallet (or part of it) that supports a load or is a fixed compressor pallet.

-5SAIC BREVETTI SRL comprising a rod (or yes that supports a load. It is understood that for an engine having a variable stator or fixed blade, the controllable pitch part of this does not support a load. An object of the invention is to realize a dilution turbofan jet engine with better specific fuel consumption.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a front fan type motor which eliminates the expensive and heavy motor frames supporting the fan and compressor bearings in conventional constructions of derivative turbofan jet engines.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fan and compressor bearing support for such an engine which obtains a higher thrust through narrower controlled clearances of the ends of the compressor blades and the fan.

The basic front fan sub-assembly of the present invention comprises an external motor duct, a row of fan structural stators, a bearing assembly with broken fan elements, and a

-6SAIC BREVETTI SRL bearing related to the fan. Radially outer ends of stator are attached to the outer motor conduit. The apparatus relating to the fan, which is positioned radially in general completely inside the stators, attached to the radially internal ends of the stator to an external sliding ring of fan bearing. The sub-assembly also comprises a row of fixed structural compressor blades, a bearing assembly with rolling compressor elements, to a bearing attachment apparatus relating to the compressor. The radially outer ends of fixed vanes extend and are attached to the outer motor conduit. The apparatus relating to the compressor, which is positioned radially in general completely inside the fixed blades, attaches the radially internal end of the fixed blades to the external sliding ring of the compressor bearing. The sub-assembly also includes a bearing support apparatus, positioned radially in general completely inside the stators, which structurally supports an axial load between the external sliding guide of the fan and the

-7- SAIC BREVETTI SRL external compressor sliding ring.

The enlarged front fan subassembly of the invention further comprises a fan shaft, a compressor shaft, and an internal flow path surface. The internal flow path surface has a duct part which aerodynamically connects the internal ends of fixed vanes and stators. The internal scroll bearing of fan bearing is attached to the fan shaft and the internal sliding ring of compressor bearing is attached to the compressor shaft. In this enlarged sub-assembly, the apparatus relating to the fan, the apparatus relating to the compressor and the supporting apparatus between the bearings are generally positioned completely completely on the side radially within the internal flow path surface.

Several advantages and benefits are derived from the invention. The dual function of flow guide and bearing support of stators and structural fixed vanes increases the specific fuel consumption allowing the elimination of

-8SAIC BREVETTI SRL conventional motor frames with their strong weight and low radial elastic constant. Since the structural fan stators and the fixed structural compressor blades have radial elastic constants greater than those of conventional engine frames, a greater engine thrust and a better specific fuel consumption are obtained through controlled clearances that are narrower than the ends of the blades of fan and compressor.

The attached drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention in which: Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of a dilution turbofan jet engine comprising a sub-assembly showing the compressor and motor fan regions.

The sub-assembly of a derivative turbofan jet engine 10 of the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, comprises an external duct of engine 12 which delimits the external boundary of the engine air flow path. The outer motor conduit 12 has a fan stator housing part 14, a middle part 16, and a rear part 18. The

-9SAIC BREVETTI SRL part of the fan stator casing 14 has a front flange 20 used for an attachment of the engine to the aircraft frame and has a rear flange 22 used for the attachment to a front flange 24 of the middle part 16. It should be noted that throughout the description of the present invention, when two parts are called attached ", they can be connected together through one or more intermediate connection structures or they can be connected directly together without an interposed structure. The middle part 16 has a rear flange 26 used for an attachment to a front flange of the rear 18.

The fan stator casing part 14 of the outer engine conduit is part of a fan stator assembly 34 which also includes a row of conventional fan stators 32 and a row (typically the rearmost stator row) of structural stators fan 34. The conventional fan stators 32 each have a radially outer end 36 attached to the fan stator portion 14 of the outer motor duct and have a radially inner free end 38. The stators

-10- SAIC BREVETTI SRL structural fans 34 each have a radially external end 40 attached to the fan stator casing part 14 of the external motor conduit and have an internal radially attached end 42 to be described below. The fan stator assembly 30 is part of a fan 44 which also includes a first row of fan blades 46 attached to a first fan disc 48 and a second row of fan blades 50 attached to a second fan disc 52. A spacer 54 interconnects the two discs 48 and 52. The first fan disc 48 is attached with a disc cone 56 to a fan shaft 58.

A set of rolling element fan bearings 60 has an internal sliding ring 62 which is attached to the fan shaft 58. In an exemplary embodiment, the rotating element is a ball bearing 64, Means 66 are provided for attaching the radially internal ends 42 of the structural stators of fan 34 to an external ring nut 68 for sliding of the bearing assembly 60 with rolling fan elements. These means 66 are generally radially arranged completely inside the stators

-11SAIC PATENTS SRL structural 34. Preferably these means relating to the fan 66 comprise an internal support cone of fan 66 having one end attached to the radially internal end 42 of the structural stators of fan 34 and having another end attached to the ring nut external fan sliding 68. Other such means include spokes, tie rods, casings, and the like, and combinations thereof, structurally connecting the internal structural ends of stator 42 to the external fan sliding ring nut 68. It is desirable to arrange the bearing assembly with rolling elements of fan 60, comprising its external sliding ring 68, completely longitudinally in front of the row of the structural stators 34. A preferred position for such a placement of the external fan ring 60 would be close to the point defined by a perpendicular drawn from the center of the mass of the rotatable fan structure (fan blades 46 and 50, fan discs 48 and 52, and the fan disk spacer 54) to fan shaft 58.

After the fan region, the engine air flow is divided into two paths by a divider

-12SAIC BREVETTI SRL

70. An internal flow path 72 passes through a compressor 74 while an external flow path 76 bypasses the compressor 74. The compressor 74 comprises a set of fixed compressor blades 78 having a housing of fixed blades of compressor 80 and a row of blades conventional fixed 82 each having a radially external end 84 attached to the casing of fixed blades of compressor 80 and having a radially internal free end 86. The compressor 74 also comprises a row (typically the row of fixed blades further ahead) of the compressor structural fixed blades 88 each having a radially outer end 90 extended and attached to the median part 16 of the external motor conduit 12 and having one end radially attached inside 92 to be described later. The fixed structural vanes 88 may have attached to them a variable part 94 whose pitch (angle with respect to the air flow) can be changed to better satisfy a particular air flow speed. The compressor 74 further comprises a first row of compressor blades 96 attached to a compressor disc 98 and a second row of

-13SAIC BREVETTI SRL compressor blades 100 attached to a second compressor disk 102. A spacer 104 interconnects the two compressor disks 98 and 102. The first compressor disk 98 is attached with a disk cone 106 to a compressor shaft 108 .

A bearing assembly with rotating compressor elements HO has an internal sliding guide 112 which is attached to a compressor shaft 108. In an exemplary embodiment, the rotating element is a roller bearing 114. Means 116 are provided for attaching radially internal ends 92 of the fixed structural vanes of compressor 88 to an external ring nut 118 for sliding the bearing assembly with rotating elements of compressor 110. These means 116 are radially arranged in general completely inside the fixed structural vanes 88. Preferably, these means relating to the compressor 116 comprise an internal support cone 11.6 of the compressor having one end attached to the radially internal end 92 of the fixed structural vanes Compressor 88 and having another end attached to the outer sliding guide 118 of

-14- SAIC BREVETTI SRL compressor. Other of these means include spokes, tie rods, carcasses, and the like and combinations thereof, structurally connecting the internal ends of the fixed structural vanes 92 to the external sliding guide 118.

The flow path of the engine air flow comprises an internal surface 120 having a portion of duct 122 connecting aerodynamically, and preferably structurally connecting the internal ends 42 of the structural fan stators 34 with the internal ends 92 of the compressor fixed structural vanes 88.

Means 124 are provided for structurally supporting an axial load between the external sliding ring nut 68 and the external compressor sliding ring ring 118. These means 124 are arranged radially in general completely inside the structural stators 34. In an exemplary embodiment, these support means between the bearings 124, together with means relating to the fan 66 and means relating to the compressor 116, are generally arranged completely completely on the radially internal side of the internal surface 120.

SAIC BREVETTI SRL preferably such support means between the bearings 124 comprise a tie rod 126 (also known as a tie rod cone) and the internal compressor support cone 116, previously treated, where the tie rod 126 has one of its ends attached to the external fan sliding ring 68 and the other of its ends attached to one end of the internal support cone 116 and where the internal compressor support cone 116 has its other end attached to the outer ring nut 118 of the compressor. This other support between bearings comprises various tie rods, spokes, cones, and the like, and combinations thereof, providing an axial load support structure between the fan and the external ring nuts 68 and 118 for sliding the fan and the compressor. For example, the ends of a tie rod can be attached directly to the external fan and compressor sliding ring nuts 68 and 118 or they can be attached to any point or on the internal compressor and fan support cones 66 and 116, or they can be attacked in various combinations of the same.

It is noted that the invention eliminates the conventional ones

-16SAIC BREVETTI SRL compressor and fan motor frames and realizes in their place a support structure like a box (seen in a schematic cross section of the motor) which uses a stator row of structural fans 34 and a row of fixed blades structural elements of compressor 88 in a dual role of flow guide and support which, in one embodiment it attaches their internal ends to the external ring nuts 68 and 118 for sliding the fan and compressor bearing by means of internal support cones 66 and 116 and interconnects the two external ring nuts 68 and 118 through the use of a tie 126.

The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for illustration purposes. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention in the precise form described, (such as a particular number of rows of fixed blades and / or stators and compressor and / or fan blades) and of course many modifications and variations are possible in light of the previous teaching.