FAN ROTOR WITH CONSTRUCTION AND SAFETY PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION
First Claim
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1. A fan rotor comprising:
- a hub having a radial cross-section defined by an I-beam, said hub having a forward side receiving an airflow and a backside opposite said forward side;
a plurality of unequally-spaced rotor blades disposed circumferentially around and extending radially outward from said hub;
each rotor blade from said plurality of rotor blades having a root portion coupled to said hub, said root portion including a concave fillet circumventing said each rotor blade; and
at least one of said forward side and said backside of said hub incorporating an axially extending pad for rotational balance.
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Abstract
A one-piece fan rotor optimized for construction and safety performance criteria is provided. The rotor has a hub with a radial cross-section defined by an I-beam. A plurality of unequally-spaced rotor blades are disposed circumferentially around and extend radially outward from the hub. Each rotor blade has a root portion coupled to the hub with the root portion defined by a concave fillet circumventing the rotor blade. For rotational balance, at least one of the forward side and backside of the hub incorporates an axially extending pad. Methods are provided for controlling stress on the rotor and for balancing the rotor.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A fan rotor comprising:
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a hub having a radial cross-section defined by an I-beam, said hub having a forward side receiving an airflow and a backside opposite said forward side;
a plurality of unequally-spaced rotor blades disposed circumferentially around and extending radially outward from said hub;
each rotor blade from said plurality of rotor blades having a root portion coupled to said hub, said root portion including a concave fillet circumventing said each rotor blade; and
at least one of said forward side and said backside of said hub incorporating an axially extending pad for rotational balance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of reducing stress on a fan rotor, comprising the steps of:
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providing a one-piece rotor having a hub with a radial cross-section defined by an I-beam having an inner annular flange and an outer annular flange coupled to one another by an annular disk, said hub having a forward side receiving an airflow and a backside opposite said forward side, said rotor further having a plurality of unequally-spaced rotor blades disposed circumferentially around and extending radially outward from said hub, each rotor blade from said plurality of rotor blades having a root portion coupled to said hub, said root portion including a concave fillet having a circular radius of curvature circumventing said each rotor blade, at least one of said forward side and said backside of said hub incorporating a pad extending axially from said annular disk;
selecting a target stress level;
rotating said rotor;
evaluating stress on said rotor during said step of rotating; and
adjusting said radius of curvature and a radial thickness of said outer annular flange based on said step of evaluating to achieve said target stress level. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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12. A method of balancing a fan rotor, comprising the steps of:
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providing a one-piece rotor having a hub with a radial cross-section defined by an I-beam having an inner annular flange and an outer annular flange coupled to one another by an annular disk, said hub having a forward side receiving an airflow and a backside opposite said forward side, said rotor further having a plurality of unequally-spaced rotor blades disposed circumferentially around and extending radially outward from said hub;
integrating a pad with at least one of said forward side and said backside of said hub, said pad extending axially from said annular disk; and
sizing and positioning said pad to rotationally balance said rotor.
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Specification