VARIABLE VANE ACTUATION WITH ROTATING RING AND SLIDING LINKS

• US 20170276014A1
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Chandler, Jesse M., Suciu, Gabriel L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,443,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/12 arranged in stator parts
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/14 varying effective cross-sectional area of nozzles or guide conduits
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/162 for axial flow, i.e. the vanes turning around axes which are essentially perpendicular to the rotor centre line F01D17/167 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/165 for radial flow, i.e. the vanes turning around axes which are essentially parallel to the rotor centre line F01D17/167 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/34 Turning or inching gear
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 7/00 Rotors with blades adjustable in operation; Control thereof for reversing F01D1/30
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 9/04 forming ring or sector
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 9/042 fixing blades to stators fixing stator-rings in the casing or to each other F01D25/246
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/323 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/563 specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/32 in gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/128 Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 49/001 Wave gearings, e.g. harmonic drive transmissions harmonic drives specially adapted for positioning programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/1025
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

An actuator system including a harmonic drive operable to drive a variable vane system of a gas turbine engine.

Claims

1. A variable vane system, comprising:

an actuator;

a harmonic drive driven by the actuator;

a unison ring driven by the harmonic drive, the unison ring including a multiple of pins; and

a multiple of variable vanes driven by the unison ring, each of the multiple of variable vanes connected to the unison ring through a respective drive arm that includes a slot which receives one of the multiple of pins to accommodate axial motion of the unison ring.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the harmonic drive includes a strain wave gearing mechanism.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the strain wave gearing mechanism include a fixed circular spline, a flex spline attached to an output shaft, and a wave generator attached to an input shaft, the flex spline driven by the wave generator with respect to the circular spline.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a link between each of a multiple of variable vanes and the unison ring.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the harmonic drive provides between a 30:

1-320;

1 gear ratio.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the actuator is an electric motor.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the unison ring is driven by the harmonic drive through a drive shaft.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein a multiple of unison rings is driven by the drive shaft.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein each of the multiple of unison rings include a gear segment meshed with a respective gear segment of the drive shaft.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a support that supports the unison ring.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, further comprising a multiple of rollers supported by the support, the multiple of roller operable to support the unison ring.

12. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the unison ring is “

U”

shaped in cross-section.

13. A gas turbine engine, comprising:

an actuator;

a harmonic drive driven by the actuator;

a unison ring driven by the harmonic drive; and

a support that extends from an engine case to support the unison ring.

14. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 13, further comprising a multiple of rollers supported by the support, the multiple of rollers operable to support the unison ring.

15. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 14, wherein the unison ring is “

U”

shaped in cross-section.

16. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 15, wherein the multiple of rollers includes a first roller that interacts with an upper surface of the unison ring, a second roller that interacts with a forward surface of the unison ring, and a third roller that interacts with an aft surface of the unison ring.

17. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 13, wherein the harmonic drive provides between a 30:

1-320;

1 gear ratio.