DRIVE SHAFT FOR REMOTE VARIABLE VANE ACTUATION

• US 20170276147A1
• 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: Suciu, Gabriel L., Chandler, Jesse M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,190,599 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 25/34 Turning or inching gear
• 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 29/563 specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/32 in gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/62 Electrical actuators
• 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 gas turbine engine, comprising:

an actuator;

a harmonic drive driven by the actuator;

a firewall; and

a drive shaft driven by the harmonic drive, the drive shaft extends through the firewall to operate a multiple of variable vanes.

3. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1, wherein the harmonic drive includes a strain wave gearing mechanism.

4. The gas turbine engine as recited as recited in claim 3, 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.

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

1-320;

1 gear ratio.

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

2. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 2, further compromising a unison ring driven by the multiple of variable vanes, the unison ring driven by the drive shaft.