PIEZOELECTRIC DAMPING RINGS

• US 20170306772A1
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Fulayter, Roy D., Hoyniak, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 10,612,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/04 Antivibration arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/10 Anti- vibration means specially adapted for radial flow machines or engines F01D5/04
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/12 Blades specially adapted for radial flow machines or engines F01D5/04; blade roots F01D5/30; rotors with blades adjustable in operation F01D7/00; stator blades F01D9/02
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/34 Rotor-blade aggregates of unitary construction , e.g. formed of sheet laminae; discs formed of sheet laminae F01D5/028; ceramic materials F01D5/284, composite materials F01D5/282
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/321 for axial flow compressors
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/324 Blades
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/668 damping or preventing mechanical vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/32 in gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/407 through piezoelectric conversion
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/96 Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/962 by means of "anti-noise"
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A blisk assembly for vibration dampening includes a disk portion extending circumferentially about a central axis of the blisk, a plurality of blades integrally coupled to the disk, and a piezoelectric damping ring that includes a damping ring and a plurality of piezoelectric elements coupled to the damping ring. The disk portion includes a groove configured to receive the piezoelectric damping ring. As a result of centrifugal forces applied to the piezoelectric damping ring during rotation of the blisk assembly, mechanical energy may be generated at one or more of the plurality of piezoelectric elements, which is converted to electrical energy and transmitted to another one or more of the plurality of piezoelectric elements. Accordingly, the one or more of the piezoelectric elements having received the electricity can convert the electricity to mechanical energy to provide vibration damping.

Claims

1. A blisk assembly adapted for use in a gas turbine engine, the blisk assembly comprising

a disk extending circumferentially about a central axis of the blisk assembly,

a plurality of blades integrally coupled to the disk that extend outwardly from the disk in a radial direction away from the central axis, and

a piezoelectric damping ring that includes a damping ring and a plurality of piezoelectric elements coupled to the damping ring, wherein the piezoelectric damping ring forms a full hoop around the central axis and each of the piezoelectric elements is configured to convert electrical energy in response to generation of mechanical energy and to convert received electrical energy to mechanical energy in response to receipt of the electrical energy from another of the piezoelectric elements so that vibrations of the blisk assembly are dampened by distribution of energy across one or more of the piezoelectric elements.

2. The blisk assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of wires, wherein each wire connects at least two of the plurality of piezoelectric elements to each other to transmit electricity therebetween.

3. The blisk assembly of claim 1, wherein the damping ring is coupled to the disk by a plurality of fasteners at a first radius and the damping ring contacts another portion of the blisk assembly at a second radius spaced apart from the plurality of fasters to allow for relative movement of the damping ring relative to the disk at the second radius.

4. The blisk assembly of claim 3, wherein the second radius is located outward of the first radius.

5. The blisk assembly of claim 4, wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements arranged at a third radius spaced apart from the first radius to allow for relative movement of the piezoelectric elements relative to the disk.

6. The blisk assembly of claim 5, wherein the third radius is located between the first radius and the second radius.

7. The blisk assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the piezoelectric elements are coupled to the damping ring using discrete bonding.

8. The blisk assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the piezoelectric elements includes a metal spray coating to provide an electrically conductive means to send and receive power.

9. The blisk assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements comprises a first piezoelectric element and a second piezoelectric element, wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric elements are connected via a wire, wherein the first piezoelectric element is configured to transmit electricity converted from mechanical energy received at the first piezoelectric element to the second piezoelectric element.

10. The blisk assembly of claim 9, wherein the first and second piezoelectric elements are coupled to the damping ring in different locations along the damping ring to send and received vibration from different nodal diameter patterns.

11. The blisk assembly of claim 9, wherein each of the piezoelectric elements are circumferentially spaced an equidistant amount from neighboring piezoelectric elements.

12. The blisk assembly of claim 1, further comprising a platform integrally formed with the disk and the plurality of blades that separates the disk from the plurality of blades so that gasses passing over the blades does not interact with the disk, and wherein the damping ring is coupled to the disk by a plurality of fasteners at a first radius and the damping ring contacts the platform at a second radius radially outward of the plurality of fasters to allow for relative movement of the damping ring relative to the disk at the second radius.

13. The blisk assembly of claim 12, wherein the disk is formed to include a cantilevered flange to which the damping ring is fastened.

14. The blisk assembly of claim 12, wherein the damping ring contacts the platform near a mid-span of the plurality of blades.

15. The blisk assembly of claim 12, wherein the damping ring contacts the platform at an aft end of the platform.

16. The blisk assembly of claim 12, wherein the damping ring contacts the platform at forward end of the platform.

17. A method of vibration damping of a blisk adapted for use in a gas turbine engine, the method comprising

providing a piezoelectric damping ring to a disk included in the blisk, wherein the piezoelectric damping ring comprises a damping ring and a plurality of piezoelectric elements coupled to the damping ring, the damping ring fastened to the disk at a first location and contacting another portion of the blisk spaced apart from the first location to allow microslip between the damping ring and the rest of the blisk;

rotating the blisk to generate centrifugal force on the piezoelectric damping ring and to generate micro-sleep between the piezoelectric damping ring and the disk;

transferring electricity from a first piezoelectric element of the plurality of piezoelectric elements to a second piezoelectric element of the plurality of piezoelectric elements;

dampening vibrations of the blisk as a function of the electricity received at the second piezoelectric element.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein transferring the electricity from the first piezoelectric element to the second piezoelectric element comprises:

capturing mechanical energy at the first piezoelectric element as a product of micro-slip between the piezoelectric damping ring and the disk;

converting the mechanical energy to electricity at the first piezoelectric element;

transmitting, via a wire coupling the first piezoelectric element to the second piezoelectric element, the electricity from the first piezoelectric element to the second piezoelectric element; and

converting the electricity to mechanical energy at the second piezoelectric element.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein dissipating the mechanical energy at the second piezoelectric element comprises dissipating the mechanical energy as a product of mechanical friction between the piezoelectric damping ring and the disk.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising dissipating the mechanical energy through heat due to mechanical friction at the second piezoelectric element.