Rotor with improved balancing features

• US 8,328,519 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Denis, David, Maria, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Quach, Tuan N.
• Application Number:
  US12/236,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20100074752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 416/1, 416/139, 416/144, 416/162, 298/89, 298/891, 73/66, 734/55, 73468-470
• US Class Current: 416/144
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 15/006 turbine wheels
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/027 Arrangements for balancing for balancing rotating bodies in general F16F15/32; for compensating unbalance G01M1/36
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/10 Anti- vibration means specially adapted for radial flow machines or engines F01D5/04
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/662 Balancing of rotors compensating unbalance G01M1/36
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/966 by correcting static or dynamic imbalance
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/96 Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/32 by adding material to the body to be tested, e.g. by correcting-weights
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49234 Rotary or radial engine making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49316 Impeller making

Abstract

A rotor assembly for a gas turbine engine including a circumferential array of regularly spaced apart features provided on the disk which are each configured for receiving a balancing weight. The circumferential array of features has an angular orientation relative to the circumferential array of blades such that the features are each located at an at least substantially same offset angle from a stacking line of a respective adjacent blade.

Claims

1. A method of locating a circumferential array of features configured to receive a balancing weight in a rotor of a gas turbine engine, the rotor including a disk supporting a plurality of blades, the method comprising:

determining a quantity of the features to correspond to a quantity of the blades extending from the disk;

selecting an angular position on the disk where a stress concentration caused by one of the features is minimal, defining the angular position as an offset angle from a stacking line of an adjacent one of the blades; and

providing each of the features on the disk at the offset angle from the stacking line of a respective one of the blades.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein providing the features includes removing material from the disk to define each of the features.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein removing material from the disk includes forming a scallop on the disk for each of the features.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the stress concentration is evaluated with respect to a leading edge stress of the blades.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein providing the features is performed so that the features are identical to one another.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further including engaging a balancing weight with at least one of the features such as to improve balancing of the rotor.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein providing each of the features includes providing one of the features on the disk at the offset angle from the stacking line of each one of the blades.

8. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the offset angle for the features is based on leading edge stress of the blades.