Gas turbine engines including broadband damping systems and methods for producing the same

• US 8,992,161 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2011
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Hindle, Timothy, Hadden, Steven, Davis, Torey
• Primary Examiner(s): Look, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): EASTMAN, AARON ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US13/219,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20130051981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 415/119, 415/121.3, 603/22, 244/173.2
• US Class Current: 415/1
• 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: F05D 2250/41 with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/96 Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/022 using dampers and springs in combination
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/023 using fluid means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4932 Turbomachine making

Abstract

Gas turbine engine, broadband damping systems, and methods for producing broadband-damped gas turbine engine are provided. In one embodiment, the gas turbine engine includes an engine case, a rotor assembly mounted within the engine case for rotation about a rotational axis, and a broadband damping system disposed between the rotor assembly and the engine case. The broadband damping system includes a first set of three parameter axial dampers angularly spaced around the rotational axis, and a second set of three parameter axial dampers angularly spaced around the rotational axis and coupled in parallel with the first set of three parameter axial dampers. The first and second sets of three parameter axial dampers are tuned to provide peak damping at different rotational frequencies to increase the damping bandwidth of the broadband damping system during operation of the gas turbine engine.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine, comprising:

an engine case;

a rotor assembly mounted within the engine case for rotation about a rotational axis and having a first critical mode; and

a broadband damping system disposed between the rotor assembly and the engine case, the broadband damping system comprising;

a first set of three parameter axial dampers angularly spaced around the rotational axis; and

a second set of three parameter axial dampers angularly spaced around the rotational axis and coupled in parallel with the first set of three parameter axial dampers, the first and second sets of three parameter axial dampers tuned to provide peak damping at different rotational frequencies to increase the damping bandwidth of the broadband damping system during operation of the gas turbine engine;

wherein the first set of three parameter axial dampers is tuned to provide peak damping at a frequency less than the frequency at which the first critical mode occurs, and wherein the second set of three parameter axial dampers is tuned to provide peak damping at a frequency greater than the frequency at which the first critical mode occurs.

2. A gas turbine engine according to claim 1 wherein the first set of three parameter axial dampers is interspersed with the second set of three parameter axial dampers.

3. A gas turbine engine according to claim 2 wherein the first and second sets of three parameter axial dampers are spaced around the rotational axis of the rotor assembly at substantially regular intervals.

4. A gas turbine engine according to claim 3 wherein the first and second sets of three parameter axial dampers each consist of three dampers.

5. A gas turbine engine according to claim 1 wherein the first and second sets of three parameter axial dampers provide damping in two degrees of freedom within a plane substantially orthogonal to the rotational axis.

6. A gas turbine engine according to claim 1 wherein each axial damper within the first set of three parameter axial dampers has a main spring rate approximately equal to K_A1, a tuning spring rate approximately equal to K_B1, and a damping constant approximately equal to C_A1.

7. A gas turbine engine according to claim 6 wherein each axial damper included in the second set of three parameter axial dampers has a main spring rate approximately equal to K_A2, a tuning spring rate approximately equal to K_B2, and a damping constant approximately equal to C_A2.

8. A gas turbine engine according to claim 7 wherein K_B1 and C_A1 differ from K_B2 and C_A2, respectively, by at least 10%.

9. A gas turbine engine according to claim 8 wherein K_B1 is greater than K_B2, and wherein C_A1 is less than C_A2.

10. A gas turbine engine according to claim 9 wherein C_A2 exceeds C_A1 by a factor of at least 10.

11. A gas turbine engine according to claim 8 wherein K_A1 is approximately equal to K_A2.

12. A gas turbine engine according to claim 1 further comprising a rotor bearing assembly supporting the rotor assembly and circumscribed by the broadband damping system.

13. A gas turbine engine according to claim 12 wherein each damper within the first and second sets of three parameter axial dampers comprises an elongated strut extending radially outward from the rotor bearing assembly.

14. A gas turbine engine according to claim 13 wherein each elongated strut comprises:

a radially inner end fixedly coupled to the rotor bearing assembly; and

a radially outer end fixedly coupled to the engine case.

15. A gas turbine engine according to claim 1 wherein the first and second sets of three parameter dampers comprise at least one radial adjustment mechanism enabling centering of the rotor assembly within the engine case.

16. A method for producing a broadband-damped gas turbine engine, comprising:

providing a rotor assembly and an engine case;

identifying a plurality of rotor critical modes of the rotor assembly over the operational range of the gas turbine engine;

tuning first and second sets of three parameter axial dampers to provide peak damping at different frequencies distributed over a target frequency range encompassing the plurality of rotor critical modes; and

installing the first and second sets of three parameter axial dampers in parallel between the rotor assembly and the engine case.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the step of tuning comprises:

tuning the first set of three parameter axial dampers to have a peak damping frequency less than a first engine critical mode; and

tuning the second set of three parameter axial dampers to have a peak damping frequency less than a first engine critical mode.

18. A method according to claim 16 wherein the step of installing comprises circumferentially spacing the first and second sets of three parameter axial dampers around the rotor assembly at predetermined intervals such that the first set of three parameter axial dampers is interspersed with the second set of three parameter axial dampers.