Engine bearing compartment

• US 9,051,878 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2011
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Blewett, Michael R., Stoicescu, Adrian L., Brown, Jeff A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiehe, Nathaniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Jr., Woody A
• Application Number:
  US13/166,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20120328417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 184/6.11, 384/397, 384/462, 384467-468, 384/470, 384472-473, 384/476, 384/535, 384/538, 384/581, 384/584, 384/606, 415/111, 415/21.3, 415/232
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/18 Lubricating arrangements of machines or engines in general F01M
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/06 Arrangements of bearings bearings F16C; Lubricating of turbo machines F01D25/18; of machines or engines in general F01M
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/70 Slinger plates or washers
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/602 Drainage
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/609 Deoiling or demisting

Abstract

An engine bearing compartment is provided and includes an engine casing defining a discharge pathway for a fluid to drain from the engine bearing compartment, a shaft rotatably disposed within the engine casing to define an annulus, a housing disposed within the annulus below an elevation of the discharge pathway, an impeller rotatable with the shaft and including a centrifugal element, the impeller being disposed within the annulus at least partially below the discharge pathway elevation whereby, due to impeller rotation, the centrifugal element expels the fluid through the discharge pathway from the annulus above the discharge pathway elevation and a circuit by which fluid expelled through the discharge pathway is communicated to an interior of the housing.

Claims

1. An engine bearing compartment, comprising:

an engine casing defining a discharge pathway for a fluid to drain from the engine bearing compartment,

the discharge pathway having an elevation length extending between upper and lower edges thereof along a longitudinal axis of the engine casing;

a shaft rotatably disposed within the engine casing to define an annulus;

a housing disposed within the annulus at least partially below the elevation length of the discharge pathway;

an impeller rotatable with the shaft and including a centrifugal element, the impeller being disposed radially inwardly from the discharge pathway within the annulus such that upper and lower edges of the impeller positionally correspond to the upper and lower edges of the discharge pathway, respectively, whereby, due to impeller rotation, the centrifugal element expels the fluid through the discharge pathway from the annulus above the lower edge of the discharge pathway; and

a circuit by which fluid expelled through the discharge pathway is communicated to an interior of the housing.

2. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 1, wherein the engine casing comprises an engine casing strut and the fluid expelled through the discharge pathway comprises engine oil.

3. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 1, wherein the discharge pathway includes a fluid passage that is oriented radially with respect to an axis of rotation of the shaft.

4. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 1, wherein the annulus is defined between an inner surface of the engine casing and an exterior surface of the shaft.

5. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 4, wherein the housing is attached to the inner surface of the engine casing and the exterior surface of the shaft.

6. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 1, wherein the housing is formed to define a gearbox sump in the interior thereof.

7. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 1, wherein the impeller has a recess defining the centrifugal element.

8. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 7, wherein the centrifugal element is oriented radially with respect to an axis of rotation of the shaft.

9. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 7, wherein the centrifugal element is one of a plurality of centrifugal elements arranged in a circumferential array.

10. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 7, wherein the discharge pathway is formed with a funnel-shape having an inlet of a first size that is circumferentially larger than a complementary size of the recess, and an outlet of a second size that is smaller than the first size.

11. An engine bearing compartment, comprising:

an engine casing strut defining a discharge pathway for engine oil to drain from the engine bearing compartment,

the discharge pathway having an elevation length extending between upper and lower edges thereof along a longitudinal axis of the engine casing strut;

a gearbox input shaft rotatably disposed within the engine casing strut to define an annulus;

a gearbox housing disposed within the annulus below the elevation length of the discharge pathway;

an impeller connectedly rotatable with the gearbox input shaft and including a centrifugal element, the impeller being disposed radially inwardly from the discharge pathway within the annulus such that upper and lower edges of the impeller positionally correspond to the upper and lower edges of the discharge pathway, respectively, whereby, due to impeller rotation, the centrifugal element is configured to expel the engine oil through the discharge pathway from the annulus above the lower edge of the discharge pathway; and

a circuit by which the engine oil expelled through the discharge pathway is communicated to an interior of the gearbox housing.

12. The bearing engine compartment according to claim 11, wherein the discharge pathway includes a fluid passage that is oriented radially with respect to an axis of rotation of the gearbox input shaft.

13. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 11, wherein the annulus is defined between an inner surface of the engine casing strut and an exterior surface of the gearbox input shaft.

14. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 13, wherein the housing is attached to the inner surface of the engine casing strut and the exterior surface of the gearbox input shaft.

15. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 11, wherein the housing is formed to define a gearbox sump in the interior thereof.

16. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 11, wherein the impeller has a recess defining the centrifugal element.

17. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 16, wherein the centrifugal element is oriented radially with respect to an axis of rotation of the gearbox input shaft.

18. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 16, wherein the centrifugal element is one of a plurality of centrifugal elements arranged in a circumferential array.

19. The engine bearing compartment according to claim 16, wherein the discharge pathway is formed with a funnel-shape having an inlet of a first size that is circumferentially larger than a complementary size of the recess, and an outlet of a second size that is smaller than the first size.

20. An engine bearing compartment, comprising:

an engine casing strut defining a discharge pathway having an elevation length extending between upper and lower edges thereof along a longitudinal axis of the engine casing strut;

a gearbox input shaft rotatably disposed within the engine casing strut to define an annulus;

a gearbox housing disposed within a first region of the annulus defined below the elevation length of the discharge pathway;

an impeller connectedly rotatable with the gearbox input shaft and including a centrifugal element, the impeller being disposed radially inwardly from the discharge pathway within a second region of the annulus such that upper and lower edges of the impeller positionally correspond to the upper and lower edges of the discharge pathway, respectively, whereby, due to impeller rotation, the centrifugal element is configured to cause engine oil to be expelled in a radial direction defined with respect to an axis of rotation of the gearbox input shaft through the discharge pathway from a third region of the annulus defined above the lower edge of the discharge pathway; and

a circuit fluidly coupled to the discharge pathway and an interior of the gearbox housing by which the engine oil expelled through the discharge pathway is communicated to the gearbox housing interior.