CN110603372B

CN110603372B - Pin for reducing relative rotational movement of a disk and a spacer of a turbine engine

Info

Publication number: CN110603372B
Application number: CN201880030216.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: K·G·托马斯
Original assignee: Solar Turbines Inc
Current assignee: Solar Turbines Inc
Priority date: 2017-05-08
Filing date: 2018-05-03
Publication date: 2022-04-29
Anticipated expiration: 2038-05-03
Also published as: WO2018208577A1; US10385874B2; AU2018264866A1; AU2018264866B2; MX2019013305A; CN110603372A; US20180320708A1

Abstract

An axial compressor (12) of a turbine engine (10) includes a plurality of disc and spacer pairs (14) oriented along a common axis of rotation. Each of the discs (16) and spacers (18) of the disc and spacer pair (14) has a contact surface (20, 22) defining an engagement between the discs (16) and spacers (18). The contact surface (20, 22) of each of the disc (16) and the spacer (18) includes a recessed region (24, 26). The pin (28) has a stem (30) received in the recessed region (24) of the disc (16) and a head (32) received in the recessed region (26) of the spacer (18). The head (32) of the pin (28) comprises at least two flat faces (40) corresponding to complementary surfaces of the recessed region (26) of the spacer (18).

Description

Pin for reducing relative rotational movement of a disk and a spacer of a turbine engine

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to turbine engines and, more particularly, to a pin for reducing relative rotational movement of a disk and a spacer of an axial flow compressor of a turbine engine.

Background

Some axial compressors of turbine engines use spacers to provide internal flow passages for the working fluid. The spacer is typically a thin ring mounted on each of a plurality of discs of the axial compressor. An interference engagement, or more specifically a thermal interference engagement and a small cylindrical anti-rotation pin, is used to couple each spacer to the respective disc. The disc and spacer pair are oriented along a common axis of rotation of the axial compressor. During a hot shutdown of the turbine engine, the spacers typically cool and contract at a higher rate than the corresponding disks, thereby mitigating thermal interference joints. The moment of inertia of the spacers often breaks the pins, allowing the spacers to be rotationally displaced from the factory set position relative to the corresponding discs. To reset the imbalance, the turbine engine may need to be removed from service and disassembly.

U.S. patent No.8,840,375 to Virkler discloses a lock assembly for a gas turbine engine. The lock assembly includes a lock body having an undercut slot that receives a polygonal-shaped retention wire. The rotor disk has a circumferential intermittent slot structure extending radially outward relative to the axis of rotation. The component defined about the axis of rotation has a plurality of radial tabs extending radially inward relative to the axis of rotation. The radial tabs are engageable with the intermittent slot structure. A lock assembly including a retaining wire engages at least one opening formed by the intermittent slot structure to provide an anti-rotation interface for the component.

It should be appreciated that there is a continuing need to improve the efficiency and reliability of turbine engines and turbine engine components.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, an axial compressor of a turbine engine includes a plurality of disc and spacer pairs oriented along a common axis of rotation. Each disc of the disc and spacer pair and the spacer of the disc and spacer pair has a contact surface that defines an engagement between the disc and the spacer. The contact surface of each of the disk and the spacer includes a recessed region. The pin has a shank received in the recessed area of the disc and a head received in the recessed area of the spacer. The head of the pin comprises at least two flat surfaces corresponding to complementary surfaces of the recessed region of the spacer.

In another aspect, a method of operating a turbine engine includes the steps of: rotating a disk and spacer pair of the plurality of disk and spacer pairs about a common axis of rotation; and engaging the contact surface of the disk of the pair of disks and spacers with the contact surface of the spacer of the pair of disks and spacers during rotation. The method also includes restricting relative rotation of the disc and the spacer using a pin having a stem received in the recessed area of the disc and a head received in the recessed area of the spacer. The restraining step includes contacting at least two flat surfaces of the head of the pin with complementary surfaces of the recessed region of the spacer.

In yet another aspect, a turbine engine includes an axial compressor. The axial compressor includes a plurality of disc and spacer pairs oriented along a common axis of rotation, wherein each disc of the disc and spacer pairs and the spacer of the disc and spacer pairs have contact surfaces defining a joint between the disc and the spacer. The contact surface of each of the disk and the spacer includes a recessed region. The pin has a shank received in the recessed area of the disc and a hexagonal head received in the recessed area of the spacer.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of an axial compressor of a turbine engine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary pin that may be used with the axial compressor of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a first side view of the exemplary pin of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a second side view of the exemplary pin of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the exemplary pin of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the exemplary pin of the previous figures assembled with a disk and spacer of a turbine engine;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the spacer of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion of the spacer of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of operating a turbine engine according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

A portion of an exemplary turbine engine 10 is generally illustrated in FIG. 1. Specifically, a cross-sectional view of an axial compressor 12 of the turbine engine 10 is shown. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the turbine engine 10 may also include a combustor and a power turbine and/or various additional or alternative components for compressing gas. The axial compressor 12 may include a shaft along a common axis of rotation A₁A plurality of disk and spacer pairs 14 oriented. Both the disc and spacer pairs 14 may have similar configurations, and therefore only a single disc and spacer pair 14 will be described.

Each of the disks 16 and spacers 18 of the disk and spacer pair 14 may have a

respective contact surface

20, 22 that defines the engagement between the disks 16 and spacers 18. That is, at least some portion of the contact surface 20 of the disc 16 and at least some portion of the contact surface 22 of the spacer 18 may engage or connect to define an engagement. As used herein, the

contact surfaces

20, 22 of the disc 16 and spacer 18 may include surfaces of the respective components that face each other.

The disk 16 may have a generally cylindrical body, which may or may not be hollow, including or supporting a plurality of static vanes. The spacer 18 may have a thin annular body for rotation between the discs 16 along a common axis of rotation A₁Providing a spacing and thus an internal flow passage for the working fluid. Each spacer 18 of the disk and spacer pair 14 may be of the same material as the corresponding disk 16, which may comprise, for example, stainless steel. Although specific embodiments are described, the present invention may be applied to discs and spacers having various shapes, sizes, materials, and configurations.

Each

contact surface

20, 22 in the disc 16 and spacer 18 may include a respective

recessed region

24, 26. The

recessed areas

24, 26, which may be recessed relative to the

respective contact surfaces

20, 22, may be aligned such that the pin 28 may be positioned as shown. In particular, the

recessed regions

24, 26 may lie along a line parallel to the common axis of rotation a₁Are aligned. The pin 28 may generally include a stem 30 and a head 32, and as described below, the stem 30 may be at least partially received within the recessed area 24 of the disc 16, and the head 32 may be at least partially received within the recessed area 26 of the spacer 18. During operation of turbine engine 10, the thermal interference engagement between disks 16 and spacers 18 may ensure engagement of disks 16, spacers 18, and pins 28.

An exemplary pin 28 including a shank 30 and a head 32 is generally shown in fig. 2-5. The head 32 of the pin 28 may include a plurality of flat or planar surfaces 40. According to an exemplary embodiment, the head 32 may have a hexagonal shape, including six straight sides and angles. As such, the recessed region 26 of the spacer 18, or a portion thereof, may have a shape that corresponds to the hexagonal shape of the head 32 or a portion of the head 32 of the pin 28. As shown, pin 28The stem 30 of (a) may have a cylindrical shape and the recessed area 24 of the disc 16 or a portion thereof has a shape corresponding to the cylindrical shape of the stem 30 or a portion of the stem 30 of the pin 28. The pin 28 may be made of a number of different materials, including, for example, the same material as one or both of the disc 16 and the spacer 18. Further, according to some embodiments, the pin 28 may have a channel 42 therethrough, the channel 42 being along the longitudinal axis a of the pin 28₂And (4) orientation. The channel 42 may provide for the escape of air when the pin 28 is pressed into the blind hole.

As mentioned above, but referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the shank 30 of the pin 28 is shown received within the recessed area 24 of the disc 16, and the head 32 of the pin 28 is shown received within the recessed area 26 of the spacer 18. The shank 30 of the pin 28 may have a substantially cylindrical body that may be received within a substantially cylindrical opening or cavity of the recessed area 24. Accordingly, the recessed area 24 may be shaped, sized, and/or configured to receive the rod 30, for example, by a friction fit.

According to the invention, the head 32 of the pin 28 may comprise at least two flat faces 40 corresponding to complementary surfaces of the recessed region 26 of the spacer 18. That is, the recessed region 26 may include a planar surface having a similar angle to a corresponding surface of the head 32 of the pin 28. Accordingly, the shape, size, and/or configuration of the recessed area 26 may be such that the at least one flat surface 40 contacts or engages a corresponding surface of the recessed area 26 during operation and/or shutdown of the turbine engine 10.

As shown in fig. 7, a predetermined gap 50 may be provided between a top surface 52 of the head 32 of the pin 28 and an inner surface 54 of the recessed area 26 of the spacer 18. As will be discussed below, the predetermined clearance 50 may be reduced, for example, during a hot shutdown of the turbine engine 10, as the spacers 18 cool and contract faster than the corresponding disks 16. The predetermined gap 50 may be as small as, for example, 005 inches; however, the predetermined gap 50 may vary depending on the particular application.

The spacer 18 is shown in fig. 8, 9 and 10 and may comprise a thin annular body. The spacers 18 may be sized, shaped, and/or configured to interact with the respective discs 16 in the manner described herein. The spacer 18 may include at least one recessed region 26. As shown more particularly in fig. 8, the spacer 18 may include a plurality of recessed regions 26, such as four recessed regions 26, spaced around the spacer 18. According to such embodiments, the disc 16 may have a corresponding number of recessed areas 24, with a corresponding number of pins 28 (e.g., four pins 28) configured for receipt within the plurality of recessed

areas

24, 26.

As described above, the head 32 of the pin 28 may include a plurality of flats 40. As such, the recessed area 26 of the spacer 18 may have a shape that corresponds to the shape of the head 32 of the pin 28. During operation of turbine engine 10 or during a shutdown (e.g., a hot shutdown), spacer 18 may cool faster than corresponding disk 16, thus reducing predetermined gap 50 and causing one or more flats 40 to engage one or more corresponding surfaces of recessed region 26.

Industrial applicability

The present invention relates generally to turbine engines and more particularly to axial compressors of turbine engines. Furthermore, the invention relates to an axial compressor with a plurality of disc and spacer pairs. Furthermore, the invention may be applied to a pin that reduces relative rotational movement of the disc and spacer in a disc and spacer pair.

1-11, an exemplary turbine engine 10 includes an axial compressor 12. The axial compressor 12 includes a common axis of rotation A₁A plurality of disk and spacer pairs 14 oriented. Each of the discs 16 and spacers 18 of the disc and spacer pair 14 has a

contact surface

20, 22, the contact surfaces 20, 22 defining an engagement between the discs 16 and spacers 18. The contact surfaces 20, 22 of each of the discs 16 and spacers 18 include at least one recessed

area

24, 26 for receiving a pin 28. The pin 28 has a shank 30 received in the recessed area 24 of the disc 16 and a head 32 including a plurality of flats 40 received in the recessed area 26 of the spacer 18.

With particular reference to FIG. 11, a flowchart 60 representing the primary steps of a method of operating the turbine engine 10, or more specifically the axial compressor 12, in accordance with the present invention is shown. In a first step, at block 62, the method includes surrounding a common axis of rotation A₁Rotating disk andstep of spacer pair 14. At some point during rotation of the disk and spacer pair 14, such as during operation and/or shutdown of the turbine engine 10, the contact face 20 of the disk 16 may engage the contact face 22 of the spacer 18 at block 64.

During operation of turbine engine 10, a thermal interference bond between the disks and spacers 18 of disk and spacer pair 14 may be formed. That is, the disc 16, spacer 18, and pin 28 may be configured to rotate together using a friction fit or engagement. During a hot shutdown or other similar condition of turbine engine 10, predetermined gap 50 between a top surface 52 of head 32 of pin 28 and an inner surface 54 of recessed region 26 of spacer 18 may be reduced.

During operation and/or shutdown, relative rotation of the discs 16 and the spacer 18 may be reduced or limited at block 66 using the pin 28, the pin 28 having a stem 30 received within the recessed area 24 of the disc 16 and a head 32 received within the recessed area 26 of the spacer 18. The restraining step includes contacting at least two flat surfaces 40 of the head 32 of the pin 28 with complementary surfaces of the recessed region 26 of the spacer 18 at block 68. According to some embodiments, the restraining step may include engaging four pins 28 with four recessed

areas

24, 26 spaced around each of the disks 16 and spacers 18.

Some conventional axial compressors utilize small cylindrical pins that are an interference fit with one or both of the disks and spacers. During a hot shutdown of the turbine engine, the spacer may cool and contract at a higher rate than the corresponding disk. This may mitigate the designed interference fit and loosen the spacer on the disc. Small cylindrical pins are generally insufficient to constrain the spacer in the circumferential direction. The force exerted on the pin by the moment of inertia of the spacer may cause the pin to break, thereby freeing the spacer to rotate relative to the disc from the factory setting.

As described herein, the pin of the present invention reduces timing and provides a more durable and secure engagement of the disc with the spacer in the case of an axial compressor or other similar situations. In particular, for example, and during a hot shutdown of the turbine engine, the spacer may cool faster than the respective disk, thereby reducing the predetermined clearance and causing the one or more flats to engage the one or more respective surfaces of the recessed region.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is intended for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other aspects of the disclosure can be obtained from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.

Claims

1. An axial compressor (12) of a turbine engine (10), comprising:

a plurality of disc and spacer pairs (14), the plurality of disc and spacer pairs (14) oriented along a common axis of rotation, each of the discs (16) and spacers (18) of the disc and spacer pairs (14) having a contact face (20, 22), the contact faces (20, 22) defining an engagement between the discs (16) and spacers (18);

the contact face (20, 22) of each of the disc (16) and the spacer (18) comprising a recessed region (24, 26); and

a pin (28) having a stem (30) received within the recessed region (24) of the disc (16) and a head (32) received within the recessed region (26) of the spacer (18);

the head (32) of the pin (28) comprises at least two planes (40) corresponding to complementary surfaces of the recessed region (26) of the spacer (18).

2. The axial compressor (12) of claim 1 wherein said discs (16) and said spacers (18) have a thermal interference joint.

3. The axial compressor (12) of claim 1 wherein the head (32) of the pin (28) has a hexagonal shape.

4. An axial compressor (12) according to claim 3 wherein the recessed area (26) of the spacer (18) has a shape corresponding to the hexagonal shape of the head (32) of the pin (28).

5. An axial compressor (12) according to claim 3 wherein the rod (30) of the pin (28) has a cylindrical shape.

6. The axial compressor (12) of claim 5 wherein the recessed area (24) of the disk (16) has a shape corresponding to the cylindrical shape of the stem (30) of the pin (28).

7. A method of operating a turbine engine (10), comprising the steps of:

rotating a disc (16) and a spacer (18) of a plurality of disc and spacer pairs (14) about a common axis of rotation;

engaging contact faces (20, 22) of the discs (16) of the disc and spacer pair (14) with contact faces (20, 22) of the spacers (18) of the disc and spacer pair (14) during rotation; and

restricting relative rotation of the disc (16) and the spacer (18) using a pin (28), the pin (28) having a stem (30) received in a recessed region (24) of the disc (16) and a head (32) received in a recessed region (26) of the spacer (18);

wherein the restraining step comprises bringing at least two flat faces (40) of the head (32) of the pin (28) into contact with complementary surfaces of the recessed region (26) of the spacer (18).

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising forming a thermal interference bond of the disk (16) and the spacer (18) during operation of the turbine engine (10).

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising performing a thermal shutdown of the turbine engine (10) and reducing a predetermined gap (50) between a top surface (52) of the head (32) of the pin (28) and an inner surface (54) of the recessed region (26) of the spacer (18).

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising engaging a hexagonal head (32) of the pin (28) with a complementary surface of the recessed region (26) of the spacer (18).