CN-121993315-A - Turbine engine for an aircraft with a monolithic frame

CN121993315ACN 121993315 ACN121993315 ACN 121993315ACN-121993315-A

Abstract

A turbine engine for an aircraft includes a monolithic frame. The unitary frame includes an inner hub, a frame housing having an outer band portion and a receiving portion integrally formed with the outer band portion, and a plurality of struts connecting the inner hub and the outer band portion. The outer band is opposite the inner hub to form an air flow path therebetween, the receiving portion extending away from the outer band in an axial direction of the turbine engine. The receiving portion is positioned radially outward of and extends axially over the plurality of rotating airfoils. The outer band portion and the receiving portion of the frame housing may be a unitary composite having a plurality of reinforcing fibers embedded in a matrix or unitary metal portion.

Inventors

Wei .wu
XIE MING
Christopher C. Green
Michael. Kuropatva

Assignees

通用电气公司

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20251031
Priority Date: 20241101

Claims (10)

1. A turbine engine for an aircraft, the turbine engine having an axial direction and a radial direction, the turbine engine comprising: A rotating airfoil assembly including a plurality of rotating airfoils co-rotatable about a rotational axis, and A unitary frame, the unitary frame comprising: An inner hub; A frame housing having an outer band portion opposite the inner hub to form an air flow path therebetween and a receiving portion integrally formed with the outer band portion, the receiving portion extending away from the outer band portion in the axial direction and positioned radially outward of and axially above the plurality of rotating airfoils, and A plurality of struts connecting the inner hub with the outer band portion, each strut of the plurality of struts extending in the radial direction and being positioned within the air flow path.
2. The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the rotating airfoil assembly is disposed upstream of the plurality of struts with respect to a direction of airflow through the air flow path.
3. The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the rotating airfoil assembly is disposed downstream of the plurality of struts with respect to a direction of airflow through the air flow path.
4. The turbine engine of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of vanes, each vane of the plurality of vanes being an outlet vane of the rotating airfoil assembly, the plurality of vanes being disposed downstream of the plurality of struts with respect to a direction of airflow through the air flow path, Wherein the unitary frame further comprises a vane housing portion disposed radially outward of and extending axially over the plurality of vanes, the vane housing portion being integrally formed with the outer band portion and the receiving portion, and Wherein the rotating airfoil assembly is disposed upstream of the plurality of struts with respect to a direction of airflow through the air flow path.
5. The turbine engine of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of vanes, wherein the unitary frame further comprises a vane housing portion disposed radially outward of and extending axially over the plurality of vanes, the vane housing portion being integrally formed with the outer band portion and the receiving portion, and Wherein the vane housing portion is disposed between the outer band portion and the receiving portion.
6. The turbine engine of claim 5, wherein the rotating airfoil assembly is disposed downstream of the plurality of struts with respect to a direction of airflow through the air flow path, and Wherein each vane of the plurality of vanes is an inlet vane of the rotating airfoil assembly.
7. The turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the outer band portion and the receiving portion are a monolithic composite having a plurality of reinforcing fibers embedded in a matrix.
8. The turbine engine of claim 7, wherein the inner hub and the plurality of struts are part of the monolithic composite body having the outer band portion and the receiving portion.
9. The turbine engine of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of vanes, wherein the monolithic frame further comprises a vane housing portion disposed radially outward of and extending axially over the plurality of vanes, the vane housing portion being part of the monolithic composite having the outer band portion and the receiving portion.
10. The turbine engine of claim 1, further comprising a guide housing defining a portion of the air flow path, the guide housing positioned adjacent to and secured to the frame housing.

Description

Turbine engine for an aircraft with a monolithic frame Cross Reference to Related Applications The application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No.63/715,150 filed on 1 month 11 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a frame for a turbine engine, in particular for an aircraft. Background Turbine engines used by aircraft typically include a fan, a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section. The combustor of the combustion section produces combustion gases that are used to drive one or more turbines of the turbine section, which may be used to drive a fan. A portion of the air flowing into the fan flows as core air through the compressor section, the combustion section, and the turbine section, and another portion of the air flowing into the fan bypasses these sections as bypass air and flows through the turbine engine. The compressor section may include one or more compressors, and may also be driven by a turbine to compress the core air before it flows into the combustor. The composite materials may be used to fabricate various components of a turbine engine, particularly when the turbine engine is a turbine engine of an aircraft. Drawings Features and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from the following description of various exemplary embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters generally refer to the same elements or structurally or functionally similar elements. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a turbine engine of an aircraft. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the turbine engine, showing detail 2A of FIG. 1. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the turbine engine taken from a perspective similar to detail 2A in FIG. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a lap joint (shiplap joint) of a unitary frame that may be used with the engine shown in fig. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a lap joint of a unitary frame that may be used with the engine shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a lap joint of a unitary frame that may be used with the engine shown in FIG. 1. Detailed Description The features, advantages, and embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth or apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Furthermore, the following detailed description is exemplary and is intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the present disclosure as claimed. Various embodiments are discussed in detail below. Although specific embodiments are discussed, this is for illustrative purposes only. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without departing from the present disclosure. As used herein, the terms "first," "second," and "third" may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another, and are not intended to represent the location or importance of the respective components. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" refer to the relative directions of fluid flow in a fluid path. For example, "upstream" refers to the direction from which fluid flows and "downstream" refers to the direction in which fluid flows. As used herein, the terms "axial" and "axially" refer to directions and orientations extending substantially parallel to a centerline of a turbine engine. Furthermore, the terms "radial" and "radially" refer to directions and orientations extending substantially perpendicular to a centerline of the turbine engine. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms "circumferential" and "circumferentially" refer to directions and orientations that arc-extend about a centerline of the turbine engine. The terms "coupled," "fixed," "attached," "connected," and the like, refer to a direct coupling, fixing, attaching or connecting, as well as an indirect coupling, fixing, attaching or connecting via one or more intermediate components or features, unless otherwise specified herein. The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present description and claims, the range limitations are combined and interchanged. Unless the context or language indicates otherwise, these ranges are identified and include all sub-ranges contained therein. For example, all ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the endpoints, and the endpoints are combinable independently of each other. The term "fastening" as used herein refers to the use of mechanical means (e.g., screws, bolts, adhesives, brazing, welding, or other methods) to securely attach or connect two or more components together to ensure stability and integrity in their assembled state. The term "monolithic" as used herein, when used with respect to a component or structure, refers to a component or structure formed from a single piece of