Clamping system and method for thrust reverser attachment
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B05B-012/00
F02K-003/02
F02K-001/54
F02C-007/20
출원번호
US-0325203
(2011-12-14)
등록번호
US-8479491
(2013-07-09)
발명자
/ 주소
Stuart, Alan Roy
Fehrmann, John Robert
출원인 / 주소
General Electric Company
대리인 / 주소
General Electric Company
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
1인용 특허 :
3
초록▼
A method and system suitable facilitating the connection and disconnection of a thrust reverser assembly to a fan case of a nacelle of a gas turbine engine. The method and system entail operating a clamping system to simultaneously engage and disengage flanges associated with the fan case and flange
A method and system suitable facilitating the connection and disconnection of a thrust reverser assembly to a fan case of a nacelle of a gas turbine engine. The method and system entail operating a clamping system to simultaneously engage and disengage flanges associated with the fan case and flanges associated with the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly. The clamping system includes a plurality of over-center clamping mechanisms, each of which is movable to simultaneously clamp together complementary flanges of the thrust reverser assembly and the fan case.
대표청구항▼
1. A gas turbine engine having a nacelle comprising a fan case and a thrust reverser assembly disposed axially aft of the fan case, the thrust reverser assembly comprising a fixed structure configured to be translated to separate from the fan case, the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly
1. A gas turbine engine having a nacelle comprising a fan case and a thrust reverser assembly disposed axially aft of the fan case, the thrust reverser assembly comprising a fixed structure configured to be translated to separate from the fan case, the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly being capable of coupling and decoupling from the fan case with a clamping system, the clamping system comprising: flanges associated with the fan case; andflanges associated with the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly and adapted for simultaneous mating with the flanges of the fan case when the fan case and the thrust reverser assembly are axially moved into engagement with each other; anda plurality of over-center clamping mechanisms, a first of the over-center clamping mechanisms being mounted to the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly and adapted to clamp a first of the flanges of the fixed structure with a first of the flanges of the fan case, a second of the over-center clamping mechanisms being mounted to the fan case and adapted to clamp a second of the flanges of the fixed structure with a second of the flanges of the fan case. 2. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of over-center clamping mechanisms alternate between being mounted to the fan case or to the fixed structure. 3. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein circumferentially opposite ends of the plurality of over-center clamping mechanisms overlap each other. 4. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second over-center clamping mechanisms comprises: a clamping segment extending over a circumferential portion of the nacelle;a pivot link at a first circumferential end of the clamping segment; andan over-center link at an oppositely-disposed second circumferential end of the clamping segment, the over-center link cooperating with the pivot link to induce an over-center toggle operation in the clamping segment. 5. The gas turbine engine according to claim 4, wherein the pivot link of the first over-center clamping mechanism is axially aligned with at least one of the pivot or over-center links of the second over-center clamping mechanism. 6. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein each of the flanges associated with the fan case and the fixed structure extends over a circumferential portion of the nacelle. 7. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein each of the flanges associated with the fan case and the fixed structure projects in a radially outward direction of the gas turbine engine. 8. The gas turbine engine according to claim 7, wherein the flanges associated with the fan case and the fixed structure lie in planes that are parallel to each other. 9. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein the first and second flanges of the fan case are circumferentially and axially offset from each other relative to an axis of the gas turbine engine, and the first and second flanges of the fixed structure are circumferentially and axially offset from each other relative to the axis of the gas turbine engine. 10. The gas turbine engine according to claim 1, wherein the clamping system further comprises a cutout through which conduits can be routed through the clamping system and between the fan case and the fixed structure. 11. A gas turbine engine having a nacelle comprising a fan case and a thrust reverser assembly disposed axially aft of the fan case, the thrust reverser assembly comprising a fixed structure configured to be translated to separate from the fan case, the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly being capable of coupling and decoupling from the fan case with a clamping system, the clamping system comprising: flanges associated with the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly, the flanges comprising at least one first flange portion that extends around a first circumferential portion of the nacelle and at least one second flange portion that extends around a second circumferential portion of the nacelle and is circumferentially and axially offset from the first flange portion;flanges associated with the fan case and comprising at least one first flange portion that extends around the first circumferential portion of the nacelle and at least one second flange portion that extends around the second circumferential portion of the nacelle and is circumferentially and axially offset from the first flange portion of the fan case, the first and second flange portions of the fan case being adapted to simultaneous mate with the first and second flange portions, respectively, of the fixed structure when the fan case and the thrust reverser assembly are axially moved into engagement with each other; anda plurality of over-center clamping mechanisms that are circumferentially and axially offset from each other, a first of the over-center clamping mechanisms being mounted to the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly and adapted to clamp the first flange portion of the fixed structure with the first flange portion of the fan case, a second of the over-center clamping mechanisms being mounted to the fan case and adapted to clamp the second flange portion of the fixed structure with the second flange portion of the fan case. 12. The gas turbine engine according to claim 11, wherein each of the first and second over-center clamping mechanisms comprises: a clamping segment extending over one of the first or second circumferential portions of the nacelle;a pivot link at a first circumferential end of the clamping segment thereof; andan over-center link at an oppositely-disposed second circumferential end of the clamping segment thereof, the over-center link cooperating with the pivot link to induce an over-center toggle operation in the clamping segment. 13. The gas turbine engine according to claim 11, wherein: the flanges associated with the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly comprise a plurality of the first flange portion and a plurality of the second flange portion that are circumferentially and axially offset from the first flange portions of the fixed structure;the flanges associated with the fan case comprise a plurality of the first flange portion and a plurality of the second flange portion that are circumferentially and axially offset from the first flange portions of the fan case; andthe first flange portions of the fan case and the fixed structure define first complementary pairs of flange portions, and the second flange portions of the fan case and the fixed structure define second complementary pairs of flange portions. 14. The gas turbine engine according to claim 11, wherein each of the flanges associated with the fan case and the fixed structure projects in a radially outward direction of the gas turbine engine, and the flanges associated with the fan case and the fixed structure lie in planes that are parallel to each other. 15. The gas turbine engine according to claim 11, wherein circumferentially opposite ends of the plurality of over-center clamping mechanisms overlap each other. 16. A method of coupling and decoupling a fan case and a thrust reverser assembly of a nacelle of a gas turbine engine, the thrust reverser assembly being disposed axially aft of the fan case, the thrust reverser assembly comprising a fixed structure configured to be translated to separate from the fan case, flanges associated with the fan case, a clamping system comprising: flanges associated with the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly and adapted to simultaneous mating with the flanges of the fan case when the fan case and the thrust reverser assembly are axially moved into engagement with each other, a plurality of over-center clamping mechanisms, a first of the over-center clamping mechanisms being mounted to the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly and adapted to clamp a first of the flanges of the fixed structure with a first of the flanges of the fan case, a second of the over-center clamping mechanisms being mounted to the fan case and adapted to clamp a second of the flanges of the fixed structure with a second of the flanges of the fan case, the method comprising: operating the clamping system to simultaneously engage at least one flange associated with the fan case and at least one flange associated with the fixed structure of the thrust reverser assembly, the operating step comprising movement of at least one over-center clamping mechanism to simultaneously clamp together the at least one flanges of the fan case and the fixed structure. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein each of the over-center clamping mechanisms is adapted to simultaneously engage and disengage a complementary pair of the flanges associated with the fan case and the fixed structure, and the operating step comprises movement of each of the over-center clamping mechanisms to clamp together the complementary pairs of the flanges of the fan case and the fixed structure. 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the operating step comprises individually moving each of the over-center clamping mechanisms to clamp together individual complementary pairs of the flanges of the fan case and the fixed structure. 19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the over-center clamping mechanisms are circumferentially and axially offset from each other relative to an axis of the gas turbine engine. 20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: operating each of the over-center clamping mechanisms to disengage the complementary pairs of the flanges of the fan case and the fixed structure; and thentranslating the fixed structure to separate the thrust reverser assembly from the fan case.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (3)
Sherry Philip David,GBX ; Welsh Robert,GBX ; Johnson Kenneth Henry,GBX, Aircraft propulsive power unit assembly having a leading edge lipskin and intake barrel.
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