Gas turbine engine forward bearing compartment architecture
View Patent ↗A gas turbine engine includes a front center body case structure. A geared architecture is at least partially supported by the front center body case structure. A bearing structure is mounted to the front center body case structure to rotationally support a shaft driven by the geared architecture, the shaft drive a fan. A bearing compartment passage structure is in communication with the bearing structure through the front center body case structure. A method is also disclosed.
1. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a front center body case structure;
a geared architecture at least partially supported by said front center body case structure;
a bearing structure mounted to said front center body case structure to rotationally support a shaft driven by said geared architecture, said shaft for driving a fan; and
a bearing compartment passage structure in communication with said bearing structure through said front center body case structure.
2. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein said bearing structure includes a seal.
3. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein said bearing structure includes a bearing.
4. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein said bearing compartment passage structure includes a hollow front center body strut.
5. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 4 , wherein said hollow front center body strut is in fluid communication with a fan rotor bearing support structure which at least partially supports said bearing structure.
6. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a conditioning device in communication with said bearing compartment passage structure.
7. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 6 , wherein said conditioning device is a heat exchanger.
8. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 6 , wherein said conditioning device is in communication with a high pressure compressor.
9. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 8 , wherein said high pressure compressor is axially downstream of said geared architecture.
10. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 6 , wherein said conditioning device is radially outboard of a low pressure compressor.
11. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 10 , wherein said low pressure compressor is downstream of said geared architecture.
12. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein said bearing structure is axially between said fan and said geared architecture.
13. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 12 , wherein said front center body case structure defines a core flow path for a core airflow.
14. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein there are three turbine rotors, with a most downstream of said three turbine rotors driving said geared architecture.
15. A method of communicating a buffer supply air for a gas turbine engine comprising:
communicating a buffer supply air across a core flow path; and
communicating the buffer supply air through a hollow front center body strut of a front center body case structure which defines the core flow path, the hollow front center body strut within the core flow path.
16. The method as recited in claim 15 , further comprising:
communicating the buffer supply air to a bearing compartment forward of a geared architecture.
17. The method as recited in claim 15 , further comprising:
communicating the buffer supply air through a conditioning device upstream of the hollow front center body strut.
18. The method as recited in claim 15 , further comprising:
communicating the buffer supply air to a bearing structure mounted to a front center body case structure which defines the core flow path, the bearing structure rotationally supporting a shaft driven by a geared architecture.
19. The method as recited in claim 18 , further comprising:
driving a fan through the geared architecture, the bearing structure axially located between the fan and the geared architecture.
20. A method of communicating a buffer supply air for a gas turbine engine comprising:
communicating a buffer supply air across a core flow path;
communicating the buffer supply air to a bearing structure mounted to a front center body case structure which defines the core flow path, the bearing structure rotationally supporting a shaft driven by a geared architecture;
driving a fan through the geared architecture, the bearing structure axially located between the fan and the geared architecture; and
communicating the buffer supply air to a spinner supported by the fan.