IP Library Granted Patent US 12,372,011
Granted Patent B2
US 12,372,011 · App. 17/829,444 · Granted Jul 29, 2025

Bearing chamber housing for a turbomachine

Inventors: Florian Neuberger (Dorfen, DE); Daniel Kirchner (Dachau, DE); Georg Kempinger (Eching, DE); Stephan Doeppl (Eichenau, DE); Kaspar Wolf (Munich, DE)
Assignee: MTU Aero Engines AG
F01D25/162F01D25/18F05D2220/323F05D2230/60F05D2260/98
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,372,011
App. No.
17/829,444
Granted
Jul 29, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A bearing chamber housing ( 20 ) for bearing a shaft ( 3 ) of a turbomachine ( 1 ), including a housing outer shell ( 21 ) that delimits an oil chamber ( 33 ) of the bearing chamber housing ( 20 ) radially outwardly in relation to a rotational axis ( 4 ) of the shaft ( 3 ), and a housing inner shell ( 22 ) for bearing the shaft ( 3 ). The housing inner shell ( 22 ) is radially connected to the housing outer shell ( 21 ) via support ribs ( 23 ) that in each case extend axially, at least in part, and the housing inner shell ( 22 ), the housing outer shell ( 21 ), and two support ribs ( 23 ) that are next-adjacent to one another jointly delimit a cavity ( 41 ) that is axially open at the rear, and thus lead into a rear opening ( 32 ). The rear opening ( 32 ), viewed in tangential sections, has a clearance ( 35 ) in each case that constitutes at least 50% of a circumferential distance ( 43 ) between the next-adjacent support ribs ( 23 ).

Claims (23)

1. A bearing chamber housing for bearing a shaft of a turbomachine, the bearing chamber housing comprising:

a housing outer shell delimiting an oil chamber of the bearing chamber housing radially outwardly in relation to a rotational axis of the shaft; and

a housing inner shell for bearing the shaft;

the housing inner shell being radially connected to the housing outer shell via support ribs in each case extending axially, at least in part, and

the housing inner shell, the housing outer shell and two of the support ribs next-adjacent to one another jointly delimiting a cavity axially open at a rear, and thus leading into a rear opening,

the rear opening, in a tangential sectional view, having a clearance constituting at least 50% of a circumferential distance between the two support ribs, measured at a middle position between the housing inner shell and housing outer shell;

wherein a fluid channel is integrated into one of the two support ribs; and

an oil nozzle, the fluid channel transporting oil to the oil nozzle, the oil nozzle supplying a bearing with oil.

2. The bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 wherein the two support ribs each include two side faces, opposite one another in the circumferential direction, in each case converging solely convexly or concavely up to 75° with respect to a center axis of the bearing chamber housing, at an axially rear end of the particular support rib.

3. The bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of the two support ribs has a wall thickness, taken in the circumferential direction, variable over an axial extension or radial extension of the at least one support rib.

4. The bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of the two support ribs differ in wall thicknesses, and as a result have different average wall thicknesses.

5. The bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of the two support ribs, viewed in an axial section plane, has a front edge forming an angle of at least 20° and at most 80° with the housing inner shell and the housing outer shell.

6. The bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of the two support ribs, viewed in an axial section plane, has a rear edge forming an angle of at least 20° and at most 80° with the housing inner shell and the housing outer shell.

7. The bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 wherein an overall number of the support ribs is at least 3 and at most 200.

8. The bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 wherein the fluid channel has a nonlinear extension, at least in sections.

9. The bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 wherein the fluid channel also is integrated into the housing inner shell.

10. A turbine intermediate housing for a turbomachine comprising the bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 .

11. A method for manufacturing the bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 , the method comprising generatively building up jointly the housing inner shell, the housing outer shell, and the support ribs.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the housing inner shell, the housing outer shell, and the support ribs are generatively built up from front to rear in the axial direction.

13. A method comprising using the bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 as a bearing chamber housing for a turbomachine.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the turbomachine is an aircraft engine.

15. A method for operating the bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 1 comprising flowing oil through the fluid channel.

16. A method for operating the bearing chamber housing as recited in claim 9 comprising flowing oil through the fluid channel.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 23, 2022
From: DOEPPL, STEPHAN; KEMPINGER, GEORG; KIRCHNER, DANIEL; NEUBERGER, FLORIAN; WOLF, KASPAR
To: MTU AERO ENGINES AG
Reel/Frame 061193/0026 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 102021115229.1 · Jun 11, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220397039A1 · Dec 15, 2022
References Cited (19)
US 2882105A · Broadbent · 1959 [cited by examiner]
US 6983608B2 · Allen et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 9500230B2 · Hiller · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 10036279B2 · Ertas et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10794222B1 · Ganiger · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20160326959A1 · Burnside · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20190301302A1 · Eastwood et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200080435A1 · Durocher · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200096041A1 · Wojtyczka · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200256213A1 · Throughton et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210016498A1 · Ovaere et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210033003A1 · Ovaere et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210215066A1 · Lefebvre · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210348522A1 · Demitraszek, Sr. · 2021 [cited by examiner]
EP 0251125B1 · 1989 [cited by applicant]
GB 2136886A · 1984 [cited by applicant]
JP 2005180418A · 2005 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2019180363A1 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2019180365A1 · 2019 [cited by applicant]