A gas turbine engine typically includes a fan section, and a core engine with a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section. Air entering the compressor section is compressed and delivered into the combustion section where it is mixed with fuel and ignited to generate a high-speed exhaust gas flow. The high-speed exhaust gas flow expands through the turbine section to drive the compressor and the fan section.
Some compressor sections may include a front architecture with a stator vane assembly that supports stator vanes relative to inner and outer fairings with a rubber potting. As there may be no mechanical fasteners that secure the vanes within the fairings, assembly may be relatively difficult and time consuming. Current assembly tools may be relatively delicate in that but little pressure on vane ends may move the vane off of the fixture such that the vanes may tend to lift from the fixture. This may effect accurate location of the vanes within the stator vane assembly and thus the front architecture.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds