Gas turbine engines produce air that may be ducted for use in various parts of the engine and/or external applications, for example, in other portions of an aircraft. Duct systems typically include flexible joint assemblies to accommodate irregular internal passages, hardware, and machinery. These joint assemblies also provide flexibility during installation and operation. During operation, high temperature and pressure fluctuations and acceleration and deceleration forces may result in stresses on the duct sections and joint assemblies.
Conventional joint assemblies may have some disadvantages. For example, some conventional joint assemblies may not be able to sufficiently accommodate stresses within the duct system. Particularly, operating stresses such as those occurring during hard landings may be an issue. Gimbal joint assemblies allow some movement to accommodate the stresses. However, most conventional gimbal joint assemblies only allow limited movement in a limited number of directions, which may not sufficiently accommodate stresses and/or transfer the stresses to other, undesirable portions of the aircraft. Some designers may attempt to overdesign the components of the duct system to react out excessive stresses, but this results in a heavier, more complex, more expensive, and less efficient engine and aircraft designs. In effect, these types of systems may only transfer the loads to undesired portions of the aircraft instead of accommodating the stresses in the appropriate location.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provided improved joint assemblies that more advantageously accommodate stresses within the duct system. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds