Patent ID: 6449952
Filing Date: 2002-09-17
Classification: F01D,F23R,Y02T

Abstract:
A cowl for directing flow of air entering a combustor of a gas turbine engine and which is removable from the combustor without disassembling the combustor, the combustor having an annular, hollow chamber defined by an annular dome at an upstream end of the chamber, an inner liner extending downstream of the dome at a radially inner side of the chamber, an outer liner extending downstream of the dome at a radially outer side of the chamber, and a plurality of fasteners for attaching the dome, inner liner, and outer liner in an assembled condition, the dome having a plurality of circumferentially spaced first fastener holes, and the inner and outer liner each having a plurality of circumferentially spaced second fastener holes generally alignable with the first fastener holes forming pairs of first and second holes for receiving said fasteners, the cowl comprising:an annular cowl body for guiding flow of air entering the combustor; a mounting rim on the cowl body for attaching the cowl to the combustor in an operative position wherein the cowl body extends upstream of the dome, said mounting rim having a plurality of circumferentially spaced third fastener holes generally corresponding with said pairs of first and second holes, the third fastener holes being alignable with said corresponding pairs in said operative position to receive said fasteners commonly and simultaneously through first, second, and third fastener holes; and at least one notch in the mounting rim having an edge defining the notch and an open mouth, said at least one notch being sized larger than a third fastener hole and being configured such that when the cowl is in said operative position, the notch is aligned with a corresponding pair of first and second fastener holes with the edge of the notch spaced outwardly from said holes such that one of said fasteners is receivable in said pair of first and second holes without engaging the mounting rim, said at least one notch allowing the cowl to be installed on or removed from said operative position while the dome, inner liner, and outer liner are held in said assembled condition.