Patent GB-1047517-A (GB)
Title: Aircraft gas turbine engine control system
Inventor: TYLER STANLEY RALPH
IPC: F02K3/00
Filed: 1963-05-24
Abstract: 1,047,517. Gas turbine jet engines; centrifugal pumps. DOWTY FUEL SYSTEMS Ltd. May 22, 1964 [May 24, 1963], No. 20767/63. Headings F1C and F1J. [Also in Division G3] A control system for an aircraft gas turbine engine having reheat burners and an adjustable area jet nozzle comprises a latch device capable of locking the jet nozzle against enlargement and means responsive to light-up of the reheat burners to unlatch the adjustable jet nozzle to permit jet nozzle enlargement. The system comprises essentially a pilot's reheat control lever 88, Fig. 6 which acts through a floating lever 82 to control the opening of the pivoted flaps 6 and 7 of the propulsion nozzle Fig. 1, also to control the supply of fuel to the reheat fuel manifolds 3, 4, 5 disposed within the nozzle. The first of these control aspects is by way of a plunger 77 acting through a lever 75 pivotably mounted about a fixed point 76, the lever acting to position the spool valve 45 of a control 42 which controls flow of pressure fluid from pump 22 through line 63 to one of the lines 39, 41, these lines leading to the upper and lower ends of the spool valve 27 of the servo valve assembly 25, Fig. 7. The spool valve 25 in turn controls flow of pressure fluid from the pump 22 to one of the lines 18, 19 which lead to the actuators 14, 15 of the adjustable flaps 6, 7 of the propulsion nozzle, Fig. 1. The plunger 77 is however latched against downward movement in response to movement of the lever 88 by means of a spring-loaded detent 148 which engages in corresponding notches 145, 146, 147 in the plunger, and the plunger can only move downwardly to bring about increased area of the propulsion nozzle as called for by movement of the lever 88, when the spring-loaded detent is disengaged from the plunger. Such disengagement is brought about by means responsive to light-up of the reheat burners, and comprising a piston 139 which is acted on at its right-hand side by fluid the pressure of which increases with increase in the pressure downstream of the turbine. The rod 142 of the piston 139 has an extension which engages the detent 148 upon leftward movement of the piston whereby the plunger 77 is released. The fluid which acts on the right-hand side of the piston 139 is conveyed through line 143 from the unit shown in Fig. 5. This comprises basically a piston 168 which is responsive to the pressure difference across the turbine, the arrangement being such that if the pressure downstream of the turbine (i.e. in the reheat combustion section) should increase with respect to that upstream of the turbine so indicating that light-up in the reheat chamber had occurred, then the piston 168 will move downwardly and the orifice 193 which co-operates with the surface of a cam 194 will close or partly close whereby the pressure in the line 143 will increase. The piston 139 will therefore act to unlatch the plunger 77 with the consequential increase in area of the propulsion nozzle, the plunger moving in steps which correspond to lighting up in turn of the several reheat fuel burners. A feed back device is provided which comprises a lever 21 connected to the piston rod 16 of the flap actuator 14, 15, Fig. 1, and a linkage 71, Fig. 6, which acting through cam 68 and leak-off device 66 acts to restore the displacement of the sleeve 44 with respect to the spool valve 45. The floating lever 82 also acts to control flow of reheat fuel to the several manifolds 3, 4, 5, the lever bearing at a central point on a plunger 93 which carries three spring-loaded plungers 132, 133, 134 which co-operate with pivoted levers 118, 119, 121 the levers co-operating with servo-vents 115, 116, 117 to control flow of reheat fuel to the third manifold, the second manifold and the first manifold, all respectively. In the position shown, the vents 117 and 116 are closed so pressure in the lines 376 and 377 is building up, whilst the vent 115 is still open so pressure in line 378 is not building up. The opening movement of the levers 121, 119 and 118 is controlled in stages, the spring loaded plungers 134, 133 and 132 being moved to the left to disengage from the levers by means of the rod 137 which is connected by rod 138 to the piston 139. The line 376 is connected to line 525, see Fig. 3, by which high pressure fuel from the main fuel system of the engine is supplied, the line 376 extending also to the space beneath the piston 537 of the shut-off valve unit so that when the vent 117 is closed, pressure in the line 376 and so below the piston 537 increases, the piston rises and so opens the valve 534 whereby fuel at boost pressure may flow into the reheat fuel pump 511 and be discharged therefrom through the line 215. The line 215 connects to the unit 216, Fig. 9, which controls flow of fuel to line 217 and so to the first reheat manifold 3. The unit comprises a sleeve valve 219 having an orifice 223 which co-operates with a port 222 in the cylinder to constitute a metering orifice, the position of the valve being controlled by a servo device comprising a piston 224, a pivotally mounted lever 232 which controls a pair of servo vents 244, 245, the lever being actuated by a pair of bellows 234, 235, the bellows 234 being evacuated and bellows 235 connected through line 238 to unit 397, Fig. 8, which supplies a pressure proportional to compressor discharge pressure. The unit 229 shown in Fig. 9 is responsive to pressure difference across the throttle valve 222, 223 the unit acting to control leak-off of pressure fluid through line 527 from the chamber at the left-hand side of the servo-piston 523 of the reheat fuel pump 511, Fig. 3. If the pressure difference across the throttle valve 223, 222 should rise, the lever 248 will act to close the leak-off 228, pressure in the line 527 and chamber to the left of the piston 523 will increase, the piston 523 and so the valve sleeve 524 will move to the right so closing off the inlet port 516 to the pump impeller. Fuel from the pump discharge line 215 passes also through line 259, see Fig. 4 to the control unit 258 for the second reheat fuel manifold 4. The unit 258 comprises a sleeve valve 266 closed at both ends and disposed within a cylinder 262 for rotational as well as longitudinal movement. The sleeve has a port 294 which co-operates with a port 261 in the cylinder to constitute a fuel metering orifice. The sleeve 266 also has ports 295 which co-operate with ports 264 to form outlet orifices through which reheat fuel passes to line 265 and so to the second reheat manifold 4. The angular position of the sleeve 266 is controlled by the piston 272 which is responsive through line 377 to the opening of the servo-vent 116, Fig. 6, pressure fuel from the line 259 being passed through line 285 and filter 286 to the spaces above and below the piston 272, the space above the piston being connected through line 377 to the servo-vent 116. The position of the piston 272 and so the angular position of the sleeve 266 is controlled also by means of a pair of bellows 279, 281, the bellows 279 being evacuated and bellows 281 being connected through line 282 to the restrictor unit 407, Fig. 8. Pressure of fuel within the line 259 is applied also through line 285, filter 286 and restrictions 309, 311 to the spaces at either end of the sleeve 266 and these pressures are applied also to the leak-off devices 314, 315 of the vent unit 296, also shown on Fig. 4. The lever 299 controlling the leak-offs 314, 315 and so also the axial position of the sleeve 266 is controlled by bellows 303 in response to pressure difference across the metering orifice 294, 261 pressure in the line 259 upstream of the orifice being conveyed to the chamber 297 through line 256, and pressure downstream of the orifice, that is within the sleeve 266 being conveyed through line 306 to the interior of the bellows. Fuel from the line 259 passes also to the flow control unit 321 for flow of reheat fuel to the third manifold, see Fig. 2, this unit being similar to that shown in Fig. 4. The sleeve valve 324 is formed with a port 328 which co-operates with the port 320 to constitute a metering orifice, the ports in the position shown being out of alignment so that no fuel is passing into the sleeve. The sleeve also has ports 329 which co-operate with ports 325 through which fuel may flow (when the ports overlap) through line 322 and so to the third reheat fuel manifold 5, Fig. 1. The angular position of the sleeve is controlled by piston 333 which is responsive through line 378 to the position of the lever 118 with respect to the leak-off 115 Fig. 6. With the leak-off open as shown pressure has not built-up above the piston 333 and so the sleeve 324 has not been rotated to the open position. The position of the piston and so of the sleeve 324 is controlled also by the pressure communicated through line 346 from the restrictor unit 416, Fig. 8 to the bellows 342 which co-operates with the evacuated bellows 343 to control the position of the lever 338 with respect to the leak-offs 349, 351 connected to the spaces above and below the piston 333 respectively. A servo device 356 responsive to the pressure difference across the metering orifice 320, 328 is provided to control the leak-offs 369, 371 which are connected to the spaces at the right-hand and left-hand ends respectively of the sleeve 324 thus acting to control the axial position of the sleeve. The assembly of restrictor units 397, 407, 416 shown in Fig. 8 which acts to provide control pressures through the lines 238, 282 and 346 for the flow control units 216, 258 and 321, Figs. 9, 4 and 2 respectively comprises three tapered needles 402, 411 and 419 which co-operate with orifices in chambers to which compressor discharge pressure is applied through line 182 the pressures in the chambers 398, 408 and 417 downstream of the orifices being proportional to the compressor discharge pressure dependent on the axial position of the respective nee