US 12,421,871 B2
Bearing support assembly
Prashant Bhujabal, Bengaluru (IN); Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Bengaluru (IN); Narayanan Payyoor, Thrissur (IN); Mohankumar Banakar, Bengaluru (IN); and Weize Kang, Mason, OH (US)
Assigned to GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Evendale, OH (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Jan. 11, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/410,572.
Application 18/410,572 is a continuation of application No. 17/644,475, filed on Dec. 15, 2021, granted, now 11,891,905.
Claims priority of application No. 202111039755 (IN), filed on Sep. 2, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0151158 A1, May 9, 2024
Int. Cl. F01D 25/16 (2006.01); F01D 5/06 (2006.01); F02C 7/06 (2006.01)
CPC F01D 25/162 (2013.01) [F01D 5/06 (2013.01); F02C 7/06 (2013.01); F05D 2240/54 (2013.01); F05D 2240/61 (2013.01); F05D 2260/40311 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A bearing support assembly configured to support one or more bearings on a shaft, the bearing support assembly comprising:
a bearing support frame configured to be coupled to a static frame;
a plurality of ribs connected to the bearing support frame; and
a bearing support connected to the plurality of ribs and configured to support a bearing of the one or more bearings,
wherein the bearing support assembly has a non-axisymmetric stiffness varying around a circumference of the bearing support assembly, the non-axisymmetric stiffness being achieved by at least one of (i) a split bearing support, (ii) a hybrid rib arrangement of the plurality of ribs, the hybrid rib arrangement including a combination of solid ribs, hollow ribs, hollow-filled ribs, or any combination thereof, (iii) at least one rib of the plurality of ribs having a different orientation than at least one other rib of the plurality of ribs, at least one of the plurality of ribs being movable (iv) a gap between the bearing support and the bearing support frame, (v) a bearing support having a nonsymmetric cross section, or (vi) a bearing supplemental support,
the non-axisymmetric stiffness resulting in a directional stiffness of the bearing support assembly, the directional stiffness of the bearing support assembly resulting in an active support of the bearings on the shaft at various locations around the circumference of the bearing support assembly based on the directional stiffness at one of the locations.