US 12,467,469 B2
Ram air fan including additively manufactured heat exchanger insert
Craig Beers, Wethersfield, CT (US); and Brent Merritt, Southwick, MA (US)
Assigned to HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION, Charlotte, NC (US)
Filed by Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation, Charlotte, NC (US)
Filed on May 3, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/654,591.
Prior Publication US 2025/0341217 A1, Nov. 6, 2025
Int. Cl. F04D 29/053 (2006.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 80/00 (2015.01); F04D 19/00 (2006.01); F04D 29/056 (2006.01); F04D 29/58 (2006.01)
CPC F04D 29/053 (2013.01) [F04D 19/00 (2013.01); F04D 29/056 (2013.01); F04D 29/5806 (2013.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 80/00 (2014.12)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A ram air journal bearing shaft comprising:
an additively manufactured metal body having a main body portion and a journal bearing portion, wherein the main body portion and the journal bearing portion are coaxial along a first axis and are additively manufactured of a single metal material,
at least a first set of heat exchanger fins extending from an outer diameter of the ram air journal bearing shaft to a tie rod support wall defining an inner diameter tie rod passage, the tie rod support wall being a full circumferential ring, each heat exchanger fins in the first set of heat exchanger fins being additively manufactured as an integral structure to the additively manufactured metal body and being additively manufacture of the single metal material; and
a set of cooling air passages disposed circumferentially about the first axis, each cooling air passage being defined between adjacent heat exchanger fins of the first set of heat exchanger fins and wherein the ram air journal bearing shaft is configured such that a cooling flowpath through the cooling air passages is established.