General Electric Company
Bearing damper for cold engine ground starts or in-flight re-starts

Abstract:

Dampers for bearing assemblies of gas turbine engines are provided. For example, a damper comprises a damper housing, a lubricant passage defined in the damper housing, and a valve positioned within the lubricant passage. The lubricant passage includes an inlet and an outlet. In one embodiment, the valve is configured to restrict a flow of lubricant from the inlet into the damper when a reference temperature is below a threshold temperature. In another embodiment, the valve is configured to increase leakage of a lubricant through the outlet when a reference temperature is below a threshold temperature. In other embodiments, the valve is passively actuated and is configured to move within the lubricant passage to control a flow of lubricant from the inlet to the outlet based on a reference temperature.