Automated bracket design
Automated bracket design
Keywords: Automation, Gas turbines
Applicant: General Electric CompanyPatent number: US5689435Publication date: 18 November 1997Title: System and methods for automated bracket design
This invention describes a design system for designing brackets for gas turbine engines. Sheet metal brackets are designed to mount tubing and other accessories to a gas turbine engine. The brackets are bent into shape from a flat pattern and may be made from a single piece or the bracket may include welded gussets or braces. The bracket complexity may range from a single bend with no welds to up to about 20 bends with numerous welded gussets and bend reliefs. Nut plates, clips and spacers may also be welded or riveted to the brackets. It would be desirable to provide an automated system specifically configured for aiding in the design of brackets for gas turbine engines, and specifically for gas turbine engines used in aircraft and marine applications. It would also be desirable to provide such a system which includes functions that simplify and speed up the design and detailing of such brackets. The system may be implemented with a computer workstation and includes a part model library and a drawing note library. The computer workstation is configured to receive a bracket model in electronic form as input and has a number of executable modules stored therein. The system outputs a bracket master model and detail drawings. In one embodiment, the modules include a bracket intelligence builder module for generating intelligence data for the bracket model, a bracket unfolding module for unfolding a bracket model to a flat pattern, a bracket folding module to fold a bracket flat pattern, and a bracket minimum material check module to check for minimum distances between bracket pattern features. Other modules also are described and may form elements of the system.
