Flange bending support

Abstract

An injector includes a mounting flange having a mounting lug with fastener bore therethrough that passes through the mounting flange. A support beam extends along an outer surface of the mounting flange from the mounting lug to a hub of the mounting flange. The support beam includes an outer surface spaced apart from the outer surface of the mounting flange and two opposed lateral surfaces each extending from the outer surface of the support beam toward the outer surface of the mounting flange. The outer surface of the support beam includes a contour and/or the support beam includes a stiffening beam that is wider than the width between the opposed lateral surfaces of the support beam.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of installing an injector in an engine case comprising:
 tightening a fastener passing through a mounting lug of a mounting flange on an injector to fasten the injector to an engine case, wherein there is a gasket and a shroud compressed by an inner surface of the mounting flange in a pocket of the engine case, wherein tightening the fastener loads the mounting flange without causing failure because the mounting flange is supported by a support beam extending from a hub of the mounting flange to the mounting lug, wherein the support beam has at least one of:   an outer surface with a contour extending along a majority of the length from the first mounting lug to the hub for mitigating mechanical stresses at the mounting lug; and/or   a stiffening beam extending from opposed lateral surfaces of the support beam to an outer surface of the mounting flange wherein the stiffening beam is wider than the width between the opposed lateral surfaces.   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein tightening a fastener includes tightening two fasteners into two diametrically opposed mounting lugs of the mounting flange, wherein a respective first and second support beam as recited in  claim 1  extends from the hub to each mounting lug. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the support beam includes a contour with a blended radius that extends along a majority of the length from the first mounting lug to the hub for mitigating mechanical stresses at the first mounting lug. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 3 , wherein the support beam further comprises:
 a second mounting lug with a fastener bore therethrough that passes through the mounting flange; and   a second support beam extending along the outer surface of the mounting flange from the second mounting lug to the hub of the mounting flange, wherein the second support beam includes an outer surface spaced apart from the outer surface of the mounting flange and two opposed lateral surfaces each extending from the outer surface of the second support beam toward the outer surface of the mounting flange, wherein the outer surface of the second support beam includes a contour with a blended radius for mitigating mechanical stresses at the second mounting lug.   
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the first and second lugs are diametrically opposed to one another across the hub of the mounting flange. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the support beam includes a stiffening beam extending from the lateral surfaces of the support beam to the outer surface of the mounting flange, wherein the stiffening beam is wider than the width between the opposed lateral surfaces of the support beam. 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the contour of the outer surface of the first support beam is tangent with an outer surface of the first mounting lug. 
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the first support beam includes a flat portion extending from the hub to the contour. 
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the contour meets the flat portion of the outer surface of the support beam at a non-tangential angle. 
     
     
         10 . The method as recited in  claim 6 , wherein over 75% of the outer surface of the support beam is included in the contour, and under 25% of the outer surface of the support beam is included in the flat portion.