COMBUSTOR MOUNTING STRUCTURES FOR GAS TURBINE ENGINES

Combustor mounting structures for gas turbine engines (300) include a shell portion (326) defining an outer ring arranged at an outer radius relative to a central axis, a combustor connection element (320) defining an inner ring arranged at an inner radius that is less than the outer radius relative to the central axis, and a plurality of struts (328) extending radially between and connecting the shell portion (326) to the combustor connection element (320), wherein one or more flow apertures are defined between the shell portion (326) and the combustor connection element (320) in a radial direction and between adjacent struts of the plurality of struts (328) in a circumferential direction.