Serrated outer surface for vortex initiation within the compressor stage of a gas turbine

A compressor for a gas turbine engine, the compressor comprising:

• a plurality of rotors coaxially disposed within a case, each rotor including a disk having a radially inward end that includes a hub and a radially outward end that includes an outer rim, each outer rim is coupled to at least one radially outwardly extending rotor blade and each outer rim is also coupled to at least one other outer rim of at least one adjacent disk, each radially outwardly extending rotor blade terminating at a tip disposed proximate to an interior surface of the case;
• the case being coupled to a plurality of radially inwardly extending stator vanes, each of the plurality of radially inwardly extending stator vanes extending towards one of the outer rims and terminating at a tip spaced from one of the outer rims;
• a plurality of the outer rims including a serrated outer surface, each serrated outer surface facing the tip of one of the stator vanes;
• and
• the serrated outer surfaces each including a plurality of coaxial grooves separated by lands with each land being flat and disposed between two grooves of the plurality of coaxial grooves, the two grooves of the plurality of coaxial grooves each being defined by a bottom surface area extending between two opposing side walls, the two opposing sidewalls extending simultaneously and axially from the bottom surface area in a direction towards air that is travelling into the axially flow compressor and radially outward the radial inward end of the disk such that as air is traveling through the compressor in an aft direction leakage in a clearance between each serrated surface and a respective one of the plurality of radially inwardly extending stator vanes will create multiple vortices that force gases to flow past a body of the respective one of the plurality of radially inward extending stator vanes as opposed to passing along the tip of the respective one of the plurality of radially inward extending stator vanes.

A gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a high-pressure compressor disposed between a low-pressure compressor and a combustor, the high-pressure compressor being coaxially coupled to a high-pressure turbine for rotation with the high-pressure turbine;
• the high-pressure compressor including a plurality of rotors coaxially disposed within a case, each rotor including a disk having a radially inward end and a radially outward end that includes an outer rim, each outer rim is coupled to a radially outwardly extending rotor blade and to at least one other outer rim of at least one adjacent disk, each radially outwardly extending rotor blade terminating at a tip spaced from an interior surface of the case;
• the case being coupled to a plurality of radially inwardly extending stator vanes, each of the plurality of radially inwardly extending stator vanes extending towards one of the outer rims and terminating at a tip spaced from one of the outer rims;
• a plurality of the outer rims each including a serrated outer surface, each serrated outer surface facing the tip of one of the stator vanes each serrated outer surface including a plurality of coaxial grooves separated by lands with each land being flat and disposed between two grooves of the plurality of coaxial grooves, the two grooves of the plurality of coaxial grooves each being defined by a bottom surface area extending between two opposing side walls, the two opposing sidewalls extending simultaneously and axially from the bottom surface area in a direction towards air that is travelling into the axially flow compressor and radially outward from a radial inward end of the disk such that as air is traveling through the high-pressure compressor in an aft direction leakage in a clearance between each serrated outer surface facing the tip of one of the plurality of radially inwardly extending stator vanes will create multiple vortices that force gases to flow past a body of the one of the plurality of radially inwardly extending stator vanes as opposed to passing along the tip of the one of the plurality of radially inwardly extending stator vanes.