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US 10,294,799 B2Granted
Partial tip flag
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorBrandon W. Spangler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotor blade of a turbine engine may have internal passages to permit the travel of cooling air through the blade. These passages may include a tip flag, a serpentine channel, and a trailing edge channel. The tip flag may extend radially outward along the leading edge of the rotor blade and may turn axially aftward along the tip of the rotor blade. The tip flag may terminate forward of a portion of the serpentine channel and the trailing edge channel. Thus the tip flag may be a “partial tip flag.” The internal passages may be arranged to ameliorate the effect of ambient pressure variations, such as between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the rotor blade, on the flow travel of cooling air through the rotor blade.
Claims14
An airfoil comprising:
- a body defining:
- a tip flag comprising a tip flag channel running parallel to a leading edge of the airfoil, a longitudinal tip channel extending axially aftward along a radially outermost surface of the airfoil and terminating at a tip flag terminus, and a first tip flag channel turn comprising a 90-degree bend connecting the tip flag channel to the longitudinal tip channel, the tip flag configured to conduct cooling air through the body, wherein the tip flag terminus is axially forward of a trailing edge of the airfoil;
- a serpentine channel terminating at a serpentine channel terminus;
- a trailing edge channel terminating at a trailing edge channel terminus, the serpentine channel and the trailing edge channel configured to conduct cooling air through the airfoil;
- a tip channel core tie disposed in the longitudinal tip channel at the tip flag terminus and defining a through hole in the radially outermost surface of the airfoil;
- and
- a core tie disposed in the first tip flag channel turn and defining a through hole in the radially outermost surface of the airfoil;
- the tip flag terminus is axially forward of the serpentine channel terminus and the serpentine channel terminus is axially forward of the trailing edge channel terminus.
5 more elements
A turbine engine assembly comprising:
- a high-speed spool comprising a row of circumferentially rotating rotors;
- each rotor comprising a plurality of rotor blades;
- and
- each of the plurality of rotor blades comprising:
- a body defining a tip flag comprising a tip flag channel parallel to a leading edge of the rotor blade, a longitudinal tip channel extending axially aftward along a radially outermost surface of the rotor blade and terminating at the tip flag terminus, and a first tip flag channel turn comprising a 90-degree bend connecting the tip flag channel to the longitudinal tip channel, the tip flag configured to conduct cooling air through the body, wherein the tip flag terminus is axially forward of a trailing edge of the rotor blade;
- a serpentine channel and a trailing edge channel, each configured to conduct cooling air through the rotor blade with the serpentine channel terminating at a serpentine channel terminus and the trailing edge channel terminating at a trailing edge channel terminus;
- a tip channel core tie disposed in the longitudinal tip channel at the tip flag terminus and defining a through hole in the radially outermost surface of the rotor blade;
- and
- a core tie disposed in the first tip flag channel turn and defining a through hole in the radially outermost surface of the rotor blade;
- wherein the tip flag terminus is axially forward of the serpentine channel terminus and the serpentine channel terminus is axially forward of the trailing edge channel terminus.
7 more elements
A method of manufacturing an airfoil comprising:
- forming the airfoil having a body defining a tip flag comprising a tip flag channel parallel to a leading edge of the airfoil, a longitudinal tip channel extending axially aftward along a radially outermost surface of the airfoil and terminating at a tip flag terminus axially forward of a trailing edge of the airfoil, and a first tip flag channel turn comprising a 90-degree bend connecting the tip flag channel to the longitudinal tip channel, the tip flag configured to conduct cooling air through the body, wherein the tip flag terminates at the tip flag terminus axially forward of the trailing edge of the airfoil;
- forming a serpentine channel terminating at a serpentine channel terminus;
- forming a trailing edge channel terminating at a trailing edge channel terminus, the serpentine channel and the trailing edge channel configured to conduct cooling air through the airfoil;
- forming a tip channel core tie disposed in the longitudinal tip channel at the tip flag terminus and defining a through hole in the radially outermost surface of the airfoil;
- and
- forming a core tie disposed in the first tip flag channel turn and defining a through hole in the radially outermost surface of the airfoil, the tip flag terminus is axially forward of the serpentine channel terminus and the serpentine channel terminus is axially forward of the trailing edge channel terminus.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.