Compressor airfoil with compound leading edge profile

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

• at least one compressor rotor having a hub and a plurality of circumferentially spaced rotor blades extending from the hub, the hub defining a central axis of rotation of the compressor rotor, each of the rotor blades having a first airfoil extending through an annular gas path of the compressor, between the hub and an outer blade tip;
• at least one compressor stator disposed downstream from the compressor rotor, the compressor stator having a plurality of circumferentially spaced stator vanes, each of the stator vanes having a second airfoil extending through the gas path;
• and at least one of the first and second airfoils comprising:
• opposed pressure and suction sides extending radially from root to tip and extending axially between leading and trailing edges, a leading edge tip being defined on said leading edge separating the pressure and suction sides, and a plurality of stacked transverse sections having respective chords extending between said leading and trailing edges, the suction side in said transverse sections having a generally convex shape;
• and wherein at least one of said transverse sections having a profile with a substantially flat section extending between the leading edge and the suction side convex shape, the profile having decreasing curvature from the leading edge towards the substantially flat section to merge therewith, and the substantially flat section merging with the suction side convex shape downstream therefrom, wherein the profile of said at least one of said transverse sections on the suction side further comprises a blended curve surface contiguous with and extending downstream from the flat section, the blended curve surface also being contiguous with and upstream from the suction side convex shape, the blended curve surface having another curvature profile different from that of the substantially flat section and the curvature profile of the leading edge.

A compressor airfoil of a gas turbine engine comprising:

• a leading edge region defined between a pressure side and a suction side of the airfoil, the leading edge region having a leading edge tip and extending downstream therefrom on both the pressure and suction sides;
• and
• the suction side including a suction side surface portion within the leading edge region extending continuously and uninterrupted to interconnect the leading edge tip and a main suction side airfoil surface disposed downstream of said suction side surface portion, said suction side surface portion having a compound curvature profile, the compound curvature profile comprising at least a curved leading edge surface and a flat chamfered surface contiguous with and extending downstream from the curved leading edge surface, the curved leading edge surface having a first curvature profile and the flat chamfered surface having a second curvature profile different from that of the curved leading edge surface, the second curvature profile of the flat chamfered surface representing an infinite radius of curvature, the flat chamfered surface defining a substantially straight-line profile in a cross-section transverse to the span-wise axis of the airfoil, the compound curvature profile further comprises a blended curve surface continuous with and extending downstream from the flat chamfered surface, the blended curve surface also being contiguous with and upstream from the main suction side airfoil surface, the blended curve surface having a third curvature profile different from both the first and second curvature profiles.