Gas turbine engine fan blade
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorsNigel H S Smith, Mark J. Wilson, Gabriel Gonzalez-Gutierrez, Marco Barale, Benedict Phelps, Kashmir S. Johal
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Abstract
A fan blade is provided with an aerofoil portion for which, at radii between 20% and 40% of the blade span, the location of the position of maximum thickness along the camber line is at less than a defined percentage of the total length of the camber line. For all cross-sections through the aerofoil portion at radii greater than 70% of the blade span, the location of the position of maximum thickness along the camber line is at more than a defined percentage of the total length of the camber line. The geometry of the fan blade may result in a lower susceptibility to flutter.
Claims20
A fan blade for a gas turbine engine, the gas turbine engine defining axial, radial and circumferential directions, the fan blade comprising:
- an aerofoil portion having a leading edge extending from a root to a tip, the radial distance between the leading edge at the root and the leading edge at the tip defining a blade span, wherein:
- for cross-sections through the aerofoil portion at radii between 20% and 40% of the blade span from a root radius, an average of the location of a position of maximum thickness (Tmax) along a camber line of each section is at less than 45% of a total length of the camber line from the leading edge;
- and
- for cross-sections through the aerofoil portion at radii greater than 70% of the blade span from the root radius, the average of the location of the position of maximum thickness (Tmax) along the camber line of each section is at more than 50% of the total length of the camber line from the leading edge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.