Compartmentalization of cooling air flow in a structure comprising a CMC component
AssigneesRolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc., ROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorsTed J. Freeman, David J. Thomas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A structure in a gas turbine engine comprises a spar and a CMC component adjoining the spar and separated from the spar by a cavity supplied by cooling air. At least one rope seal is installed in the cavity within a groove made in the spar to thus compartmentalize the cavity and control the flow of cooling air.
Claims20
A gas turbine engine system for compartmentalized airflow, the system comprising:
- a static metal component;
- a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) component forming a cavity with the static metal component and having first and second exit holes, the cavity being divided into sections with respective passages for receiving cooling air into the cavity through the static metal component and removing cooling air from the cavity through the first and second exit holes of the CMC component that correspond to the respective passages;
- and
- a rope seal that is positionable in a groove, and wherein the groove is at least one of:
- formed between two raised landings with curved sidewalls extending from the static metal component and configured to seal against an inner surface of the CMC component by way of the rope seal;
- or
- an arcuate groove formed in the static metal component and configured to seal against the inner surface of the CMC component by way of the rope seal.
A method of compartmentalizing airflow in a gas turbine engine system, the method comprising:
- providing a static metal component;
- providing a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) component forming a cavity with the static metal component and having first and second exit holes, the cavity being divided into a plurality of sections with respective passages to provide airflow between the spar and CMC component;
- providing a groove including at least one of:
- raised landings with curved sidewalls extending from the static metal component to accommodate a rope seal for sealing against an inner surface of the CMC component;
- or
- an arcuate groove formed in the static metal component to accommodate the rope seal for sealing against the inner surface of the CMC component;
- and
- controlling the airflow in the sections of the cavity along respective passages that receive the airflow into the cavity through the static metal component and remove the airflow from the cavity through the CMC component.
A method of compartmentalizing airflow in a gas turbine engine system, the method comprising:
- providing a static metal component;
- providing a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) component forming a cavity with the static metal component, the cavity being divided into sections with respective passages;
- providing at least one impingement hole in each of the corresponding sections of the spar to receive airflow along the respective passages;
- and
- providing at least one hole in each of the corresponding sections of the CMC component to remove the airflow from the cavity;
- providing a groove including at least one of:
- raised landings with curved sidewalls extending from the static metal component to accommodate a rope seal for sealing against an inner surface of the CMC component, or
- an arcuate groove in the static metal component to accommodate the rope seal for sealing against the inner surface of the CMC component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.