Airfoil assembly with leading edge element
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsNicholas Joseph Kray, Trevor Howard Wood, Dong-Jin Shim, Pranav Dhoj Shah
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An airfoil assembly including a composite body having a mounting edge and a trailing edge which is secured to a leading edge element defining a 3-D leading edge geometry with both chord and camber variation.
Claims23
An airfoil assembly comprising:
- an airfoil extending axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge to define a chord-wise direction, the airfoil comprising:
- a body having a mounting edge spaced from the leading edge in the chord-wise direction along a camber line and extending from the mounting edge to the trailing edge to define at least a portion of the airfoil;
- and
- a leading edge element extending from the leading edge toward the mounting edge in the chord-wise direction to define a length of at least a portion of the airfoil, secured to the body at the mounting edge, and defining a 3-D leading edge geometry comprising a plurality of undulations along the leading edge having both chord and camber variation;
- wherein the length varies between a maximum and a minimum to define the undulations.
An airfoil having a pressure side and a suction side and extending axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge to define a chord-wise direction, the airfoil comprising:
- a leading edge element defining the leading edge having a 3-D leading edge geometry comprising a plurality of undulations having a length that varies between a maximum and a minimum, and with variation in both chord and camber located along the leading edge;
- a trailing edge element defining the trailing edge;
- and
- a connection interior of both the pressure side and the suction side securing the leading edge element to the trailing edge element;
- wherein the connection comprises a recess spaced from the leading edge in the chord-wise direction within one of the trailing edge element or the leading edge element and a projection extending from the other of the trailing edge element and the leading edge element, with the projection received within the recess.
A method of forming an airfoil having a pressure side and a suction side and extending axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge to define a chord-wise direction, the method comprising securing a trailing edge element extending in the chord-wise direction from a mounting edge to the trailing edge to a leading edge element having a 3-D leading edge geometry comprising a plurality of undulations with both chord and camber variation and located along the leading edge;
- wherein the securing occurs at the mounting edge and in a location spaced from the leading edge to define a length in the chord-wise direction interior of both the pressure side and the suction side;
- wherein the length varies between a maximum and a minimum to define the undulations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.