Spline for a turbine engine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRobert Charles Groves, II, David Scott Stapleton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shroud assembly for a turbine engine comprising a plurality of circumferentially arranged shroud segments having confronting end faces defining first and second radially spaced surfaces. The shroud assembly includes a forward edge spanning to an aft edge to define an axial direction and a set of confronting seal channels formed in each of the confronting end faces with a spline seal located within the confronting seal channels.
Claims23
A turbine engine comprising:
- a blade assembly comprising a rotatable disk having a plurality of circumferentially spaced blades extending axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge and extending radially between a root and a tip;
- a shroud assembly comprising a plurality of circumferentially arranged shroud segments with inner radially faces encircling the blade assembly and having confronting end faces;
- and
- a first seal channel provided in at least one of the confronting end faces and having a crown created by at least two bends in the channel, where one bend inclines radially inward and one bend inclines radially outward;
- wherein the first seal channel comprises multiple crowns, with each crown having a fore bend and an aft bend.
A blade assembly comprising:
- a rotatable disk having a plurality of circumferentially spaced blades extending axially between a leading edge and trailing edge and extending radially between a root and a tip;
- a shroud assembly comprising a plurality of circumferentially arranged shroud segments with inner radially faces encircling the blade assembly and having confronting end faces;
- and
- a first seal channel provided in at least one of the confronting end faces and having a crown created by at least two bends in the channel, where one bend inclines radially inward and one bend inclines radially outward;
- wherein the first seal channel comprises multiple crowns, with each crown having a fore bend and an aft bend.
A method of cooling a shroud segment having a spline seal extending between confronting end faces having a set of seal channels provided in each of the confronting end faces where the set of seal channels includes a crown created by at least two bends in the channels, where one bend inclines radially inward and one bend inclines radially outward, each bend having an axial length and a radial length, the method comprising controlling an amount of cooling air flowing between confronting bends;
- wherein controlling the amount of cooling air comprises one of:
- maximizing the amount of cooling air flowing between confronting bends by making the radial length larger than the axial length, or
- minimizing the amount of cooling air flowing between confronting bends by making the axial length larger than the radial length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.