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US 11,448,097 B1Granted
Turbine exhaust strut internal core structure
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorGuy Lefebvre
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A turbine exhaust case (TEC) includes an outer case, an inner case, and a plurality of struts structurally connecting the inner case to the outer case. At least one of the struts has an airfoil body with a hollow core. A leading edge stiffener is provided at the radially inner end of the airfoil body. The leading edge stiffener projects into the hollow core and merges with a stiffener ring projecting from a radially inner surface of the inner case.
Claims18
A turbine exhaust case (TEC) comprising:
- an outer case;
- an inner case having a radially outer surface and a radially inner surface opposite the radially outer surface;
- an annular exhaust gas path between the outer case and the inner case, the radially outer surface of the inner case forming a radially inner boundary of the annular exhaust gas path;
- and
- a plurality of struts extending across the annular gas path and structurally connecting the inner case to the outer case, at least one of the plurality of struts having an airfoil body with a hollow core, the airfoil body having opposed sides extending chordwise from a leading edge to a trailing edge and spanwise from a radially inner end to a radially outer end;
- wherein the at least one of the plurality of struts has a leading edge stiffener at the radially inner end thereof, the leading edge stiffener projecting into the hollow core and merging with a stiffener ring projecting from the radially inner surface of the inner case, the leading edge stiffener extending radially outwardly relative to the radially inner boundary of the annular exhaust gas path.
3 more elements
A TEC comprising:
- an outer case extending around a central axis;
- an inner case concentrically disposed inside the outer case, the inner case having a radially inner surface and a radially outer surface opposite the radially inner surface, a stiffener ring projecting from the radially inner surface;
- an annular exhaust gas path between the outer case and the inner case, the radially outer surface of the inner case defining an inner boundary of the annular exhaust gas path;
- and
- a plurality of struts extending across the annular exhaust path and structurally connecting the inner case to the outer case, the plurality of struts including at least one strut having an airfoil body with a hollow core, the airfoil body having opposed pressure and suction sides extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge, the at least one of the plurality of struts locally reinforced along a radially inner end portion of the leading edge by a leading edge stiffener projecting into the hollow core and merging with the stiffener ring on the radially inner surface of the inner case, the leading edge stiffener extending radially outwardly relative the inner boundary of the annular exhaust gas path.
2 more elements
A TEC comprising:
- an outer case extending around a central axis;
- an inner case concentrically disposed inside the outer case, the outer case and the inner case defining therebetween an annular exhaust gas path, the inner case having a radially inner surface and a radially outer surface opposite to the radially inner surface, the radially outer surface forming an inner boundary of the annular exhaust gas path, the inner case further having a stiffener ring projecting from the radially inner surface;
- and
- a plurality of struts connecting the inner case to the outer case, each strut of the plurality of struts including:
- a hollow airfoil body having opposed sides extending chordwise from a leading edge to a trailing edge, and a leading edge stiffener inside the hollow airfoil body at a junction of the leading edge and the inner case, the leading edge stiffener merging with the stiffener ring on the radially inner surface of the inner case and extending radially outwardly relative to the inner boundary of the annular exhaust gas path.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.