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US 12,065,943 B2Granted
Morphable rotor blades and turbine engine systems including the same
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsLi Zheng, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Scott Roger Finn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Morphable rotor blades for a turbine engine systems include a root portion and an airfoil portion having a morphable portion including a morphable material that changes shape in response to a stimulus.
Claims17
A morphable rotor blade for a turbine engine system comprising:
- a root portion;
- and
- an airfoil portion extending from the root portion to a tip of the morphable rotor blade, the tip being the farthest edge in a spanwise direction from the root portion, the airfoil portion comprising a morphable portion disposed at the tip, the morphable portion comprising a morphable material that changes shape to change a shape of the airfoil portion in response to a temperature stimulus, and a remainder portion that is free of the morphable material;
- wherein the morphable portion comprises a lattice structure comprising a plurality of members of the morphable material connected at a plurality of nodes, and wherein the lattice structure changes shape in response to the temperature stimulus,
- wherein the remainder portion extends from the root portion to the tip.
2 more elements
A turbine engine system, comprising:
- a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section,
- a shaft extending axially through the compressor section, the combustion section, and the turbine section, and
- a rotor assembly comprising a plurality of rotor blades, at least one of the plurality of rotor blades comprising:
- a root portion;
- and
- an airfoil portion extending from the root portion to a tip of the morphable rotor blade, the tip being the farthest edge in a spanwise direction from the root portion, the airfoil portion comprising a morphable portion disposed at the tip, the morphable portion comprising a morphable material that changes shape to change a shape of the airfoil portion in response to a temperature stimulus, and a remainder portion that is free of the morphable material,
- wherein the morphable portion comprises a lattice structure comprising a plurality of members of the morphable material connected at a plurality of nodes, and wherein the lattice structure changes shape in response to the temperature stimulus,
- wherein the remainder portion extends from the root portion to the tip.
5 more elements
A morphable rotor blade for a turbine engine system comprising:
- a root portion;
- and
- an airfoil portion extending from the root portion to a tip of the morphable rotor blade, the tip being the farthest edge in a spanwise direction from the root portion, the airfoil portion comprising a morphable portion disposed at the tip, the morphable portion comprising a morphable material that changes shape in response to a stimulus, and a remainder portion that is free of the morphable material,
- wherein the morphable material comprises a shape memory alloy or a piezoelectric material, and
- wherein the stimulus is a rotation speed of the morphable rotor blade,
- wherein the morphable portion comprises a lattice structure comprising a plurality of members of the morphable material connected at a plurality of nodes, and wherein the lattice structure changes shape in response to the stimulus,
- wherein the remainder portion extends from the root portion to the tip.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.