Turbine frame assembly and method for a gas turbine engine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJohn Alan Manteiga, Robert John Parks, Wilhelm Hernandez, Patrick Murphy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A turbine frame assembly for a gas turbine engine includes: (a) a turbine frame including: (i) an outer ring; (ii) a hub; (ii) a plurality of struts extending between the hub and the outer ring; (b) a two-piece strut fairing surrounding each of the struts, including: (i) an inner band; (ii) an outer band; and (iii) an airfoil-shaped vane extending between the inner and outer bands; (d) a plurality of nozzle segments disposed between the outer ring and the hub, each nozzle segment being an integral metallic casting including: (i) an arcuate outer band; (ii) an arcuate inner band; and (ii) an airfoil-shaped vane.
Claims17
A turbine frame assembly for a gas turbine engine, comprising:
- (a) a turbine frame including:
- (i) an outer ring;
- (ii) a hub;
- (ii) a plurality of struts extending between the hub and the outer ring;
- (b) a two-piece strut fairing surrounding each of the struts, comprising:
- (i) an inner band;
- (ii) an outer band;
- and
- (iii) an airfoil-shaped vane extending between the inner and outer bands;
- and
- (d) a plurality of nozzle segments disposed between the outer ring and the hub, each nozzle segment being an integral metallic casting including:
- (i) an arcuate outer band;
- (ii) an arcuate inner band;
- and
- (ii) an airfoil-shaped vane.
A method of cooling a turbine frame assembly of a gas turbine engine, comprising:
- (a) providing a turbine frame comprising:
- (i) an outer ring;
- (ii) a hub;
- and
- (ii) at least one strut extending between the hub and the outer ring and surrounded by an aerodynamic fairing;
- (b) providing a nozzle cascade disposed between the hub and the outer ring, comprising a plurality of airfoil-shaped vanes carried between segmented annular inner and outer bands;
- (c) directing cooling air radially inward through the struts to the hub;
- (d) passing the cooling air to an inner manifold located within the hub;
- and
- (e) passing the cooling air from the manifold to a turbine rotor disposed downstream of the hub.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.