# US 2014/0154068 A1 · Endwall Controuring > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0154068 A1 - Document ID: US20140154068A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/664,031 - Filed: 2012-10-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-09-28 - Assignees: United Technologies Corporation - Inventors: Andrew S. Aggarwala; Timothy Charles Nash; Eunice Allen-Bradley; Eric A. Grover - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140154068A1 ## CPC - F01D 9/02: Nozzles; Nozzle boxes; Stator blades; Guide conduits {, e.g. individual nozzles (nozzle boxes F01D9/047)} - F01D 5/143: {Contour of the outer or inner working fluid flow path wall, i.e. shroud or hub contour} - F01D 5/145: {Means for influencing boundary layers or secondary circulations (for compressors F04D29/68)} - F04D 29/324: {Blades} - F04D 29/542: {Bladed diffusers (fixing blades to stators F01D9/042)} - F04D 29/681: {especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps} - Y02T 50/60: Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft - F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D) - F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An airfoil array is disclosed. The airfoil array may include an endwall, and a plurality of airfoils radially projecting from the endwall. Each airfoil may have a first side and an opposite second side extending axially in chord between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoils may be circumferentially spaced apart on the endwall thereby defining a plurality of flow passages between adjacent airfoils. The airfoil array may further include a convex profiled region extending from the endwall adjacent to the first side of at least one of said plurality of airfoils near the leading edge of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils, and a concave profiled region in the endwall and extending across said at least one of said plurality of flow passages. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An airfoil array, comprising: an endwall; a plurality of airfoils radially projecting from the endwall, each airfoil having a first side and an opposite second side extending axially in chord between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the airfoils circumferentially spaced apart on the endwall thereby defining a plurality of flow passages between adjacent airfoils; a convex profiled region extending from the endwall adjacent the first side of at least one of said plurality of airfoils near the leading edge of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils; and a concave profiled region in the endwall and extending across said at least one of said plurality of flow passages. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The airfoil array of claim 1, wherein a local maximum in radial extent of the convex profiled region is positioned between the leading edge and mid-chord of the airfoil. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The airfoil array of claim 1, wherein each airfoil has an axial chord, and a local maximum in radial extent of the convex profiled region is disposed between about 0% to about 50% of the axial chord. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The airfoil array of claim 1, wherein each flow passage has a passage width, and a local maximum in radial extent of the convex profiled region is disposed between about 0% to about 50% of the passage width. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The airfoil array of claim 1, wherein a local minimum in radial extent of the concave profiled region is positioned between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the airfoil. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The airfoil array of claim 1, wherein the concave profiled region is elongated across the flow passage from the first side of at least one of said plurality of airfoils to the second side of an adjacent airfoil. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The airfoil array of claim 6, wherein the concave profiled region is adjacent to the first side of the airfoil near mid-chord. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The airfoil array of claim 6, wherein the concave profiled region is adjacent to the second side of the adjacent airfoil along a significant length of the second side. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The airfoil array of claim 6, wherein the concave profiled region adjacent to the second side of the adjacent airfoil extends along a majority of the second side of the airfoil. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The airfoil array of claim 6, wherein an extent of the concave profiled region adjacent the first side of the airfoil is less than an extent of the concave profiled region adjacent the second side of the adjacent airfoil. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The airfoil array of claim 1, wherein each airfoil has an axial chord and each flow passage has a passage width, and a local minimum in radial extent of the concave profiled region is disposed between about 0% to about 100% of the axial chord and between about 0% to about 100% of the passage width. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The airfoil array of claim 1, wherein the first side is a pressure side of an airfoil, and the opposite second side is a suction side of an airfoil. ### Claim 13 A gas turbine engine, comprising: a compressor section; a combustor section downstream of the compressor section; and a turbine section downstream of the combustor section, one of the compressor section and the turbine section having at least one airfoil array including a plurality of airfoils circumferentially spaced apart and projecting radially from an endwall, the airfoils establishing a plurality of flow passages, each airfoil having a first side, an opposite second side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, the endwall having a convex profiled surface near the leading edge of at least one of said plurality of airfoils, and a concave profiled surface elongated across at least one of said plurality of flow passages from the first side of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils to the second side of an adjacent airfoil. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The gas turbine engine of claim 13, wherein the convex profiled surface is adjacent to the first side of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The gas turbine engine of claim 13, wherein each airfoil has an axial chord, and the concave profiled surface adjacent to the first side of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils extends between about 30% to about 80% of the axial chord. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The gas turbine engine of claim 13, wherein each airfoil has an axial chord, and the concave profiled surface adjacent to the second side of the adjacent airfoil extends between about 0% to about 100% of the axial chord. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The gas turbine engine of claim 13, wherein each airfoil has an axial chord, and a local minimum in radial extent of the concave profiled surface adjacent to the second side of the adjacent airfoil is positioned between about 0% to about 100% of the axial chord. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The gas turbine engine of claim 13, wherein each flow passage has a passage width, and a local minimum in radial extent of the concave profiled surface is disposed between about 30% to about 80% of the passage width. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The gas turbine engine of claim 13, wherein a local maximum in radial extent of the convex profiled surface is disposed between about 0% to about 50% of the passage width, and a local minimum in radial extent of the concave profiled surface is disposed between about 50% to about 100% of the passage width. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The gas turbine engine of claim 13, wherein the first side is a pressure side of an airfoil and the opposite second side is a suction side of an airfoil.