Airfoil Assembly with Paired Endwall Contouring
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorJinQuan Xu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An airfoil assembly is disclosed. The airfoil assembly may comprise a series of airfoils such as vanes radially extending between an ID endwall and a substantially concentric OD endwall. The airfoils are circumferentially spaced apart and define a plurality of fluid flow passages between adjacent airfoils. The ID endwall and the OD endwall define contoured regions to optimize fluid flow through the passages. A geometric relationship between the ID endwall contoured regions and the OD endwall contoured regions assures that the throat area generally increases or decreases in the direction of fluid flow.
Claims21
An airfoil assembly comprising:
- an ID endwall having a surface;
- an OD endwall having a surface, the ID endwall and the OD endwall being concentric about a center line;
- and
- a pair of airfoils projecting radially outward from the ID endwall and terminating at the OD endwall, each airfoil having a leading edge, a trailing edge and a first side and an opposite second side extending substantially axially between the leading edge and the trailing edge, the airfoils being circumferentially spaced apart;
- wherein the ID endwall, the OD endwall and the airfoils define a fluid flow passage;
- and
- wherein the surfaces of the ID endwall and the OD endwall define contoured regions.
A vane assembly comprising:
- an ID endwall having a radially outward facing surface, the radially outward facing surface defining a first contoured region;
- an OD endwall substantially concentric with the ID endwall and having a radially inward facing surface, the radially inward facing surface defining a second contoured region;
- and
- a pair of vanes extending between the ID endwall and the OD endwall, each vane being generally airfoil shaped and having a first side and an opposite second side extending axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the vanes being circumferentially spaced apart between the ID endwall and the OD endwall, the vanes and endwalls defining an air flow passage.
A method of improving fluid dynamics within a gas turbine engine, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing an airfoil assembly comprising a pair of airfoils extending between opposing endwalls, the airfoils and endwalls defining a fluid flow passage;
- moving fluid through a fluid flow passage;
- and
- influencing the general flow of the fluid through the fluid flow passage by providing contoured regions on both endwalls.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.