Noise reducing vane
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsConstantine Baltas, Oliver V. Atassi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas turbine engine includes a first airflow structure and a second airflow structure disposed aft of the first airflow structure. The second airflow structure includes a leading edge region. A thickness of the leading edge region is based on a thickness of a wake in the airflow produced by the first airflow structure when the airflow passes between the first airflow structure and the second airflow structure.
Claims18
A gas turbine engine, comprising:
- a rotor with a blade;
- a vane disposed aft of the rotor for adjusting an airflow from the rotor, the vane having a suction surface, a pressure surface, and a leading edge region joining the suction surface and the pressure surface;
- and
- wherein the leading edge region and a portion of the pressure surface form a profile that is substantially parallel to a portion of a velocity profile of a wake produced in the airflow by the blade.
A method for optimizing a vane to reduce noise generated by airflow between an upstream blade and the vane, the method comprising:
- establishing an aerodynamic configuration of the vane as a baseline configuration of the vane.
- determining a wake thickness of a wake in the airflow produced by the blade;
- and
- adjusting a leading edge thickness of the vane relative the baseline configuration based on the wake thickness.
A gas turbine engine, comprising:
- a first airflow structure;
- a second airflow structure disposed aft of the first airflow structure, the second airflow structure having a leading edge region;
- and
- wherein a thickness of the leading edge region is based on a thickness of a wake in the airflow produced by the first airflow structure when the airflow passes between the first airflow structure and the second airflow structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.