Geared Turbofan With Fan Blades Designed To Achieve Laminar Flow
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsEdwin M. Worth, Thomas G. Tillman, Frederick M. Schwarz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fan blade comprises a main body having an airfoil extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The fan blade has at least one of a channel closed by a cover, and an end cap covering at least one of the leading and trailing edges. At least one of a cover and an end cap has a pair of opposed ends. A step is defined extending from at least one of a suction wall and a pressure wall of the airfoil, to an outer surface of the one of a cover and an end cap at one of the opposed ends, and the step being less than or equal to about 0.010 inch (0.0254 centimeter) in dimension.
Claims30
A fan blade comprising:
- a main body having an airfoil extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge and the fan blade having at least one of:
- (a) a channel closed by a cover, and
- (b) an end cap covering at least one of the leading and trailing edges;
- and
- the at least one of the cover and the end cap having a pair of opposed ends, and a step defined by at least one of a suction wall and a pressure wall of the airfoil, to an outer surface of said one of the cover and the end cap at one of said opposed ends, and said step being less than or equal to about 0.010 inch (0.0254 centimeter) in dimension.
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a fan drive turbine driving a fan rotor having a plurality of blades through a gear reduction;
- each of said plurality of blades including a main body having an airfoil extending between a leading edge, and a trailing edge and each of said plurality of blades having a chord length, and each of said plurality of blades having at least one of:
- (a) a channel closed by a cover, and
- (b) an end cap covering at least one of the leading and trailing edges;
- and
- the at least one of the cover and the end cap having a pair of opposed ends, and a step defined by at least one of a suction wall and a pressure wall of the airfoil, to an outer surface of said one of the cover and the end cap at one of said opposed ends, and a ratio of said step dimension to said chord length being less than or equal to about 0.001.
A method of manufacturing a fan blade comprising the steps of:
- providing a main body extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, and having a suction wall and a pressure wall, with said main body having at least one of a channel enclosed by a cover, and an end cap covering at least one of said leading and trailing edges, with said at least one of the cover and the end cap being assembled to said main body, and defining a step by at least one of the suction and pressure walls and an end of the at least one of the cover and the end cap, and the step being made to be less than or equal to about 0.010 inch (0.0254 centimeter) in dimension.
A method of designing a fan blade comprising:
- providing a main body having an airfoil extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, and the fan blade having a chord length, the airfoil extending radially outwardly from a platform, and the fan blade having at least one of:
- (a) a channel closed by a cover;
- and
- (b) an end cap covering at least one of the leading and trailing edges;
- and
- the at least one of the cover and the end cap having a pair of opposed ends, and a step defined by at least one of a suction wall and a pressure wall of the airfoil to an outer surface of said one of the cover and the end cap at one of said opposed ends, and a ratio of said step dimension to said chord length being less than or equal to about 0.001.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.