Turbine engine with compliant axial retainer
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsNicholas Joseph Kray, Elzbieta Kryj-Kos, Arthur William Sibbach
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Abstract
A gas turbine engine includes a fan section, a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, and defining an engine centerline extending between a forward direction and an aft direction. A disk includes a slot for mounting a composite airfoil to the disk. An axial retainer couples to the disk and secures the composite airfoil to the disk. A compliant portion positioned at the composite airfoil abuts the composite airfoil during operation of the gas turbine engine to secure the composite airfoil to the disk.
Claims20
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a fan section, a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement, and defining an engine centerline extending between a forward direction and an aft direction;
- a disk provided in one of the fan section, the compressor section, or the turbine section and including a slot;
- a composite airfoil coupled to the disk at the slot;
- and
- an axial retainer coupled to the disk and securing the composite airfoil within the slot, the axial retainer including a compliant portion positioned to abut the composite airfoil;
- and
- at least one void provided in the compliant portion;
- wherein the compliant portion is deformable from a non-deformed shape to a deformed shape in response to a force from the composite airfoil acting on the axial retainer, and wherein the compliant portion returns at least partially to its non-deformed shape after cessation of the force.
An axial retainer for a gas turbine engine for retaining a composite airfoil at a rotor, the axial retainer comprising:
- a compliant portion configured to deform between a deformed shape and a non-deformed shape;
- at least one void provided in the compliant portion;
- and
- wherein the axial retainer deforms from the non-deformed shape to the deformed shape in response to a force acting on the axial retainer, and wherein the axial retainer returns at least partially to its non-deformed shape after cessation of the force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.