Internally cooled hollow airfoil
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorRobert L. Memmen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a hollow airfoil, thin metal baffle sheets are bonded to opposing suction and pressure sides of a longitudinally extending cooling air cavity. The longitudinally extending downstream edges of these opposing baffle sheets are closely spaced apart defining a cooling air outlet slot for the cavity which may, for example, feed cooling air to the trailing edge portion of the airfoil. If the rearward edges of either baffle sheet become unbonded from the inside cavity wall the edge of the baffle sheet might bend inwardly and close the outlet slot. To prevent this possibility a plurality of pedestals extend outwardly from each side of the cavity wall opposite the rearward edge of each baffle sheet and extending substantially to the inwardly facing surface of that baffle sheet trapping it against the wall.
Claims6
An air foil comprising:
- a pressure side wall having an inside surface;
- a suction side wall having an inside surface, said pressure and suction side walls defining an external airfoil shape and defining a longitudinally extending cooling air cavity therebetween, said cavity having a longitudinally extending rearward end, said side walls also defining a trailing edge portion immediately rearward of said cavity, said trailing edge portion including means defining cooling air passageways therethrough having inlet means communicating with said rearward end of said cavity;
- a first baffle sheet within said cavity bonded to said inside surface of said suction side wall, said first sheet having an inwardly facing surface and a longitudinally extending rearward edge portion at said rearward end of said cavity;
- a second baffle sheet within said cavity bonded to said inside surface of said pressure side wall, second sheet having an inwardly facing surface and a longitudinally extending rearward edge portion at said rearward end of said cavity and spaced from said rearward edge portion of said first baffle sheet along the length thereof defining an outlet from said cavity;
- a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart first pedestals integral with said suction side wall opposite said rearward edge portion of said second baffle sheet, said first pedestals extending from said inside surface of said suction side wall substantially to said inwardly facing surface of said rearward edge portion of said second baffle sheet and not secured to either said second baffle sheet or said pressure side wall;
- and
- a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart second pedestals integral with said pressure side wall opposite said rearward edge portion of said first baffle sheet, said second pedestals extending from said inside surface of said pressure side wall substantially to said inwardly facing surface of said rearward edge portion of said first baffle sheet and not secured to either said first baffle sheet or said suction side wall;
- whereby said first and second pedestals prevent said cavity outlet from closing substantially should either or both of said first and second baffle sheet rearward edge portions come unbonded from their respective side walls.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.