Internal bypass gas turbine engines with blade cooling

In a gas turbine engine having a compressor section, a combustion section, and a mixed-flow turbine, the improvement comprising:

• a turbine hub,
• means mounting said hub for rotation,
• a plurality of solid turbine blades extending generally radially from said hub and extending generally axially along said hub from a forward end of said hub toward a rearward end thereof,
• each of said turbine blades having an axially forwardly extending cold air inlet portion positioned closely adjacent said hub and further having a hot air inlet reaction portion positioned radially outwardly and axially rearwardly of said cold air inlet portion,
• said blades having outer edges which taper from a minimum diameter at said cold air inlet portion radially outwardly and axially rearwardly therefrom to a substantially maximum diameter at said hot gas inlet reaction portion,
• the volume defined by the spaces between adjacent said blades increasing along the axial length of said blades from a minimum at said cold air inlet portions to a substantially greater volume at said hot gas inlet reaction portions,
• said blades having common gas outlet portions at the trailing edges thereof,
• means for applying cold bypass air from said compressor section exclusively to said cold air inlet portions of said blades, and
• means for applying hot gases from said combustion section exclusively to said hot gas inlet reaction portions of said blades.