Turbine nozzle
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorJack R. Martin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of manufacturing a turbine nozzle for obtaining a predetermined value of throat area between adjacent ones of nozzle vanes is disclosed. The method includes providing a first vane, providing a datum for locating the first vane relative to an adjacent vane in the turbine nozzle, and fixturing the first vane relative to the datum for providing a trailing edge nest having six supports for predeterminedly locating the first vane relative to the adjacent vane. The trailing edge nest includes four trailing edge supports for locating the vane trailing edge to define a hinge axis extending along the trailing edge about which the vane is rotatable. A radial support radially locates the vane, and a throat support predeterminedly locates the vane about the hinge axis for obtaining the predetermined value of the throat area.
Claims10
A turbine nozzle having a plurality of circumferentially spaced vanes fixedly joined to radially outer and inner bands, each vane including a root fixedly joined to said inner band, a tip fixedly joined to said outer band, a leading edge, a trailing edge, suction and pressure sides extending from said leading edge to said trailing edge and between said root and said tip, and a throat line extending from said root to said tip on said suction side for defining a throat area with a trailing edge of an adjacent one of said vanes, said turbine nozzle having a predetermined value of said throat area manufactured by a method comprising:
- providing a first one of said vanes;
- providing a datum for locating said first vane relative to said adjacent vane;
- fixturing said first vane relative to said datum for providing a trailing edge nest having six supports for predeterminedly locating said first vane relative to said adjacent vane, said trailing edge nest including four trailing edge supports for locating said first vane trailing edge to define a hinge axis extending along said trailing edge about which said first vane is rotatable, a radial support for radially locating said first vane, and a throat support for predeterminedly locating said first vane about said hinge axis for obtaining said predetermined value of said throat area;
- and
- fixedly joining said first vane to said outer and inner bands.
A turbine nozzle according to claim 5 wherein said first vane includes a predetermined chord length between said leading edge and said trailing edge and said fixturing step locates said first vane relative to said adjacent vane for aligning said leading edges of said first and adjacent vanes and for aligning said trailing edges of said first and adjacent vanes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.