US 5,809,772 AGranted

Turbofan engine with a core driven supercharged bypass duct

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorsRollin G. Giffin, III, James E. Johnson, David W. Crall, John W. Salvage, Peter N. Szucs

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Abstract

A multiple bypass turbofan engine including a core engine assembly has a fan bypass duct radially outward of the core engine assembly and has first and second inlets disposed between forward and aft fans driven by a low pressure turbine and a core engine turbine respectively. An inlet duct having an annular duct wall is disposed radially inward of the bypass duct and connects the second inlet to the bypass duct and has disposed within a supercharger means for compressing air which is drivingly connected to the core turbine. One embodiment of the aft fan may have radially inner and outer rows of aft fan vane airfoils separated by a non-rotatable portion of the annular duct wall such that the outer row of aft fan vane airfoils are disposed in the inlet duct and at least one of the aft fan vane airfoils is and, preferably, all of which are, independently variable. Radially inner and outer rows of aft fan rotor blade airfoils separated by a rotatable portion of the annular duct wall such that the outer row of aft fan rotor blade airfoils are disposed in the inlet duct adjacent to and longitudinally aft of radially inner and outer rows of aft fan vane airfoils, respectively. The radially outer rows of aft fan vane and rotor blade airfoils provide the supercharger means.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A multiple bypass turbofan engine comprising:

a core engine assembly comprising in downstream serial flow relationship a core driven aft fan, a core compressor, a core combustor, and a core turbine, and said core turbine drivingly connected to said aft fan and said core compressor by a core engine shaft;
a low pressure turbine driven forward fan upstream and forward of said aft fan and drivingly connected to a low pressure turbine by a low pressure shaft;
said low pressure turbine being aft of and in serial flow communication with said core turbine;
a fan bypass duct disposed radially outward of said core engine assembly and having first and second inlets disposed between said forward and aft fans;
an annular inlet duct having an annular duct wall, said annular duct wall disposed radially inward of said bypass duct, and said annular inlet duct connecting said second inlet to said bypass duct;
said aft fan having a row of aft fan rotor blades disposed adjacent to and longitudinally aft of a row of aft fan stator vanes;
said aft fan rotor blades having airfoils that generally extends radially outward from blade airfoil bases to airfoil tips;
and
at least one of said aft fan stator vanes has an independently variable radially outer vane tip portion and an independently variable radially inner vane hub portion separated by a non-rotatable portion of said annular duct wall and said aft fan blades having radially outer airfoil tip sections and radially inner hub sections of airfoils separated by a rotatable portion of said annular duct wall, such that said tip sections are disposed in said inlet duct.

6 more elements

A multiple bypass turbofan engine comprising:

a core engine assembly comprising in downstream serial glow relationship a core driven-aft fan, a core compressor, a core combustor, and a core turbine, and said core turbine drivingly connected to said aft fan and said core compressor by a core engine shaft;
a low pressure turbine driven forward fan upstream and forward of said aft fan and drivingly connected to a low pressure turbine by a low pressure shaft;
said low pressure turbine being aft of and in serial flow communication with said core turbine;
a fan bypass duct disposed radially outward of said core engine assembly and having annular first and second inlets disposed between said forward and aft fans;
an annular inlet duct having an annular duct wall, said annular duct wall disposed radially inward of said bypass duct, and said inlet duct connecting said second inlet to said bypass duct;
a supercharger means for compressing air disposed in said inlet duct and drivingly connected to said core turbine;
said aft fan further comprising;
radially inner and outer rows of aft fan vane airfoils separated by a non-rotatable portion of said annular duct wall such that said outer row of aft fan vane airfoils are disposed in said inlet duct and at least one of said outer aft fan vane airfoils is independently variable;
radially inner and outer rows of aft fan rotor blade airfoils separated by a rotatable portion of said annular duct wall such that said outer row of aft fan rotor blade airfoils are disposed in said inlet duct adjacent to and longitudinally aft of radially inner and outer rows of aft fan vane airfoils, respectively;
and
said supercharger means comprising said radially outer rows of aft fan vane and rotor blade airfoils.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.