Variable vane with winglet
AssigneeAllison Advanced Development Company
InventorsEdward Claude Rice, Robert Anthony Ress, Jr., Jeffrey Lister Hansen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas turbine engine variable vane having a winglet integrally formed therewith. In one embodiment, the variable vane includes a winglet attached to one end so as to reduce endwall losses resulting from air leakage from the high-pressure side to the low-pressure side of the airfoil. The winglet substantially increases the width of the endwall gap thereby reducing the loss associated with the vortex flow caused by leakage of gas from the pressure side to the section side of the airfoil. In another aspect the winglet runs along the airfoil thereby increasing stiffness and acting as a bracing strut to increase the resonant frequency of the airfoil.
Claims35
A gas turbine engine variable vane, comprising:
- an airfoil having an outer surface extending spanwise between an inner and an outer end and further extending streamwise between a leading edge and a trailing edge;
- a first button coupled to one of said ends of said airfoil;
- and
- a first winglet positioned along one of said ends of said airfoil and extending from said outer surface, wherein said first winglet is configured so as to increase the width of a first endwall gap defined by said one of said ends and a first surface of the gas turbine engine, the width of the first winglet along a first portion substantially adjacent the leading edge being greater than the width of the first winglet along a second portion substantially adjacent the trailing edge.
A gas turbine engine variable vane, comprising:
- an airfoil with an outer surface having a pressure side and a suction side, said airfoil including opposed inner and outer ends and opposed upstream and downstream ends;
- a first boss mounted to said inner end;
- and
- a first winglet formed with said first boss on said inner end, wherein said first winglet is configured so as to reduce loss associated with a vortex flow caused by a leakage of a gas from said pressure side to said suction side of said airfoil by forcing the vortex away from said outer surface, said first winglet being configured so as to increase the width of a first endwall gap defined by said inner end of said airfoil and a first surface of the gas turbine engine, the width of the first winglet substantially tapering from the upstream end to the downstream end.
A combination, comprising:
- a gas turbine engine including a mechanical housing;
- a plurality of variable vanes disposed within a fluid flow path within said mechanical housing, each of said plurality of vanes comprising:
- an airfoil with a pressure side and a suction side, said airfoil having an outer surface extending spanwise between an inner end and an outer end and further extending streamwise between a leading end and a trailing end, said airfoil having a rotational axis extending spanwise between said inner and outer ends;
- a first boss coupled to one of said inner and outer ends of said airfoil;
- and,
- a first winglet running along one of said inner and outer ends of said airfoil and extending from said outer surface, wherein said winglet does not extend upstream of said leading end of said airfoil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.