Turbine blade having angled squealer tip

Abstract

A turbine blade for a gas turbine engine, including an airfoil and integral dovetail for mounting the airfoil along a radial axis to a rotor disk inboard of a turbine shroud. The airfoil further includes: first and second sidewalls joined together at a leading edge and a trailing edge, where the first and second sidewalls extend from a root disposed adjacent the dovetail to a tip plate for channeling combustion gases thereover; and, at least one tip rib extending outwardly from the tip plate between the leading and trailing edges. The tip rib is oriented so that an axis extending longitudinally therethrough is at an angle with respect to the radial axis for at least a designated portion of an axial length of the turbine blade. Such angle may be substantially the same across the designated portion or may vary thereacross. Accordingly, a recirculation zone of the combustion gases is formed adjacent a distal end of the tip rib which reduces a leakage flow of the combustion gases between the airfoil and the shroud for at least the designated portion of an axial length of the turbine blade.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.