Gas turbine flowpath structure
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorRichard Clay Haubert
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A turbine flowpath structure includes a first generally U-shaped flowpath channel having a first leg having a first inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade suction-side airfoil surface, a second leg having a second inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade pressure-side airfoil surface, and a web connecting the first leg and the second leg, wherein the web has an inwardly facing inner flowpath surface. There is typically provided a spar that engages at least one of the first leg and the second leg. In one application, there is a plurality of the generally U-shaped flowpath channels arranged around the periphery of a turbine disk, and a plurality of spars positioned between each pair of adjacent generally U-shaped flowpath channels to anchor them to the turbine disk.
Claims23
A turbine flowpath structure comprising:
- a first generally U-shaped flowpath channel having
- a first leg having a first inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade suction-side airfoil surface,
- a second leg having a second inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade pressure-side airfoil surface, and
- a web connecting the first leg and the second leg, wherein the web has an inwardly facing inner flowpath surface;
- and
- a spar that engages at least one of the first leg and the second leg.
A turbine flowpath structure mounted to a turbine disk, the turbine flowpath structure comprising:
- a first generally U-shaped flowpath channel having
- a first leg having a first inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade suction-side airfoil surface,
- a second leg having a second inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade pressure-side airfoil surface, and
- a web connecting the first leg and the second leg, wherein the web has an inwardly facing inner flowpath surface;
- a second generally U-shaped flowpath channel having
- a first leg having a first inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade suction-side airfoil surface,
- a second leg having a second inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade pressure-side airfoil surface, and
- a web connecting the first leg and the second leg, wherein the web has an inwardly facing inner flowpath surface;
- and
- a spar positioned between the first generally U-shaped flowpath channel and the second generally U-shaped flowpath channel, wherein an inner end of the spar is anchored to a periphery of the turbine disk so that the spar extends radially outwardly from the periphery of the turbine disk, and wherein the spar engages the first leg of the first generally U-shaped flowpath channel and the second leg of the second generally U-shaped flowpath channel, thereby holding the first generally U-shaped flowpath channel and the second generally U-shaped flowpath channel to the turbine disk.
A turbine flowpath structure mounted to a turbine disk, the turbine flowpath structure comprising:
- a plurality of U-shaped flowpath channels, where each U-shaped flowpath channel comprises a ceramic material and has
- a first leg having a first inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade suction-side airfoil surface,
- a second leg having a second inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade pressure-side airfoil surface, and
- a web connecting the first leg and the second leg, wherein the web has an inwardly facing inner flowpath surface;
- and
- a metallic spar positioned between each adjacent pair of generally U-shaped flowpath channels, wherein an inner end of each spar is anchored to a periphery of the turbine disk so that the spar extends radially outwardly from the periphery of the turbine disk, and wherein the spar engages the first leg of one of the adjacent generally U-shaped flowpath channel and the second leg of the other of the adjacent generally U-shaped flowpath channel, thereby holding the generally U-shaped flowpath channels to the turbine disk.
A turbine flowpath structure comprising:
- a first generally U-shaped flowpath channel having
- a first leg having a first inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade suction-side airfoil surface,
- a second leg having a second inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade pressure-side airfoil surface, and
- a web connecting the first leg and the second leg, wherein the web has an inwardly facing inner flowpath surface, wherein
- the first leg, the second leg, and the web are a single piece of material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.