General Electric Company

Delmer H Landis, Jr

Paul W Lozier

Eugene N Tuley

John Howard Starkweather

Theodore T Thomas, Jr

Louis Lievestro

Malachi Lawrence, Jr

Thomas A Auxier

Charles J Haap

A damper ring for damping vibration of a structural member. The damper ring includes an annular recess for receiving an extension, such as a flange, of the structural member and can include radially extending tabs to restrict relative axial movement. The damper ring is preferably severed to allow it to be retained radially against the extension of the structural member.

Vibration damper ring

An integrally cast structural cooling air manifold for a gas turbine engine being of generally annular shape and having two concentric thin walls defining a plenum therebetween. Each of the walls is provided with embossments through which aligned radial holes are bored to furnish support for a stage of rotatable vane trunnions. A series of circumferentially spaced inlet ports on the outer wall distribute cooling air into the plenum, from which it is routed to the vane airfoil portions to perform cooling functions by means of passages which commumnicate with the plenum via openings in the vane trunnions. Thus, the manifold performs the dual functions of distributing coolant to the vanes and supporting the vane trunnions in the manner of a turbine frame.

Structural cooling air manifold for a gas turbine engine

A turbine assembly is provided by which a variable area turbine vane may be cantilever mounted from an outer structural frame and further supported by an inner structural frame. The vane includes an inner trunnion about which is installed an inner band sector to partially define a flow path through the turbine. The band sector is provided with a hole which receives the trunnion. Once the vane is cantilevered from the outer frame and the band sector installed, an inner annular frame is slid under the vane trunnion to align a hole in the frame with the trunnion. A generally cylindrical trunnion extension is inserted through the frame hole and over the end of the trunnion, and then attached to the trunnion through a bolted connection. The extension is journaled for rotation within the inner structural frame hole. Passageways are provided to route cooling air from the vane into the structural frame to provide cooling of the band sector. Such a structure eliminates the need for expensive uniballs or matched assembly halves at the inner end of the turbine vanes.

Variable turbine vane assembly

An improved floating seal is provided to minimize leakage around the ends of a variable area turbine stator nozzle for use in cooperation with a circumscribing shroud. The seal is contoured to float within a pocket formed in the end of the nozzle vane which extends to the vane trailing edge. The forward end of the seal is forced into engagement with the shroud by the pressure of cooling air from within the vane. A seal surface attached to the trailing edge of the seal and projecting laterally of the vane utilizes the differential pressure across the vane airfoil surfaces to hold the trailing edge of the seal into engagement with the shroud. The improved floating seal reduces vane end leakage experienced by prior art floating seals.

Floating seal for a variable area turbine nozzle

A gas turbine engine comprising a number of annular wall sectors which form a complete circular wall defining a hot gas passage is provided with a cooling system incorporating a plurality of hollow impingement vessels disposed in a circular array within an annular chamber behind the wall. Cooling fluid is routed to the self-contained impingement pressure vessels which are provided with perforations to disperse the cooling fluid into impingement upon the wall. Unlike prior systems, the impingement vessels are not physically attached to the band but, rather, are supported by a structural frame which partially defines the annular chamber and, in the preferred embodiment, also supports the wall sectors. Since the impingement vessel, and not the backside of the wall, is the pressure vessel for the pressurized cooling fluid, leakage between adjacent wall sectors is greatly reduced with no loss in cooling effectiveness when compared to conventional cooling systems. Thus, turbine cycle performance is improved.

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Loveland, OH, United States of America

Delmer H Landis, Jr