General Electric Company

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Gary B Manharth

Andrew Breeze-Stringfellow

Jay L Cornell

Theodore R Ingling

Jeffrey Scott Allen

Augustus M Helmintoller, Jr

An abradable fan containment structure within a fan section of a turbofan engine is provided. The fan section of the turbofan engine has fan blades and an abradable fan shroud. The abradable fan shroud includes an inner fan casing circumscribing the fan blades such that the inner annular surface of the fan shroud is disposed adjacent the blade tips of the fan blades within the fan section. The inner annular surface is formed from an abradable material. The abradable material contour is substantially triangular along the axial length from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The abradable material has a contoured surface characterized by a trapezoidal shape after being worn when rubbed by the tips of the fan blades during operation of the engine.

Fan containment structure having contoured shroud for optimized tip

In a turbofan engine a fan designed for reduced damage during a blade-out condition wherein the fan blade airfoil is disposed asymmetrically on the platform and includes a forwardly displaced leading edge. The platform is configured to make early contact with a following airfoil upon blade-out.

Fan blade for blade-out protection

Gas turbine engines are used as powerplants for aircraft. When the aircraft are parked on the ground, the wind can blow through the engines and set fans and rotors into motion, i.e., windmill them. Given that the blades of the fans and rotors are loosely fastened to their rotors, the low speed rotation caused by windmilling causes the blades to clatter or clank, thus causing wear. The present invention provides means for clamping blades into position during this low speed rotation for reducing clanking.

Blade assembly for a turbomachine

A self-supporting, self-locating seal having a central portion and a pair of end segments so designed as to fit within the mid span joint formed between adjacent turbine engine blades. Because of the design of the seal, the seal is held securely in position simply by its geometry and the centrifugal forces applied thereto during turbine engine operation.

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Milford, OH, United States of America

Gary B Manharth