Pratt-Whitney Canada Corp

Grigory Rukin

Hien Duong

Tibor Urac

Peter Townsend

Jason Nichols

Giuseppe Romani

Esther Leung

Yuhua Wu

Jan Honza Stastny

Yongsheng Zhou

Noushin Bahramshahi

A single bolting flange arrangement for variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) connection includes a connection arm connected to a stem of the VIGV to rotate the VIGV. The connection arm is driven by a drive pin received in a slot of the connection arm. The connection arm has a bolting flange and the stem of the VIGV is fastened to one side of the single bolting flange by a bolt/nut assembly.

Single bolting flange arrangement for variable guide vane connection

A compressor shroud has a continuous slot defined in a gaspath side surface thereof for communicating through the body of the shroud. Spaced-apart structural bridges span a rear portion of the slot in the shroud to maintain structural rigidity of the shroud. The method of forming the continuous slot is also described.

Continuous slot in shroud

The invention relates to a radial split diffuser with an inner casing and an outer casing joined together along a cylindrical joint. Each diffuser passage is intersected by and extends transversely across the joint. The advantages of this design include: the elimination of a transition within the initial portion of the passages where air flow speeds are supersonic and minute surface discontinuities can significantly effect performance; and the simplification of manufacturing through use of metal castings to replace sheet metal fabrications in the manufacture of diffusers. The joint in the present invention can be located downstream from the diffuser inlet a sufficient distance in a lower velocity area. The joint is located to enable access for precise machining of the critical initial portion of the passages within the inner casing, and to minimize air flow disturbance in the initial portion.

Radial split diffuser

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Vaughan, Canada

Grigory Rukin