Pratt-whitney Canada Corp

Kari J Heikurinen

Paul Stone

Tibor Urac

Thomas Veitch

Farid Abrari

Daniel Fudge

Ernest Adique

Peter Townsend

Ignatius Theratil

Paul Aitchison

Edward Fazari

Frank Kelly

Karan Anand

Ronald Dutton

John J Sanderson

Ivor Banks

Yuhua Wu

Donald F Wilford

Ron Dutton

Dinesh Chawla

A compressor rotor for a gas turbine engine includes a hub disposed about an axis of rotation and an outer surface forming a radially inner gaspath boundary, the outer surface defining a nominal hub diameter. A circumferential array of blades extends radially outwardly from the hub. A first inter-blade passage is defined between a first set of adjacent blades and has a first throat area. A second inter-blade passage is defined between a second set of adjacent blades and has a second throat area that is smaller than the first throat area. At least one scoop is disposed in the second inter-blade passage, the scoop defining a cavity extending radially into the outer surface of the hub relative to the nominal hub diameter.

Mistuned compressor rotor with hub scoops

A rotor for a gas turbine engine. The rotor includes blades circumferentially distributed around a hub. The blades have airfoils with a span defined between a root and tip, a chord defined between a leading edge and a trailing edge, and a thickness defined between a pressure side surface and suction side surface. The blades include first blades and second blades. The airfoil of the first blades has a first thickness distribution defining a first natural vibration frequency of the airfoils of the first blades. The airfoil of the second blades has a second thickness distribution defining a second natural vibration frequency different than the first natural vibration frequency. The first thickness distribution is different than the second thickness distribution along a radially-inner half of the span, and the first thickness distribution matches the second thickness distribution along a radially-outer half of the span.

Mistuned rotor for gas turbine engine

A fan for a gas turbine engine comprises blades distributed around a hub. The blades include first and second blades, having geometric parameters and/or material properties that differ from each other to frequency mistune the fan. The blades are distributed about the hub with at least one second blade between adjacent first blades. The leading edge of the airfoil of the second blades is disposed axially aft of the corresponding leading edge of the first blades in at least a portion of the blade span.

Mistuned fan for gas turbine engine

A compressor rotor for a gas turbine engine has blades circumferentially distributed around and extending a span length from a central hub. The blades include alternating first and second blades having airfoils with corresponding geometric profiles. The airfoil of the first blade has a coating varying in thickness relative to the second blade to provide natural vibration frequencies different between the first and the second blades.

Compressor rotor with coated blades

A fan for a turbofan gas turbine engine having a low hub-to-tip ratio is disclosed. The fan includes a rotor hub and a plurality of radially extending fan blades. Each fan blade defines a hub radius (R), which is the radius of the leading edge at the hub relative to a centerline of the fan, and a tip radius (R), which is the radius of the leading edge at a tip of the fan blade relative to the centerline of the fan. The ratio of the hub radius to the tip radius (R/R) is less than 0.29. In a particular embodiment, this ratio is between 0.25 and 0.29. In another particular embodiment, this ratio is less than 0.25.

Low hub-to-tip ratio fan for a turbofan gas turbine engine

A rotor for a gas turbine engine comprises a rotor having a hub and blades around the hub, and extending from the hub to tips. The tips include first and second tip portions between their respective tip leading edge and tip trailing edge. Tips are spaced from a rotational axis of the rotor by spans. A mean span of a first tip portion of a first blade is greater than a mean span of a corresponding first tip portion of a second blade. A mean span of a second tip portion the first blade is less than a mean span of a corresponding second tip portion of the second blade.

Rotor with non-uniform blade tip clearance

A compressor airfoil of a gas turbine engine includes a pressure side and a suction side of the airfoil extending downstream from a stagnation point, the suction side including a suction side surface portion within a leading edge region, and a main suction side airfoil surface downstream from the suction side surface portion and extending contiguously therewith. The suction side surface portion having a compound curvature profile which includes at least a leading edge having a first curvature profile and a chamfered surface having a second curvature profile different from the first curvature profile. The chamfered surface being contiguous with and extending immediately downstream from the leading edge. The first curvature profile being curved. The second curvature profile of the chamfered surface being substantially flat and defining a substantially straight-line profile in a cross-section transverse to the span-wise axis of the airfoil.

Compressor airfoil with compound leading edge profile

A multi-stage axial compressor with an inner wall including a step portion for each of the compressor stages. Each step portion is defined along a respective stage. Each step portion may extend over at least a majority of an axial length of the stage. Each step portion may optionally include a point aligned with a maximum thickness of the airfoil portions of the rotor blades and a point aligned with a maximum thickness of the stator vanes. Adjacent step portions are connected by a transition portion converging toward a central axis of the compressor from the upstream step to the downstream step. Each transition portion has a steeper slope than that of the adjacent step portions. A method of directing flow through a multi-stage axial flow compressor is also discussed.

Multistage axial flow compressor

A fan for a turbofan gas turbine engine, the fan comprising a rotor hub and a plurality of radially extending fan blades integral with the hub to form an integrally bladed rotor. Each fan blade defines a leading edge. A hub radius (R) is the radius of the leading edge at the hub relative to a centerline of the fan. A tip radius (R) is the radius of the leading edge at a tip of the fan blade relative to the centerline of the fan. The ratio of the hub radius to the tip radius (R/R) is at least less than 0.29. In a particular embodiment, this ratio is between 0.25 and 0.29. In another particular embodiment, this ratio is less than or equal to 0.25.

An airfoil root fillet having a predetermined compound curve profile can be flank milled with a single flank milling cutter having a generally conical flank milling portion and a rounded tip portion defining a compound curve.

Method of machining airfoil root fillets

A frequency mistuned integrally bladed rotor (IBR) for a gas turbine engine comprises a hub and a circumferential row of blades of varying frequency projecting integrally from the hub. Each blade in the row alternate with another blade having a different pressure surface definition but similar suction surface, leading edge and trailing edge definitions.

Intentionally mistuned integrally bladed rotor

A method and apparatus for eliminating vortex whistle noise in a radial-to-axial compressor intake uses a plurality of flow fences (36) disposed along the radially inner gas passage boundary (10). The fences (36) disrupt a portion of the swirling gas flow (32) resulting from the position of a plurality of pivotal inlet guide vanes (28) disposed about the radially outward facing inlet (18).

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Oakville, Canada

Kari J Heikurinen