United Technologies Corporation

Karl J Yaeger

Martin J Walsh

William H Greene, Jr

Douglas E Duke

James A Sunamoto

An array (32) of flow directing elements such as fan blades (20) for a turbine engine (10) is disclosed. Each blade in the array has a set of circumferentially shrouds (42, 44) whose contact edges (46, 48) abut each other during engine operation. A shroud angle .sigma. establishes the running chord angle .alpha. of the airfoil (30) portion of the array. Slight differences in the shroud angles of adjacent blades cause corresponding differences in the running chord angles so that the array is detuned and airfoil flutter is precluded.

Flutter resistant blades, vanes and arrays thereof for a turbomachine

A fire resistant bearing compartment cover (86) for a gas turbine engine features a fluid tight outer wall (106) comprised of an axially extending, radially converging support shell (90) and an axially extending piston ring carrier (92) joined to the support shell by a circumferentially continuous fluid tight joint (104). A heatshield (110) joined to the inner end of the support shell by another circumferentially continuous fluid tight joint (118) and slidably engaging the outer end of the support shell at an expansion joint (128) defines a stagnant air cavity (112). The arrangement reduces the likelihood that any oil leaking out of the bearing compartment will accumulate and be ignited by turbine cooling air (45) which leaks into the cavity.

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Coventry, CT, United States of America

Karl J Yaeger