General Electric Company

Richard Clay Haubert

Harvey M Maclin

Ching-Pang Lee

David William Crall

Roger Dale Wustman

Erich Alois Krammer

John Peter Heyward

Charles Robert Wojciechowski

Gary Mac Holloway

Paul John Fink

Timothy Lane Norris

Louis Lievestro

James E Eiswerth

A turbine flowpath structure includes a first generally U-shaped flowpath channel having a first leg having a first inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade suction-side airfoil surface, a second leg having a second inwardly facing side shaped as a turbine blade pressure-side airfoil surface, and a web connecting the first leg and the second leg, wherein the web has an inwardly facing inner flowpath surface. There is typically provided a spar that engages at least one of the first leg and the second leg. In one application, there is a plurality of the generally U-shaped flowpath channels arranged around the periphery of a turbine disk, and a plurality of spars positioned between each pair of adjacent generally U-shaped flowpath channels to anchor them to the turbine disk.

Gas turbine flowpath structure

A turbofan engine includes in serial flow communication a first fan, second fan, multistage compressor, combustor, first turbine, second turbine, and third turbine. The first turbine is joined to the compressor by a first shaft. The second turbine is joined to the second fan by a second shaft. And, the third turbine is joined to the first fan by a third shaft. First, second, and third cooling circuits are joined to different stages of the compressor for cooling the forward and aft sides and center bore of the first turbine with different pressure air.

Triple circuit turbine cooling

A turbine blade includes a hollow airfoil integrally joined to a dovetail. The airfoil includes a perforate first bridge defining a flow channel behind the airfoil leading edge. A second bridge is spaced behind the first bridge and extends from a pressure sidewall of the airfoil short of the airfoil trailing edge. A third bridge has opposite ends joined to the pressure sidewall and the second bridge to define with the first bridge a supply channel for the leading edge channel, and defines with the second bridge a louver channel extending aft along the second bridge to its distal end at the pressure sidewall.

Integrated bridge turbine blade

A gas turbine engine includes a blade including a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first sidewall extending in radial span between a blade root and blade tip, and a second sidewall connected to the first sidewall at the leading edge and at the trailing edge. The first and second sidewalls each include an outer surface and an inner surface. A cooling cavity is defined by the first sidewall inner surface and the second sidewall inner surface. At least a portion of the cooling cavity is coated with an oxidation resistant environmental coating that has a thickness less than 0.0015 inches.

Methods and apparatus for extending gas turbine engine airfoils useful life

A mechanical coupling to transfer torque between cooperating rotatable members each of substantially circular cross section and aligned along an axis of rotation comprises first and second members including, respectively, first and second surface portions in juxtaposition across an interface. Each surface portion includes a plurality of spaced apart teeth mechanically interlocking at the interface. The first surface portion comprises a fiber reinforced material including fibers oriented within about 45&deg;, on either side, of an axis of rotation. Provided is a clamp to hold the first and second surface portions together at the interface.

Mechanical coupling for cooperating rotatable members

A blisk includes a disk and a plurality of inner airfoils extending radially outwardly therefrom, with each of the inner airfoils having an integral shroud support at a radially outer end thereof. A plurality of outer airfoils extend radially outwardly from respective ones of the shroud supports, and a plurality of discrete shroud segments are disposed respectively between adjacent ones of the shroud supports to collectively form an annular shroud for radially separating flow between the inner and outer airfoils. Each of the shroud segments is removably joined to only one of the adjacent shroud supports to improve manufacturing access, to allow replacability, and to allow differential movement and friction damping during operation.

Shrouded fan blisk

A method of fabricating a hollow article, such as a rotor blade, comprising the steps of forming a solid piece of material and establishing a reference datum thereon, cutting the piece into two parts and establishing aligning means for adjacent surfaces of the two parts, separating the two parts and forming at least one cavity in one of the adjacent surfaces, aligning the adjacent surfaces using the aligning means, fastening the two parts together, and forming the external surfaces of the article using the reference datum as a positional reference.

Growing community of inventors

Hamilton, OH, United States of America

Richard Clay Haubert