General Electric Company

Robert Bruce Dickman

Aspi Rustom Wadia

Peter John Wood

Rolf R Hetico

Brent Franklin Beacher

Hsin-Tuan Liu

Hsin-Yi Yen

Jan Christopher Schilling

Ramakrishna Venkata Mallina

Yoon Seok Choi

Gregory T Steinmetz

Bryan Keith Doloresco

Kenneth William Krabacher

Terry E Buerkle

Kurt E Young

Keegan Nathaniel Mehrtens

A rotor blade system for a turbine engine having a longitudinal centerline axis. The rotor blade system includes a rotor configured to rotate about the longitudinal centerline axis and a plurality of rotor blades coupled circumferentially around the rotor, each rotor blade having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a suction side, and a pressure side. At least one rotor blade of the plurality of rotor blades has an axial sweep of both the leading edge and the trailing edge as compared to a base blade of the plurality of rotor blades.

Rotor blade system for turbine engines

An airfoil for a gas turbine engine includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a tip, a first side wall that extends in radial span between an airfoil root and the tip, wherein the first side wall defines a first side of said airfoil, and a second side wall connected to the first side wall at the leading edge and the trailing edge, wherein the second side wall extends in radial span between the airfoil root and the tip, such that the second side wall defines a second side of the airfoil. The airfoil also includes a rib extending outwardly from at least one of the first side wall and the second side wall, wherein the rib is configured to reduce airflow spillage past the tip.

Methods and apparatus for reducing flow across compressor airfoil tips

An airfoil for a gas turbine engine includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a tip, a first side wall that extends in radial span between an airfoil root and the tip, wherein the first side wall defines a first side of said airfoil, and a second side wall connected to the first side wall at the leading edge and the trailing edge, wherein the second side wall extends in radial span between the airfoil root and the tip, such that the second side wall defines a second side of the airfoil. The airfoil also includes a rib that extends outwardly from at least one of the first side wall and the second side wall, such that a natural frequency of chordwise vibration of the airfoil is increased to a frequency that is not present within the gas turbine engine during engine operations.

Methods and apparatus for structurally supporting airfoil tips

A variable inlet guide vane includes opposite pressure and suction sides extending along a chord between leading and trailing edges and in span from root to tip. The vane has a maximum thickness greater than about eight percent chord length and located less than about thirty-five percent chord length from the leading edge.

Wide angle guide vane

A compressor airfoil includes pressure and suction sides extending from root to tip and between leading and trailing edges. Transverse sections have respective chords and camber lines. Centers of gravity of the sections are aligned along a double bowed stacking axis for improving performance.

Doubled bowed compressor airfoil

A damper which provides both blade to blade and blade to ground damping is described. In one embodiment, the damper includes a retainer and a chicklet. The retainer is secured to a rotor disk by a bolt which extends through an opening in the disk and an opening in the retainer. The retainer includes support flanges which facilitate positioning retainer relative to the disk, and sidewalls (or guides) for limiting movement of the chicklet. The chicklet is movably positioned within the retainer, and movement of the chicklet is limited by sidewalls and a cross wall member of the retainer. The retainer positions the chicklet so that in operation, a contact surface of chicklet makes blade to blade contact with adjacent blades. In operation, centrifugal forces drive the chicklet into contact with the blade platforms. Since the chicklet is in contact with adjacent blades, blade to blade damping is provided. Further, due to the geometric configuration of the contact surfaces of the chicklet, the chicklet tends to travel upward along the underside of the platform. As the chicklet slides upward and rearward on the platform, the chicklet contacts the cross wall member of the retainer, and since the retainer is secured to the disk, blade to ground damping is provided by the damper.

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Robert Bruce Dickman