General Electric Company

Tara Chaidez

Jeffrey Howard Nussbaum

Michael Macrorie

Robert A Walter

David K Christensen

Caroline Curtis Granda

Anna Wei

Xin Wei

David Christensen

Methods and apparatus for fabricating a rotor blade for a gas turbine engine are provided. The rotor blade includes an airfoil having a first sidewall and a second sidewall, connected at a leading edge and at a trailing edge. The method includes forming the airfoil portion bounded by a root portion at a zero percent radial span and a tip portion at a one hundred percent radial span, the airfoil having a radial span dependent chord length C, a respective maximum thickness T, and a maximum thickness to chord length ratio (T/C ratio), forming the root portion having a first T/C ratio, forming the tip portion having a second T/C ratio, and forming a mid portion extending between a first radial span and a second radial span having a third T/C ratio, the third T/C ratio being less than the first T/C ratio and the second T/C ratio.

Methods and apparatus for reducing vibrations induced to airfoils

A method enables a rotor blade for a gas turbine engine to be fabricated. The method comprises forming an airfoil including a first side wall and a second side wall that each extend in radial span between an airfoil root and an airfoil tip, and wherein the first and second side walls are connected at a leading edge and at a trailing edge, and forming a winglet that extends outwardly from at least one of the airfoil first side wall and the airfoil second side wall, such that a radius extends between the winglet and at least one of the airfoil first side wall and the second side wall.

Methods and apparatus for reducing vibrations induced to compressor airfoils

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Malden, MA, United States of America

Tara Chaidez