General Electric Company

William James Strock

Thomas G Wakeman

Ambrose A Hauser

Frank Worthoff

William Howard Hasting

Courtney James Tudor

Seth Alexander McDonald

Robert H Roth

James W Brantley

Donald F Keck

Eugene J Antuna

David Byron Morris

Jeffrey B Fravel

Alan B Corbeil

A vane includes a composite airfoil having a single dovetail root extending chordwise between or near leading and trailing edges of the airfoil. The root is connected to the airfoil and is slidably received in a dovetail slot in an inner vane mount. The dovetail slot has a triangular slot cross section and a flat slot bottom and flat slot pressure and suction side crush faces corresponding to pressure and suction sides of the airfoil. The root has a triangular root cross section, a flat root bottom, and flat dovetail root pressure and suction side crush faces. A biasing means urges the root bottom of the dovetail root away from the slot bottom and presses and preloads the dovetail root pressure and suction side crush faces against the slot pressure and suction side slot crush faces.

Composite vane mounting

A vane includes a composite airfoil having chordwise spaced apart forward and aft dovetail feet at or near leading and trailing edges of the airfoil. Each foot includes a shank connecting a dovetail root to an airfoil base and each root is slidably received in a dovetail slot in an inner vane mount. The dovetail slot has a triangular slot cross section and a flat slot bottom and flat slot pressure and suction side crush faces corresponding to pressure and suction sides of the airfoil. The dovetail root having a triangular root cross section and a flat root bottom and flat dovetail root pressure and suction side crush faces. A biasing means urges the root bottom of the dovetail roots away from the slot bottom and presses and preloads the dovetail root pressure and suction side crush faces against the slot pressure and suction side slot crush faces.

A gas turbine engine has a core frame separable from a vane frame for removably attaching the vane frame to a core structure through a mid ring. The mid ring includes an annular forward panel and an annular aft panel, each of which has a radially outer flange and a radially inner flange. The inner flanges are welded to the core frame and the outer flanges are bolted to the vane frame. A plurality of circumferentially spaced stiffeners extend between the forward and aft panels, with each of the stiffeners including a pair of stringers extending diagonally across the stiffeners. Panels may be incorporated with the stringers between the triangular shaped areas adjacent the forward and aft panels of the stiffener. The bolted connection between the mid ring and the vane frame includes a plurality of tongue and groove joints formed in the flanges of the mid ring and vane frame. The tongue and groove joints provide additional radial support for the core engine within the vane frame. Preferably, the tongue and groove joints are formed with angular sides so that conformance between the joints can be achieved by simply tightening the bolts attaching the joints. In one embodiment, the tongue and groove joints may only be used at preselected circumferential positions with the remainder of the flange connections using overlapping lap joints.

Apparatus for removably attaching a core frame to a vane frame with a

The invention concerns a cowling for aircraft propulsion systems of the counterrotating propeller type. The cowling includes a pair of mounting rings located fore and aft of a propeller array. Removable panels extend between the mounting rings and contain openings through which the propeller blades extend.

Rotating cowling

Blade carrying means for variable pitch propulsor blades of a gas turbine engine are disclosed. The blade carrying means comprise dual, axially positioned rings and a plurality of generally cylindrical bearing journals supported between the rings. Each of the journals has a radially outer and inner edge and is adapted to support a single propulsor blade. The blade carrying means also comprise stiffening means, such as a bulkhead attached to the inner edge, for preventing distortion of the journal inner edge.

Blade carrying means

A rotor stage disposed within an annular fluid flowpath in a turbomachine is disclosed. The rotor stage includes outer and inner rings and a plurality of first and second airfoils. The outer and inner rings define flowpath surfaces for said flowpath. The first and second airfoils extend between the rings for transferring energy between the fluid and the rotor stage. At least one of the first airfoils surrounds means for transmitting energy across the flowpath.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

William James Strock