The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 09, 2002
Filed:
May. 23, 2000
Jeffrey Arnold Fehrenbach, Cincinnati, OH (US);
John Howard Starkweather, Cincinnati, OH (US);
Michael Beverley, West Chester, OH (US);
General Electric Company, Cincinnati, OH (US);
Abstract
A cooling hole configuration for an air-cooled component, such as a gas turbine engine airfoil. The cooling hole is configured to have cross-sectional variations and a noncircular-shaped diffuser-type opening that significantly improve the cooling film distribution across the external surface of an airfoil, with the result that heat transfer from the surrounding environment to the airfoil is reduced. The cooling hole is configured to have its central axis at an acute angle to the exterior surface of the airfoil, and defines a noncircular-shaped opening at the airfoil surface. The cooling hole generally has a first region adjacent the airfoil surface and a second region interior to the airfoil. The cooling hole is configured such that the second region has an oblong or oval-shaped cross-section, with a major diameter approximately equal to the major diameter of the first region and a minor diameter less than the major diameter of the first region, with a smooth transition existing between the first and second regions. The oblong shape of the second region is preferably the result of a recess being present in the wall of the cooling hole opposite the direction in which the cooling hole extends toward the airfoil surface, causing the central axis of the cooling hole to have an arcuate shape in which the central axis is disposed at a lesser angle to the airfoil surface in the first region than the angle in the second region. The cooling hole can be generated using a water jet technique.