IP Library Granted Patent US 11,359,543
Granted Patent B2
US 11,359,543 · App. 16/434,453 · Granted Jun 14, 2022

Attritable engine additively manufactured inlet cap

Inventors: Lawrence A. Binek (Glastonbury, CT); Jesse R. Boyer (Middletown, CT); Evan J. Butcher (Suffield, CT); Michael Winter (New Haven, CT); Jesus A. Garcia (San Diego, CA); Sean R. Jackson (Palm City, FL)
Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation
F02C7/055F05D2230/31F05D2260/607
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,359,543
App. No.
16/434,453
Granted
Jun 14, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A turbine engine has: a compressor; a combustor; a turbine, a gas flowpath passing consecutively through the compressor, combustor, and turbine; and inlet member along the gas flowpath upstream of the compressor. The inlet member includes the unitarily-formed single piece combination of: a three dimensional (3D) lattice portion; and a nose cap body surrounding the lattice portion.

Claims (54)

1. A turbine engine; comprising:

a compressor;

a combustor;

a turbine;

a gas flowpath passing consecutively through the compressor, combustor, and turbine; and

inlet member along the gas flowpath upstream of the compressor and comprising a unitarily-formed single piece combination of:

a three dimensional (3D) lattice portion; and

a nose cap body surrounding the lattice portion, wherein

the lattice portion has a depth along and at an axial centerline of less than 75% of a depth along an axis substantially parallel to the axial centerline and at a location of a radially inboard extreme of a radial interface between the lattice portion and the nose cap body.

2. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein:

the inlet member is formed of an aluminum-silicon alloy.

3. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein:

the lattice is a regular lattice.

4. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein:

the lattice has a beam length measured node center to node center of 0.3 mm to 5.0 mm.

5. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein:

the lattice has a beam cross-sectional dimension of 0.05 mm to 1.5 mm.

6. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein:

the lattice has a domed forward perimeter portion and a radially outwardly and rearwardly divergent aft perimeter portion.

7. The turbine engine of claim 6 wherein:

the aft perimeter portion is conical.

8. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein:

the lattice portion has an axial depth of at least 2.0 mm.

9. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein:

the nose cap body comprises a plurality of mounting holes; and

a plurality of threaded fasteners mount the nose cap to an inlet housing.

10. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein:

the engine is a single-spool engine.

11. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein:

the compressor is a centrifugal compressor; and

the combustor is a reverse flow combustor.

12. A method for manufacturing the turbine engine of claim 1 , the method comprising:

additive manufacture of the inlet member; and

assembling the inlet member to an inlet housing.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the assembling the inlet member to the inlet housing registers passageways of the nose cap body with passageways of the inlet housing.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the additive manufacture comprises laser powder bed fusion.

15. A turbine engine inlet member comprising a unitarily-formed single piece combination of:

a three dimensional (3D) lattice portion; and

a nose cap body surrounding the lattice portion, wherein:

the lattice portion has a depth along and at an axial centerline of less than 75% of a depth along an axis substantially parallel to the axial centerline and at a location of a radially inboard extreme of a radial interface between the lattice portion and the nose cap body.

16. The turbine engine inlet member of claim 15 wherein the three dimensional lattice portion has a domed forward perimeter portion.

17. The turbine engine inlet member of claim 16 wherein the three dimensional lattice portion has a rearwardly divergent aft perimeter portion.

18. The turbine engine inlet member of claim 17 wherein the aft perimeter portion is conical or frustoconical.

19. The turbine engine inlet member of claim 17 wherein: the depth at the axial centerline is 25% to 50% of the depth at the location.

20. A turbine engine inlet member comprising a unitarily-formed single piece combination of:

a three dimensional (3D) lattice portion; and

a nose cap body surrounding the lattice portion,

wherein:

the three dimensional lattice portion has a domed forward perimeter portion and a rearwardly divergent aft perimeter portion; and

the aft perimeter portion is conical or frustoconical.

21. The turbine engine inlet member of claim 20 wherein:

the single piece combination is an aluminum-silicon alloy.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 27, 2023
From: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: RTX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064714/0001 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE SPELLING ON THE ADDRESS 10 FARM SPRINGD ROAD FARMINGTONCONNECTICUT 06032 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 057190 FRAME 0719. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CORRECT SPELLING OF THE ADDRESS 10 FARM SPRINGS ROAD FARMINGTON CONNECTICUT 06032. Recorded Aug 19, 2021
From: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 057226/0390 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 16, 2021
From: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
To: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 057190/0719 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 7, 2019
From: BINEK, LAWRENCE A.; BOYER, JESSE R.; BUTCHER, EVAN J.; WINTER, MICHAEL; GARCIA, JESUS A.; JACKSON, SEAN R.
To: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 049402/0855 →
Continuity (1)
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