Process to minimize turbine airfoil downstream shock induced flowfield disturbance

1. A method of designing adjacent transonic airfoils to minimize downstream shock induced flowfield disturbance in an engine having a rotational axis, each transonic airfoil having an adjacent airfoil, and further having a pressure surface, a suction surface, a predetermined airfoil exit mach number, an exit flow angle, a pressure side trailing edge wedge angle, a suction side trailing edge wedge angle, and a suction side throat angle, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting an airfoil exit deviation angle, the airfoil exit deviation angle having a magnitude;

determining a combined shock induced flowfield disturbance at a position that corresponds to a leading edge of a downstream airfoil, the combined shock induced flowfield disturbance resulting, at least in part, from a suction side shock and a reflected shock, the suction side shock being a shock that emanates from the airfoil trailing edge suction side, the reflected shock resulting from a cross passage shock that emanates from the airfoil trailing edge pressure side and reflects off an adjacent airfoil suction side; and

varying the airfoil exit deviation angle until the combined shock induced flowfield disturbance at the position that corresponds to a leading edge of a downstream airfoil is minimized,

wherein:

a line that bisects the pressure surface and the suction surface defines a trailing edge metal line,

an angle between flow streamlines downstream of the airfoil trailing edge and a line that extends parallel to the engine rotational axis defines an airfoil exit flow angle,

an angle between the trailing edge metal line and the line that extends parallel to the engine rotational axis defines a trailing edge metal angle,

an angle between the trailing edge metal angle and the airfoil exit flow angle defines the airfoil exit deviation angle, and

the step of determining the combined shock induced flow field disturbance comprises:

determining a peak-to-peak amplitude of a suction shock static pressure variation at the position that corresponds to a leading edge of a downstream airfoil, the suction shock static pressure variation resulting from the suction side shock;

determining a peak-to-peak amplitude of a reflected shock static pressure variation at the position that corresponds to a leading edge of a downstream airfoil, the reflected shock static pressure variation resulting from the reflected shock; and

comparing the peak-to-peak amplitude of the suction shock static pressure variation and the reflected shock static variation to determine which is greater.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of varying the airfoil exit deviation angle comprises:

varying the airfoil exit deviation angle until a ratio of the compared peak-to-peak amplitudes is less than a predetermined value.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:

if the peak-to-peak amplitude of the suction side shock static pressure variation is greater than the peak-to-peak amplitude of the reflected shock static pressure variation, then the ratio is the peak-to-peak amplitude of the suction side shock static pressure variation divided by the peak-to-peak amplitude of the reflected shock static pressure variation; and

if the peak-to-peak amplitude of the reflected shock static pressure variation is greater than the peak-to-peak amplitude of the suction side shock static pressure variation, then the ratio is the peak-to-peak amplitude of the reflected shock static pressure variation divided by the peak-to-peak amplitude of the suction side shock static pressure variation.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined value is 2.0.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

implementing the airfoil suction surface with uniform convex curvature.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a cross passage shock location on each airfoil suction surface, the cross passage shock location disposed within a shock reflection region and corresponding to a location off of which a shock that emanates from an adjacent airfoil trailing edge pressure surface reflects; and

providing each airfoil suction surface with convex curvature at the cross passage shock location.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the concentrated convex curvature has a maximum downstream of the airfoil throat and within the cross passage shock reflection region.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the cross passage shock reflection region extends a predetermined distance upstream and downstream of the shock reflection location.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined distance is a predetermined percentage of a distance between the airfoil throat and the airfoil trailing edge.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined percentage is 15%.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein:

each airfoil suction side surface has a curvature defined, at least in part, by a turning between the airfoil throat and the airfoil trailing edge; and

at least 75% of the turning occurs between the airfoil throat and an end of the shock reflection region.

12. A method of designing adjacent transonic airfoils to minimize downstream shock induced flowfield disturbance, each transonic airfoil including at least two adjacent airfoils, a suction surface and a pressure surface coupled together via a leading edge and a trailing edge, each airfoil spaced apart from its adjacent airfoils to define an airfoil passage therebetween and an airfoil throat, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a cross passage shock location on each airfoil suction surface, the cross passage shock location disposed within a shock reflection region and corresponding to a location off of which a shock that emanates from an adjacent airfoil trailing edge pressure surface reflects; and

providing each airfoil suction surface with a concentrated convex curvature at the cross passage shock location,

wherein:

the cross passage shock reflection region extends a predetermined distance upstream and downstream of the shock reflection location, and

the predetermined distance is 15% of a distance between the airfoil throat and the airfoil trailing edge.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the concentrated convex curvature has a maximum downstream of the airfoil throat and within the cross passage shock reflection region.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

each airfoil suction side surface has a curvature defined, at least in part, by a turning between the airfoil throat and the airfoil trailing edge; and

at least 75% of the turning occurs between the airfoil throat and an end of the shock reflection region.

15. A method of designing adjacent transonic airfoils to minimize downstream shock induced flowfield disturbance, each transonic airfoil having an adjacent airfoil and a predetermined airfoil exit mach number, exit flow angle, pressure side trailing edge wedge angle, suction side trailing edge wedge angle, and suction side throat angle, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting an airfoil exit deviation angle for one of the transonic airfoils, the airfoil exit deviation angle having a magnitude;

determining a combined shock induced flowfield disturbance at a position that corresponds to a leading edge of a downstream airfoil, the combined shock induced flowfield disturbance resulting, at least in part, from a suction side shock and a reflected shock, the suction side shock being a shock that emanates from the airfoil trailing edge suction side, the reflected shock resulting from a cross passage shock that emanates from the airfoil trailing edge pressure side and reflects off an adjacent airfoil suction side; and

varying the airfoil exit deviation angle until the combined shock induced flowfield disturbance at the position that corresponds to a leading edge of a downstream airfoil is minimized,

wherein the step of determining the combined shock induced flow field disturbance comprises:

determining a peak-to-peak amplitude of a suction shock static pressure variation at the position that corresponds to a leading edge of a downstream airfoil, the suction shock static pressure variation resulting from the suction side shock;

determining a peak-to-peak amplitude of a reflected shock static pressure variation at the position that corresponds to a leading edge of a downstream airfoil, the reflected shock static pressure variation resulting from the reflected shock;

comparing the peak-to-peak amplitude of the suction shock static pressure variation and the reflected shock static variation to determine which is greater.

16. A method of designing adjacent transonic airfoils to minimize downstream shock induced flowfield disturbance, each transonic airfoil including at least two adjacent airfoils, a suction surface and a pressure surface coupled together via a leading edge and a trailing edge, each airfoil spaced apart from its adjacent airfoils to define an airfoil passage therebetween and an airfoil throat, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a cross passage shock location on each airfoil suction surface, the cross passage shock location disposed within a shock reflection region and corresponding to a location off of which a shock that emanates from an adjacent airfoil trailing edge pressure surface reflects; and

providing each airfoil suction surface with a concentrated convex curvature at the cross passage shock location,

wherein:

each airfoil suction side surface has a curvature defined, at least in part, by a turning between the airfoil throat and the airfoil trailing edge, and

at least 75% of the turning occurs between the airfoil throat and an end of the shock reflection region.