IP Library Granted Patent US 12,241,383
Granted Patent B2
US 12,241,383 · App. 18/173,952 · Granted Mar 4, 2025

Turbine engine with a composite-airfoil assembly having a dovetail portion

Inventors: Benjamin Thomas Van Oflen (Cincinnati, OH); Gary Willard Bryant, Jr. (Loveland, OH); Nicholas Joseph Kray (Mason, OH); Arthur William Sibbach (Boxford, MA); Michael John Franks (Cincinnati, OH); Elzbieta Kryj-Kos (Liberty Township, OH)
Assignee: General Electric Company
F01D5/147F01D5/282F01D5/323F01D5/326F01D9/041F01D11/008
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,241,383
App. No.
18/173,952
Granted
Mar 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A turbine engine having a disk, a composite airfoil assembly and a pitch snubber. The disk having a slot. The composite airfoil assembly having an airfoil portion and a dovetail portion. The dovetail portion having a radially inner surface spaced from the slot to define a gap therebetween. The pitch snubber being provided on one of the slot or the radially inner surface of the dovetail portion.

Claims (49)

1. A turbine engine, comprising:

a disk rotatable about a rotational axis and having:

a disk forward surface:

a disk aft surface

a periphery interconnecting the disk forward surface and the disk aft surface; and

a slot extending axially along the periphery between the disk forward surface and the disk aft surface, the slot having an inner slot face radially opposite the periphery,

a composite airfoil assembly extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the composite airfoil assembly comprising:

an airfoil portion extending radially outward from the periphery; and

a dovetail portion extending from the airfoil portion and being slidably received within the slot and terminating in a radially inner surface, the radially inner surface being spaced from the inner slot face to define a gap and extending an axial distance to define a dovetail span; and

a pitch snubber extending radially outward from the inner slot face and terminating radially within the gap at a snubber face, the pitch snubber extending radially into the gap and having a total axial length that is greater than 0% and less than or equal to 50% of the dovetail span, with at least a portion of the snubber face being configured to contact one of a respective portion of the inner radially surface when a force is applied to the composite airfoil assembly causing the composite airfoil assembly to rotate about a pitch axis.

2. The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the pitch snubber is axially aligned with the trailing edge.

3. The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the pitch snubber is axially aligned with the leading edge.

4. The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the pitch snubber terminates within the gap at a non-zero radial distance from an opposing portion of one of either the slot or the radially inner surface.

5. The turbine engine of claim 4 , wherein the non-zero radial distance is greater than or equal to 0.02 inches and less than or equal to 0.5 inches.

6. The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the composite airfoil assembly comprises:

a core comprising a composite structure having braided or woven fibers, the core defining at least a portion of the airfoil portion, the core having a material having a first bulk modulus; and

an outer skin, formed with multiple plies, overlaying the core and defining an outer wall of the composite airfoil assembly, the outer skin having a material having a second bulk modulus.

7. The turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the first bulk modulus and the second bulk modulus are non-equal.

8. The turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the core extends into the dovetail portion.

9. The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the pitch snubber extends circumferentially less than a circumferential length of the radially inner surface, with respect to the rotational axis.

10. The turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the pitch snubber includes a plastic, a metal or a composite.

11. The turbine engine of claim 1 , further comprising a fan section with the composite airfoil assembly being a composite fan blade assembly.

12. A turbine engine, comprising:

a disk rotatable about a rotational axis and having:

a disk forward surface;

a disk aft surface;

a periphery interconnecting the disk forward surface and the disk aft surface; and

a slot extending axially along the periphery between the disk forward surface and the disk aft surface, the slot having an inner slot face radially opposite the periphery;

a composite airfoil assembly extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the composite airfoil assembly comprising:

an airfoil portion extending radially outward from the periphery; and

a dovetail portion extending from the airfoil portion and being slidably received within the slot and terminating in a radially inner surface, the radially inner surface being spaced from the inner slot face to define a gap and extending an axial distance to define a dovetail span; and

a pitch snubber extending radially outward from the inner slot face and terminating radially at a snubber face within the gap, the pitch snubber being integrally formed with the disk, with at least a portion of the snubber face being configured to contact one of a respective portion of the slot or the inner surface when a force is applied to the composite airfoil assembly causing the composite airfoil assembly to rotate about a pitch axis.

13. A turbine engine, comprising:

a disk rotatable about a rotational axis and having:

a disk forward surface;

a disk aft surface;

a periphery interconnecting the disk forward surface and the disk aft surface; and

a slot extending axially along the periphery between the disk forward surface and the disk aft surface, the slot having an inner slot face radially opposite the periphery;

a composite airfoil assembly extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the composite airfoil assembly comprising:

an airfoil portion extending radially outward from the periphery; and

a dovetail portion extending from the airfoil portion and being slidably received within the slot and terminating in a radially inner surface, the radially inner surface being spaced from the inner slot face to define a gap and extending an axial distance to define a dovetail span; and

a pitch snubber extending radially outward from the inner slot face and terminating radially within the gap at a snubber face, the snubber face being spaced a non-zero radial distance from an opposing portion of one of the slot or the radially inner surface to define the gap therebetween, with at least a portion of the snubber face being configured to contact one of a respective portion of the slot or the radially inner surface when a force is applied to the composite airfoil assembly causing the composite airfoil assembly to rotate about a pitch axis.

14. The turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the non-zero radial distance is greater than or equal to 0.02 inches and less than or equal to 0.5 inches.

15. The turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the pitch snubber extends axially between the leading edge and the trailing edge.

16. The turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the composite airfoil assembly includes a composite core, and a laminate skin, with a greater portion of the dovetail portion being defined by the laminate skin than the composite core.

17. The turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein the composite core has a composite structure having braided or woven fibers, the composite core having a material having a first bulk modulus, and the laminate skin is formed with multiple plies having a second bulk modulus, non-equal to the first bulk modulus.

18. The turbine engine of claim 16 , wherein the dovetail portion is defined entirely by the laminate skin.

19. The turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the pitch snubber is located along the slot and is axially aligned with a respective portion of the leading edge.

20. The turbine engine of claim 13 , wherein the pitch snubber extends circumferentially less than a circumferential length of the radially inner surface, with respect to the rotational axis.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 24, 2023
From: VAN OFLEN, BENJAMIN THOMAS; BRYANT, GARY WILLARD, JR; KRAY, NICHOLAS JOSEPH; SIBBACH, ARTHUR WILLIAM; FRANKS, MICHAEL JOHN; KRYJ-KOS, ELZBIETA
To: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Reel/Frame 062794/0170 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240287906A1 · Aug 29, 2024
References Cited (30)
US 4453891A · Forestier · 1984 [cited by applicant]
US 4527952A · Forestier et al. · 1985 [cited by applicant]
US 5123813A · Przytulski et al. · 1992 [cited by applicant]
US 5275536A · Stephens et al. · 1994 [cited by applicant]
US 5279892A · Baldwin et al. · 1994 [cited by applicant]
US 5435694A · Kray · 1995 [cited by examiner]
US 6736602B2 · Carney · 2004 [cited by applicant]
US 8105042B2 · Parkin et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 8419374B2 · Huth et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 8573947B2 · Klinetob et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 8696319B2 · Naik · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 8708656B2 · Barnett et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 9410440B2 · Dimelow · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 9500083B2 · Cairo et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 10047611B2 · Thistle et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10215035B2 · Dierksmeier et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10677064B2 · Carter et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10704400B2 · Sanzari et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10774660B2 · Luczak · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10934864B2 · Lee · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20040076523A1 · Sinha · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 20130247586A1 · Luczak · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20140169975A1 · Drozdenko et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20180045207A1 · Paquin · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20190331127A1 · Foster · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200109634A1 · Gondre et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200157954A1 · Burdgick et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
EP 2386721A1 · 2011 [cited by applicant]
EP 2907976A1 · 2015 [cited by applicant]
GB 2507144A · 2014 [cited by applicant]