Granted Patent B2

US 12,305,531 · App. 18/807,026 · Granted May 20, 2025

Inventors: Jaime G. Ghigliotty Rosado (Cabo Rojo, OR); Brandon W. Spangler (Vernon, CT); David E. Gambardella (Tucson, AZ); Benjamin B. Simpson (Rogersville, TN)

Assignee: RTX Corporation

F01D5/186F05D2220/32F05D2230/21F05D2230/60F05D2260/202F05D2260/22141

Abstract

Claims (104)

1. A turbine engine airfoil element comprising:

an airfoil having:

an exterior surface including a pressure side and a suction side; and

a plurality of spanwise passageways including:

a plurality of main body passageways along a camber line; and

a plurality of skin passageways between the main body passageways and the exterior surface,

wherein;

the skin passageways have:

a downstream direction from one or more inlets;

a skin side;

first and second lateral rounded transitions from the skin side;

a parting line; and

a longitudinally spaced plurality of protrusions from the skin side; and

the protrusions have a height profile having:

first and second tapering portions tapering from a maximum height, the first and second portions extending downstream; and

first and second inwardly concave transitions to the skin passageway lateral rounded transitions.

2. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 wherein:

the height profile is measured relative to a baseline formed by a passageway surface intersection with an inward surface normal from the adjacent outer surface at a location ahead of or behind the protrusion.

3. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 wherein:

the tapering is such that the entirety of each of the protrusions, including the concave transitions, remains below a height of a maximum transverse width of the skin passageway.

4. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 wherein:

the maximum height is at a location at or below a height of maximum transverse width of the skin passageway.

5. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 4 wherein:

the inwardly concave transitions have a transverse span S F of at least 3% percent of a transverse width W PO of the associated passageway.

6. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 4 wherein:

the inwardly concave transitions have maximum protrusion P HF at a location at or below a height of maximum transverse width of the skin passageway.

7. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 wherein:

an average height of the protrusions away from the transitions is 65% to 90% of the maximum height.

8. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 wherein:

each of the tapering portions extends along a transverse span of at least 10% of the maximum passageway width W PO .

9. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 wherein:

the height of each protrusion along a transverse span of at least 3% of a transverse width W PO of the associated passageway is at least 30% of the maximum height.

10. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 wherein:

the height of each protrusion along a transverse span of 10% to 90% of a transverse width W PO of the associated passageway is at least 30% of the maximum height.

11. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 wherein:

protrusions have nested chevron footprints such that an upstream apex of a leading edge of a given protrusion is upstream of downstreammost extremes of the trailing edge of a protrusion ahead.

12. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 wherein:

adjacent said pressure side skin passageways connect to each other via a plurality of linking passageways.

13. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 wherein:

the skin passageways have rounded-corner triangular or quadrilateral cross-section.

14. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 comprising:

four to ten said skin passageways.

15. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 wherein:

the skin passageways each extend over at least 50% of a span of the airfoil.

16. The turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 being a blade having an attachment root wherein:

the main body passageways extend from associated inlets at an inner diameter (ID) end of the root; and

the skin passageways extend from associated inlets at the inner diameter (ID) end of the root.

17. A turbine engine including the turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 .

18. A method for manufacturing the turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 , the method comprising:

assembling to each other:

a ceramic feedcore for forming the plurality of main body passageways; and

a ceramic skin core with grooves for forming the plurality of skin passageways and the associated protrusions;

overmolding the assembly with a fugitive;

shelling the fugitive to form a shell;

casting alloy in the shell; and

deshelling and decoring the cast alloy,

optionally the method further comprises:

molding the ceramic skin core in a die having a first piece and a second piece, the first piece having ridges that mold the grooves;

separating the first piece from the second piece; and

releasing the core from the die,

optionally wherein:

the plurality of grooves are not molded by the second piece;

the ridges are shaped with a rim tapering in height but having a fillet transitioning to project toward a local parting line between the first piece and the second piece.

19. A method for using the turbine engine airfoil element of claim 1 , the method comprising:

driving an airflow through the plurality of spanwise passageways; and

said airflow exiting through a plurality of outlets from the skin passageways.

20. A turbine engine airfoil element comprising:

an airfoil having:

an exterior surface having a pressure side and a suction side; and

a plurality skin passageways along one of the pressure side and the suction side and having:

a downstream direction from one or more inlets;

a skin side;

first and second lateral rounded transitions from the skin side; and

a longitudinally spaced plurality of protrusions from the skin side,

wherein a pull direction exists such that;

in transverse section, the skin passageways have a respective pair of lateral intersections with tangents parallel to said pull direction;

for each said skin passageway, a parting line joins the intersections;

the protrusions have a height profile having:

first and second tapering portions tapering from a maximum height, the first and second tapering portions extending downstream; and

first and second inwardly concave transitions to the skin passageway lateral rounded transitions;

a difference (D) between a maximum height of the protrusions and a height of the parting line being not more than 200 micrometers;

a difference (D) between a terminal height of the concave transitions and a height of the parting line is not more than 200 micrometers.

21. A turbine engine airfoil element comprising:

an airfoil having:

an exterior surface; and

a plurality of spanwise passageways including:

a plurality of main body passageways along a camber line; and

a plurality of skin passageways between the main body passageways and the exterior surface,

wherein;

the skin passageways have:

a downstream direction from one or more inlets;

a skin side;

a maximum passage width;

a parting line height between the skin side and a reference line representing the maximum passage width;

first and second lateral rounded transitions from the skin side; and

a longitudinally spaced plurality of protrusions from the skin side; and

wherein;

the protrusions have a height profile having:

first and second inwardly concave transitions to the skin passageway respective first and second lateral rounded transitions; and

a first tapered portion between a maximum protrusion height and the first inwardly concave transition; and

wherein;

the maximum protrusion height is between 80% and 100% of the parting line height; and

wherein:

the height profile is measured relative to a baseline formed by a passageway surface intersection with an inward surface normal from the exterior surface at a location ahead of or behind the protrusion.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (18)