IP Library Granted Patent US 12,571,313
Granted Patent B2
US 12,571,313 · App. 19/044,230 · Granted Mar 10, 2026

Gas turbine engine rotor blade geometry and method for selecting same

Inventors: Anthony Bruni (Toronto, CA); Jason Nichols (Mississauga, CA); Ramy Rashad (Oakville, CA); Mohammadreza Amiralaei (Richmond Hill, CA)
Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
F01D5/141F04D29/284F05D2220/323
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,571,313
App. No.
19/044,230
Granted
Mar 10, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An aircraft propulsion system includes a bladed rotor configured for rotation about a rotational axis. A rotor blade of the bladed rotor of rotor blades includes a blade body. The blade body has a blade span extending between and to a base end and a tip end. The blade body has a blade chord extending between and to a leading edge and a trailing edge. The blade body forms a pressure side surface and a suction side surface. The blade body forms a recess at the pressure side surface. The recess includes a recess surface portion forming a portion of the pressure side surface. The recess surface portion has a recess height. The recess height is greater than or equal to a Y-value of 0.025 for a normalized two-dimensional curve of a surface profile of the recess surface portion taken along a Y-Z plane orthogonal to the rotational axis for a recess span.

Claims (29)

1 . A method comprising:

observing a Y-Z plane orthogonal to a rotational axis of a blade body of a rotor blade, a Z-direction of the Y-Z plane extends in a span direction of the blade body, a Y-direction of the Y-Z plane extends orthogonal to the Z-direction;

intersecting the Y-Z plane with a recess forming a portion of a pressure side surface of the blade body to obtain a two-dimensional curve of a surface profile of the pressure side surface;

extracting and normalizing Y-coordinates and Z-coordinates of the two-dimensional curve to determine a normalized two-dimensional curve of the surface profile of the pressure side surface;

determining a straight-line equation for a straight line intersecting the normalized two-dimensional curve at a minimum span position and a maximum span position for the recess; and

selecting a recess height of the recess such that the recess height is greater than or equal to a Y-value of 0.025 and less than or equal to the Y-value of 0.1, and the recess height is a maximum height measured in the Y-direction between the normalized two-dimensional curve and the straight line.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the recess height further includes selecting the recess height within a recess axial chord of the recess extending between and to a minimum axial chord position and a maximum axial chord position, the minimum axial chord position is greater than or equal to 50 percent of a blade axial chord of the blade body and the maximum chord position is less than or equal to 80 percent of the blade axial chord.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein selecting the recess height further includes selecting the recess height greater than or equal to the Y-value of 0.025 and less than or equal to the Y-value of 0.1 for a plurality of axial positions, relative to the rotational axis, between and to the minimum axial chord position and the maximum axial chord position.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the blade body includes the pressure side surface and a suction side surface, the blade body further includes a bulge at the suction side surface coincident with the recess along the blade axial chord, the bulge includes a bulge surface portion forming a portion of the suction side surface, and the bulge surface portion has a first bulge shape which deviates from a second suction side shape of surrounding portions of the suction side surface.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the recess height further includes selecting the recess height such that the recess height is greater than or equal to the Y-value of 0.04.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the minimum span position is less than or equal to 15 percent of a blade span of the blade body and the maximum span position is greater than or equal to 90 percent of the blade span.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising rotating a bladed compressor rotor of a gas turbine engine about the rotational axis, the bladed compressor rotor including the blade body with the selected recess height greater than or equal to the Y-value of 0.025 and less than or equal to the Y-value of 0.1.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the rotor blade including the blade body with the selected recess height greater than or equal to the Y-value of 0.025 and less than or equal to the Y-value of 0.1.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the minimum span position is less than or equal to 40 percent of a blade span of the blade body and the maximum span position is greater than or equal to 90 percent of the blade span.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the recess has a first recess shape which deviates from a second pressure side shape of surrounding portions of the pressure side surface.

11 . A method comprising:

observing a Y-Z plane orthogonal to a rotational axis of a blade body of a rotor blade, a Z-direction of the Y-Z plane extends in a span direction of the blade body, a Y-direction of the Y-Z plane extends orthogonal to the Z-direction;

intersecting the Y-Z plane with a recess forming a portion of a pressure side surface of the blade body to obtain a two-dimensional curve of a surface profile of the pressure side surface;

determining a straight-line equation for a straight line intersecting the two-dimensional curve at a minimum span position and a maximum span position for the recess; and

selecting a recess height of the recess such that the recess height is greater than or equal to a Y-value of 0.025 and less than or equal to the Y-value of 0.1, and the recess height is a maximum height measured in the Y-direction between the two-dimensional curve and the straight line between the minimum span position and the maximum span position.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting the recess height further includes selecting the recess height within a recess axial chord of the recess extending between and to a minimum axial chord position and a maximum axial chord position, the minimum axial chord position is greater than or equal to 50 percent of a blade axial chord of the blade body and the maximum chord position is less than or equal to 80 percent of the blade axial chord.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein selecting the recess height further includes selecting the recess height greater than or equal to the Y-value of 0.025 and less than or equal to the Y-value of 0.1 for a plurality of axial positions, relative to the rotational axis, between and to the minimum axial chord position and the maximum axial chord position.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the blade body includes the pressure side surface and a suction side surface, the blade body further includes a bulge at the suction side surface coincident with the recess along the blade axial chord, the bulge includes a bulge surface portion forming a portion of the suction side surface, and the bulge surface portion has a first bulge shape which deviates from a second suction side shape of surrounding portions of the suction side surface.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting the recess height further includes selecting the recess height such that the recess height is greater than or equal to the Y-value of 0.04.

16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the minimum span position is less than or equal to 15 percent of a blade span of the blade body and the maximum span position is greater than or equal to 90 percent of the blade span.

17 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising rotating a bladed compressor rotor of a gas turbine engine about the rotational axis, the bladed compressor rotor including the blade body with the selected recess height greater than or equal to the Y-value of 0.025 and less than or equal to the Y-value of 0.1.

18 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising forming the rotor blade including the blade body with the selected recess height greater than or equal to the Y-value of 0.025 and less than or equal to the Y-value of 0.1.

19 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the minimum span position is less than or equal to 40 percent of a blade span of the blade body and the maximum span position is greater than or equal to 90 percent of the blade span.

20 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the recess surface portion has a first recess shape which deviates from a second pressure side shape of surrounding portions of the pressure side surface.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 2, 2025
From: BRUNI, ANTHONY; NICHOLS, JASON; RASHAD, RAMY; AMIRALAEI, MOHAMMADREZA
To: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
Reel/Frame 071011/0217 →
Continuity (2)
Division 18424383 · Jan 26, 2024
Related Publication 20250243761A1 · Jul 31, 2025
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