ROTOR BLADE PLATFORM COOLING PASSAGE
A rotor blade according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a platform, an airfoil that extends from the platform and a platform cooling passage extending inside of the platform. The platform cooling passage includes an inlet disposed through a non-gas path surface of the platform and an outlet disposed through a mate face of the platform.
1 . A rotor blade, comprising:
a platform;
an airfoil that extends from said platform;
a platform cooling passage extending inside of said platform; and
said platform cooling passage including an inlet disposed through a non-gas path surface of said platform and an outlet disposed through a mate face of said platform.
2 . The rotor blade as recited in claim 1 , wherein said platform cooling passage includes a curved section that leads into said outlet.
3 . The rotor blade as recited in claim 1 , wherein said inlet is fed with a cooling fluid communicated through a neck pocket disposed in a neck of a root that extends from said platform.
4 . The rotor blade as recited in claim 1 , wherein said inlet is fed with a cooling fluid from a forward rim cavity.
5 . The rotor blade as recited in claim 4 , wherein said forward rim cavity is radially inward from said platform and is upstream from a root that extends from said platform.
6 . The rotor blade as recited in claim 1 , comprising at least one augmentation feature formed inside said platform cooling passage.
7 . The rotor blade as recited in claim 1 , wherein said outlet is positioned at a trailing edge of said airfoil.
8 . The rotor blade as recited in claim 1 , wherein said outlet is positioned upstream from a trailing edge of said airfoil.
9 . The rotor blade as recited in claim 1 , wherein said outlet is positioned downstream from a trailing edge of said airfoil.
10 . The rotor blade as recited in claim 1 , wherein said platform cooling passage is positioned adjacent to a pressure side of said airfoil.
11 . The rotor blade as recited in claim 1 , wherein said platform cooling passage is positioned adjacent to a suction side of said airfoil.
12 . The rotor blade as recited in claim 1 , wherein said outlet includes a plurality of outlet openings formed through said mate face.
13 . A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a rotor blade including:
a platform;
an airfoil that extends from said platform;
a platform cooling passage extending inside of said platform; and
wherein said platform cooling passage includes an inlet fed with a cooling fluid from either a front rim cavity upstream of said rotor blade or a neck pocket formed through a root of said rotor blade and an outlet disposed through a mate face of said platform.
14 . The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 13 , wherein said inlet is disposed through a non-gas path surface of said platform upstream from a leading edge of said airfoil.
15 . The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 13 , wherein said inlet is disposed between a leading edge and a midpoint of said airfoil.
16 . A method of cooling a platform of a rotor blade, comprising the steps of:
communicating a cooling fluid into an inlet of a platform cooling passage, the inlet formed in a non-gas path surface of the platform;
circulating the cooling fluid through the platform cooling passage to remove heat from the platform; and
expelling the cooling fluid through an outlet of the platform cooling passage, the outlet disposed through a mate face of the platform.
17 . The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the step of communicating includes feeding the cooling fluid to the platform cooling passage from a forward rim cavity located radially inward of the platform.
18 . The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the step of communicating includes feeding the cooling fluid through a neck pocket formed in a root of the rotor blade.
19 . The method as recited in claim 16 , comprising depositing a film cooling layer at the mate face to discourage gas ingestion into a mate face gap between adjacent rotor blades.
20 . The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the step of circulating includes communicating the cooling fluid through a curved section of the platform cooling passage prior to the step of expelling.