Airfoil Fillet Design for Gas Turbine Strength and Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Airfoils in gas turbine engines face challenges such as high temperatures, humidity, and mechanical stresses, which affect their strength, cyclic life, and vibration damping, necessitating improved designs.
Innovation Solution
The airfoil design incorporates a conic fillet with a height of at least 20% of the airfoil body span length, positioned within the compressor section, made from nickel, to enhance strength and vibration damping while minimizing aerodynamic interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the fillet height is increased to improve strength and vibration damping, then the mechanical properties are enhanced, but the aerodynamic interference increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fillet is designed with a conic surface geometry that provides smooth curvature transitions between the airfoil body and platform. This curved geometry enhances strength through stress distribution while the optimized conic shape minimizes aerodynamic interference by maintaining smooth airflow attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The fillet height is specified as a parameter range (at least about 20% of airfoil body span length, approximately 21%) that optimizes the balance between mechanical strength and aerodynamic performance. This parameter change allows the design to achieve improved cyclic life and vibration damping while controlling aerodynamic interference.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the fillet height is increased to improve cyclic life, then the durability is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conic surface fillet provides a mathematically defined curved geometry that simplifies manufacturing compared to complex multi-surface transitions. The conic geometry inherently provides stress distribution benefits for improved cyclic life while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a single surface definition.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure includes airfoils for use in gas turbine engines. The airfoils comprise a fillet having a height of greater than 20% of the airfoil body span length. The airfoil may be a blade or a vane. Further, such airfoils may be used in the high pressure compressor section, as well as other gas turbine engine sections.