Airfoil Pressure Side Recess for Flow Area Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gas turbine engine vanes lack precise control over flow area between airfoils, which affects the efficiency and performance of the engine, as existing methods for adjusting flow area are not sufficient to meet the required specifications.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates airfoils with a recessed portion on the pressure side adjacent to the trailing edge, featuring a flat non-recessed and flat recessed surface with a continuously curved 'S' shaped transition, allowing for adjustable throat distance between vanes, manufactured in conformance with specific Cartesian coordinates to optimize flow area control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional vanes without recessed portions are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the control over flow area between airfoils is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure side of the airfoil is segmented into two distinct surfaces: a flat non-recessed surface and a flat recessed surface. This segmentation allows independent control of flow area in different regions, enabling precise adjustment of throat distance and flow characteristics while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized casting or machining processes
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a recessed portion that creates an additional dimensional feature on the pressure side of the airfoil. This recessed surface, positioned at a different depth level than the non-recessed surface, provides an extra degree of freedom for controlling flow area without requiring changes to the overall airfoil chord length or span
2Manufacturing precision
If the throat distance between vanes is adjusted by changing chord length, then flow area control is achieved, but the change to airfoil geometry is significant and may affect other performance parameters
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly changing the chord length of the entire airfoil, the invention applies a local modification by creating a recessed portion only in a specific region of the pressure side. This localized change allows precise adjustment of throat distance and flow area while leaving the rest of the airfoil geometry, including the overall chord length, essentially unchanged
3Manufacturing precision
If cold working is used to fine tune flow area post casting, then precision is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The recessed portion is incorporated into the airfoil design during the initial casting or machining process, rather than requiring subsequent cold working operations. This preliminary action allows the precise flow area geometry to be established upfront, eliminating or reducing the need for time-consuming post-casting adjustments while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
Data Source
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AI summary
An airfoil cluster (100) includes an inner diameter platform (102) and an outer diameter platform (104). A plurality of airfoils (47) extend radially from the inner diameter platform to the outer diameter platform. Each airfoil has a leading edge (106) and a trailing edge (108), and pressure and suction sides (110,112) between the leading and trailing edges. At least one of the airfoils includes a recessed portion (114) on the pressure side adjacent to the trailing edge.