Gas Turbine Shroud Rib Stiffening for CMC Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shroud assemblies in gas turbine engines, particularly those made from ceramic matrix composite materials, face issues with structural rigidity due to uneven loading and pressure differentials, leading to potential damage at flange-body intersections.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of 'open'-style shroud designs with integral ribs that provide stiffening effects, reducing stresses and damage by stabilizing the shroud structure, especially when formed from ceramic matrix composite materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If open-style shroud designs are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but structural rigidity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shroud is segmented into multiple modular components including the shroud body, forward flange, rear flange, and multiple ribs. These segments can be manufactured separately and then assembled together, maintaining the manufacturing advantages of open-style designs while allowing for optimized structural features like ribs that enhance rigidity without requiring the entire shroud to be manufactured as a single complex piece.
Solution Approach 2:
Ribs are added as a third dimensional feature extending from the shroud body between the flanges. This adds structural stiffness in the radial dimension without complicating the basic open-style configuration. The ribs create a three-dimensional framework that resists deformation from pressure differentials while maintaining the fundamental two-flange open structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If open-style shroud designs are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the shroud into manageable components (body, flanges, ribs), each can be manufactured and quality-checked separately, ensuring high reliability of individual parts. The modular assembly allows for precise fitting and bonding of each segment, reducing the risk of failures at critical interfaces while preserving manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The addition of ribs creates a three-dimensional structural framework that distributes and reinforces load paths throughout the shroud. This enhanced structural geometry provides multiple load-bearing pathways, increasing redundancy and reliability while maintaining the simple open-style configuration with forward and rear flanges.
3Strength
If ribs are added to the shroud, then structural rigidity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ribs are merged with the shroud body and flanges to form an integral structure. Rather than being separate attachments, the ribs are formed as continuous structural elements that are bonded or integrated with the shroud body and flanges, creating a unified component that reduces assembly complexity while providing enhanced rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The ribs serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide structural rigidity, distribute pressure loads, and can be designed to match the aesthetic or functional requirements of the shroud. This multi-functionality means that adding ribs does not merely increase complexity for the sake of rigidity, but provides several benefits from a single structural feature.
Data Source
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AI summary
Shroud assemblies (100) and shrouds (102) for gas turbine engines (16) are provided. A shroud (102) includes a shroud body (110) which includes a forward surface (112), a rear surface (114) axially spaced from the forward surface (112), an inner surface (116) extending between the forward surface (112) and the rear surface (114), and an outer surface (118) extending between the forward surface (112) and the rear surface (114) and radially spaced from the inner surface (116). The shroud (102) further includes a forward flange (120) extending from the outer surface (118)of the shroud body (110), and a rear flange (130) extending from the outer surface (118)of the shroud body (110), the rear flange (130) axially spaced from the forward flange (120). The shroud (102) further includes a rib (140) disposed between and in contact with the forward flange (120) and the rear flange (130). Shroud assemblies and shrouds for gas turbine engines are provided. A shroud includes a shroud body which includes a forward surface, a rear surface axially spaced from the forward surface, an inner surface extending between the forward surface and the rear surface, and an outer surface extending between the forward surface and the rear surface and radially spaced from the inner surface. The shroud further includes a forward flange extending from the outer surface of the shroud body, and a rear flange extending from the outer surface of the shroud body, the rear flange axially spaced from the forward flange. The shroud further includes a rib disposed between and in contact with the forward flange and the rear flange.