Turbomachine Stator Vane Platform Angular Profile
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing axial turbomachine stator blade mounting methods are cumbersome and costly, often requiring multiple fixing axes and materials with high hardness to maintain precision, which can lead to deformation and reduced efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An axial turbomachine stator vane design featuring a platform with angled profiles that engage with neighboring blades for angular adjustment, allowing for clamping by rotation without the need for additional fixing shoulders, thus reducing manufacturing costs and weight while maintaining precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If two mounting pins are used to prevent blade rotation, then blade alignment is maintained, but the structure becomes particularly heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the rotational prevention function from the second mounting pin and transfers it to the bent profile geometry of the platform. This allows one mounting pin to suffice for both attachment and rotational constraint, reducing weight while maintaining alignment precision
Solution Approach 2:
The bent profile of the platform incorporates curved geometric features that engage with corresponding features on adjacent blades or the support structure. This curved geometry inherently prevents rotation without requiring additional pins, solving the contradiction between precision and weight
2Weight of moving object
If a single mounting shaft is used to reduce weight, then blade alignment cannot be maintained, but precision is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The bent profile of the platform introduces asymmetric geometric constraints that prevent rotation in the single shaft configuration. The unequal distribution of material and geometric features creates inherent rotational stability without requiring symmetric dual-pin attachment
Solution Approach 2:
Curved engagement features in the bent profile provide rotational constraint through geometric interlocking, allowing a single shaft to maintain both weight reduction and alignment precision
3Reliability
If a nut is tightened on a threaded shaft to fix the blade, then the blade is secured, but the material may deform and alignment accuracy is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The bent profile geometry provides inherent rotational constraint through shaped engagement surfaces, reducing reliance on high clamping forces from nuts. This prevents deformation of softer materials while maintaining fixation reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The bent profile is pre-formed during blade manufacturing to provide built-in rotational prevention. This preliminary geometric constraint is established before assembly, eliminating the need for high-stress tightening operations that could cause deformation
4Manufacturing precision
If additional fixing shoulders are added to maintain precision, then alignment is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bent profile integrates multiple functions into a single geometric feature: structural attachment, rotational prevention, and alignment reference. This merging eliminates the need for separate fixing shoulders, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining precision
Data Source
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AI summary
The stator blade has a platform (32) with an attachment (34) attached to a ferrule allowing angular adjustment of the blade. The platform has a contour with an angular profile provided at each lateral edge (36) to mate with the adjacent edge of the platform of an identical adjacent blade, in order to ensure the angular positioning of the blade in one direction of rotation. Independent claims are included for the following: (1) a stator; and (2) a method for assembling annular row of blades on ferrule of stator.