Gas Turbine Stator Vane Retention via Flexible Potting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stator vanes in gas turbine engines are often rigidly fixed, leading to deviations from optimal aerodynamic shapes due to aeromechanical tuning, which affects their performance.
Innovation Solution
The stator assembly features an annular outer and inner shroud with potting material used for retention, eliminating the need for secondary retention members, allowing the stator vanes to be formed from different materials and optimizing their aerodynamic shape with vibrational damping properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If stator vanes are rigidly fixed to inner and outer shrouds, then structural stability is improved, but aerodynamic shape optimization deteriorates due to aeromechanical tuning constraints
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible retainer material is introduced as an intermediary between the stator vanes and the rigid shrouds. This flexible material allows the vanes to maintain their aerodynamically optimized shape while still providing structural retention and stability, eliminating the need for rigid fixation that previously constrained the vane geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the mechanical property parameter of the retention system from rigid to flexible. By using a flexible retainer material instead of rigid fixation, the system allows for aerodynamic shape optimization while maintaining structural stability through the flexible connection.
2Reliability
If secondary retention members are used to secure stator vanes, then reliability of vane retention is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the retention function into a single integrated flexible retainer material that secures both the inner and outer legs of the stator vanes to their respective shrouds. This eliminates the need for separate secondary retention members, reducing device complexity while maintaining reliable vane retention through the continuous flexible material.
3Productivity
If stator vanes are formed from materials optimized for aerodynamic performance, then aerodynamic efficiency is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible retainer material enables the use of lighter materials for stator vane construction by removing the constraint of rigid fixation. The flexible retention system allows vanes to be formed from materials optimized for aerodynamic efficiency while the reduced weight is compensated by the lightweight flexible retainer material, achieving net weight reduction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides weight reduction and allows for aerodynamically optimized stator vane shapes, reducing the need for vibrational tuning and enhancing performance by relying solely on potting material for retention and moment reaction.
Implementation Method 1
allowing the stator vanes to be formed from different materials and optimizing their aerodynamic shape with vibrational damping properties
Data Source
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AI summary
A stator assembly for a gas turbine engine (10) includes an annular outer shroud (44), an annular inner shroud (48) radially spaced from the outer shroud and a plurality of stator vanes (52) extending from the outer shroud to the inner shroud. A volume of potting (68) is located at the inner shroud and at the outer shroud to retain the plurality of stator vanes thereat. A stator and case assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a case (40) defining a working fluid flowpath for the gas turbine engine and a stator assembly located at the case. The stator assembly includes an annular outer shroud secured to the case, an annular inner shroud secured to the case and a plurality of stator vanes extending from the outer to the inner shroud. A volume of potting is located at the inner shroud and at the outer shroud to retain the plurality of stator vanes thereat.