Aviation Turbine Blade Internal Cavity Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aeronautical high-pressure gas turbine blades face reduced service life due to high temperature exposure, leading to thermal stress and mechanical strength issues, as existing advanced cooling circuits generate significant temperature differences between outer and internal walls, causing expansion and potential rupture.
Innovation Solution
The design features a turbine blade with a specific internal structure comprising multiple cavities and through-cavities, where internal walls are disjointed to reduce thermal gradients and stress, and reinforcing beams within through-cavities to manage centrifugal forces, allowing for controlled air circulation and optimized temperature management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If advanced cooling circuits with multiple independent cavities are used, then cooling performance is improved, but temperature difference between outer walls and core walls increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is divided into multiple independent cavities (first intrados cavity, first extrados cavity, second intrados cavity, second extrados cavity) separated by internal walls. This segmentation allows independent temperature control in different regions, enabling better cooling performance while managing thermal gradients through localized cooling zones.
Solution Approach 2:
Different cavities are dedicated to localized cooling of specific blade regions. The first intrados cavity cools the intrados wall, the first extrados cavity cools the extrados wall, and subsequent cavities provide additional localized cooling. This local quality approach optimizes cooling efficiency for each region while managing overall temperature distribution.
2Strength
If wall thickness is increased to improve strength, then mechanical strength is improved, but blade performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The blade structure is segmented into multiple thin-walled cavities rather than using a single thick wall. The internal walls separating the cavities provide structural support while maintaining thin overall wall thickness. This segmentation allows the blade to achieve adequate strength through the composite structure of multiple walls while preserving performance through reduced weight and improved cooling efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade employs a composite structure combining multiple cavity walls, internal walls, and reinforcing beams. This composite architecture provides enhanced mechanical strength equivalent to or greater than solid thick walls, while the hollow cavity structure reduces weight and improves thermal management, thereby maintaining or enhancing overall blade performance.
3Temperature
If multiple independent cavities are used for localized cooling, then cooling efficiency is improved, but thermal gradient and stress increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple independent cavities (first intrados cavity, first extrados cavity, second intrados cavity, second extrados cavity) that can be independently controlled. This segmentation enables localized cooling where needed while allowing different thermal conditions in different regions, improving overall cooling efficiency while managing thermal gradients through controlled independence.
Solution Approach 2:
Internal walls act as intermediaries between the different cooling cavities and the blade walls they protect. These internal walls manage heat transfer between cavities and blade surfaces, controlling thermal gradients and reducing stress concentrations at critical junction zones, thereby improving blade reliability.
4Strength
If internal walls are made continuous from intrados to extrados, then structural support is improved, but thermal stress concentration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal walls are segmented into discontinuous portions rather than forming continuous structures from intrados to extrados walls. The first internal wall extends from the extrados wall to the first through cavity, and the second internal wall extends from the intrados wall to the first through cavity, with a gap between them. This segmentation reduces thermal stress concentration at potential continuous junction points while maintaining adequate structural support through the distributed wall network.
Solution Approach 2:
The internal wall configuration changes from continuous to discontinuous, altering the thermal and mechanical parameters. The discontinuous walls reduce thermal stress by breaking stress transmission paths while maintaining structural integrity through the distributed arrangement of wall segments and their connection to through cavities.
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 structure reduces thermal gradients, minimizes stress, and enhances mechanical flexibility, extending the blade's service life while maintaining performance and reducing weight by managing centrifugal forces effectively.
Implementation Method 1
cooling air (or 'cold' air), which is generally introduced into the blade through its base, passes through it following a path formed by cavities made in the thickness of the blade before being ejected through orifices opening on the surface of the blade
Implementation Method 2
These significant temperature differences induce expansion and stress that can compromise the blade's mechanical integrity during operation
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an aviation turbine blade (10), characterised in that it comprises at least a first lower surface cavity (C2) and a first upper surface cavity (C3), each adjacent to a first through-cavity (C1) and a second through-cavity (C4), the first upper surface cavity (C3) being adjacent to the upper surface wall (24), the first lower wing surface cavity (C2) being adjacent to the lower surface wall (22), each of said first and second through-cavities (C1, C4) extending from the lower surface wall (22) as far as the upper surface wall (24), the second through-cavity (C4) comprising a first inner wall (P1) extending from the upper surface wall (24) as far as the first through-cavity (C1), and a second inner wall (P2) extending from the lower surface wall (22) as far as the first through-cavity (C1). The first (P1) and second (P2) inner walls are not connected.