Turbine Blade Trailing Edge Chamfer and Coating

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Turbine blades in gas turbine engines face challenges in maintaining efficiency and durability due to high temperature operating conditions, leading to issues such as increased metal temperature and degradation at the trailing edge.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates a chamfered surface at the trailing edge of the turbine blade, coated with a thermal barrier coating, along with cooling holes at the tip cap surface and squealer tip wall, to improve cooling efficiency and reduce metal temperature.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Power

If the turbine blade operates in high temperature environment, then power generation efficiency is improved, but metal temperature increases and durability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower generation efficiencyVSAvoidmetal temperature
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

A thermal barrier coating is applied as an intermediary layer between the hot gas environment and the turbine blade metal structure. This coating acts as a thermal mediator that reduces heat transfer to the blade, allowing the blade to operate at higher temperatures without excessive metal temperature rise, thus resolving the contradiction between power generation efficiency and metal temperature control

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention modifies the thermal parameters of the turbine blade by introducing cooling holes and changing the surface geometry at the trailing edge. These parameter changes enable active cooling and improved heat dissipation, allowing the blade to maintain lower metal temperatures while operating in high temperature environments, thereby resolving the contradiction between efficiency and temperature

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Temperature

If cooling holes are added to the blade, then cooling efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling efficiencyVSAvoidblade structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling system is segmented into multiple cooling holes distributed at specific locations on the blade, particularly at the trailing edge and tip regions. This segmentation allows cooling to be applied at multiple critical points without requiring a complete redesign of the entire blade structure, thus improving cooling efficiency while limiting the increase in overall device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Cooling holes are strategically positioned at specific locations where heat dissipation is most critical, such as the trailing edge and tip regions. This local approach to cooling concentrates cooling resources where they are most needed, improving overall cooling efficiency without uniformly increasing complexity throughout the entire blade structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If the trailing edge is chamfered and coated, then durability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovedurabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The chamfered surface at the trailing edge is prepared in advance during the blade manufacturing process, and the thermal barrier coating is applied to this pre-prepared surface. This preliminary action ensures that the trailing edge is properly prepared for coating application, improving durability while avoiding the need for complex post-manufacturing modifications

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses a composite structure consisting of the base metal blade material combined with a thermal barrier coating layer. This composite material approach provides enhanced durability and thermal resistance at the trailing edge while utilizing standard coating technologies that can be integrated into existing manufacturing processes, thus improving reliability without excessively increasing manufacturing complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

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 configuration enhances the durability of the turbine blade by reducing metal temperature and degradation at the trailing edge, while also improving cooling efficiency to the blade tip.

Implementation Method 1

coated with a thermal barrier coating, along with cooling holes at the tip cap surface and squealer tip wall, to improve cooling efficiency and reduce metal temperature

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal insulation: Thermal Insulation

Implementation Method 2

cooling holes at the tip cap surface and squealer tip wall, to improve cooling efficiency and reduce metal temperature

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Data Source

PatentEP4311914B1Turbine blade
Publication Date: 2025.05.07 SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO KG
  • EP4311914B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4311914B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4311914B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A turbine blade (200) includes a blade platform (202), a blade airfoil (300) that extends from the blade platform (202) toward a blade tip (216), the blade airfoil (300) having a pressure side wall (208) and a suction side wall (210) joined at a blade leading edge (212) and a blade trailing edge (214), a tip cap surface (302) defined at an end of the blade airfoil (300) facing the blade tip (216), a squealer tip wall (304) that extends along a portion of the pressure side wall (208) and a portion of the suction side wall (210) from the tip cap surface (302) to the blade tip (216) and from the blade leading edge (212) toward the blade trailing edge (214), and a chamfered surface (306) formed as a part of the squealer tip wall (304) at a region that is adjacent to the blade trailing edge (214).