Turbine Blade Platform Root Intermediate Layer Stress Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas turbine engines face challenges in efficiently managing stress and preventing damage to turbine blades due to the radial pull forces during operation, which can lead to increased stress and potential cracking in the platform and root areas.
Innovation Solution
The use of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials for the airfoil section, root, and platform of the turbine blade, along with a separate formation process for these components to allow for relative movement and reduce stress concentrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the platform is rigidly attached to the turbine blade root, then structural support is provided, but stress concentrations and potential cracking occur due to radial pull forces
Solution Approach 1:
The turbine blade is divided into separate components: the airfoil section, the root, and the platform. These segments are joined through an intermediate layer rather than being rigidly attached, allowing each component to move independently and reducing stress concentrations at connection points.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediate layer is introduced between the platform and the root to act as a stress-absorbing mediator. This layer allows relative movement between the platform and root during operation, preventing direct stress transmission and reducing the risk of crack propagation from the platform to the root.
2Ease of manufacture
If the turbine blade components are formed as a single integrated structure, then manufacturing is simplified, but stress concentrations occur during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The turbine blade components (airfoil section, root, and platform) are manufactured separately as individual segments and then assembled together. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while reducing stress concentrations at connection points through the intermediate layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate layer is made of a material that is softer or more compliant than the platform and root materials, creating a composite structure that absorbs stress. This composite approach maintains ease of manufacture through separate component fabrication while preventing stress concentrations during operation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the platform is rigidly connected to the root, then structural integrity is maintained, but deflections increase under load
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the platform and root is made dynamic rather than static. The intermediate layer allows the platform to move relative to the root during operation, enabling the structure to adapt to applied loads and reduce deflections while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical properties of the intermediate layer are specifically selected to change under load, allowing it to provide flexibility when needed while maintaining structural integrity. The layer's material properties enable it to absorb stress and reduce deflections without compromising the overall structural stability of the turbine blade.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
AI summary
Disclosed is a gas turbine engine component, and a method for forming the component. The component includes a first portion, a second portion formed separately from the first portion, and an intermediate layer provided between the first portion and the second portion.