Turbine Disk Bore Geometry for Stress Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engine rotors, particularly turbine disks, face significant challenges due to high temperatures and repeated acceleration/deceleration, leading to low cycle fatigue and thermal mechanical fatigue, exacerbated by discontinuities in disk geometries.
Innovation Solution
The design of a turbine rotor with a disk featuring a bore with specific transition portions, ramps, and a web structure that includes radially extending transition portions and a base portion with spool engagement surfaces, aimed at distributing stress and minimizing weight at discontinuities and regions of high curvature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional turbine disk geometry is used, then manufacturing is simpler, but stress concentration occurs at discontinuities leading to fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by replacing sharp corners and discontinuities with rounded fillets and smooth transitions. Specifically, the bore geometry includes rounded corners and curved transition surfaces instead of sharp edges, and the web-bore intersection features a curved fillet radius that smoothly connects the web to the bore wall. This eliminates stress concentration points while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying different geometric characteristics to different regions of the disk. The bore region features rounded corners and curved transitions, the web includes variable thickness with filleted edges, and the rim has specific contouring. Each region is optimized locally to eliminate stress concentrations while maintaining overall disk performance.
2Weight of moving object
If disk weight is reduced, then performance improves, but stress distribution may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the disk into distinct functional regions with optimized characteristics: a thin web region for weight reduction, a reinforced bore region with rounded geometry for stress distribution, and a contoured rim for structural support. The web thickness varies radially, being thinner at certain regions and thicker at others, allowing weight optimization while maintaining strength where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes geometric parameters throughout the disk structure to optimize both weight and strength. The web thickness varies from the bore outward, the bore radius and shape are specifically dimensioned, and fillet radii are carefully selected. These parameter variations allow the disk to be lighter while maintaining adequate stress distribution through strategic reinforcement zones.
Data Source
AI summary
A turbine rotor for a gas turbine engine includes a disk rotationally disposed about a central axis. The disk includes a bore, a rim and a web disposed radially between the bore and the rim. The bore includes a fore surface including a fore web transition portion, a fore ramp portion radially inward of the fore web transition portion and having a substantially linear portion and a fore base transition portion radially inward of the fore ramp portion. The bore also includes an aft surface including an aft web transition portion, an aft ramp portion radially inward of the aft web transition portion and having a substantially linear portion and an aft base transition portion radially inward of the aft ramp portion. A base portion of the bore includes a spool engagement surface, a first arm extending in an aft direction and a second arm extending in a fore direction and a radially extending first transition portion connecting an aft end of the spool engagement surface to a radially inward portion of the first arm and a radially extending second transition portion connecting a fore end of the spool engagement surface to a radially inward portion of the second arm.


