Variable Cooling Hole Geometry for Gas Turbine Web Stress Relief

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing gas turbine engine components face challenges in managing stress concentrations and manufacturing difficulties due to uniform geometric parameters of cooling holes, which are not optimized for varying loading distributions and thermal expansion.

Innovation Solution

The design of cooling holes with varying geometric parameters such as edge fillet radius, edge chamfer length, aspect ratio, offset angle, and relative thickness of reinforcement features along the direction of increasing loading, tailored to reduce stress concentrations and manufacturing challenges.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If uniform geometric parameters are used for all cooling holes, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but stress concentrations increase in high-loading regions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidstress concentration

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by varying the geometric parameters of cooling holes according to their position in the component. Cooling holes in high-loading regions have different dimensions (larger fillet radii, adjusted aspect ratios) compared to those in low-loading regions, optimizing stress distribution locally where it is most critical while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through systematic variation rather than complete customization of each hole

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Strength

If cooling hole geometry is optimized for stress reduction in high-loading regions, then structural integrity improves, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the component into multiple zones along the loading direction, with each zone having optimized cooling hole geometries tailored to local stress conditions. This segmentation allows systematic optimization of structural integrity in high-loading regions while maintaining simpler geometries in low-loading regions, balancing performance requirements with manufacturing capabilities through a zoned approach rather than uniform complexity throughout

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Productivity

If variable geometric parameters are implemented in cooling holes, then cooling efficiency is optimized, but manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling efficiencyVSAvoidgeometric parameter control

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements parameter changes by systematically varying geometric parameters (fillet radius, aspect ratio, offset angle, chamfer length) of cooling holes based on their position along the loading direction. This allows optimization of cooling efficiency in different thermal and mechanical environments within the component, with parameters adjusted to match local cooling demands and stress conditions while remaining within manufacturable tolerances

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12480407B2Gas turbine engine component with variable cooling hole geometry

Publication Date: 2025.11.25 ROLLS ROYCE PLC

AI summary

A gas turbine engine component that has a web provided with an array of cooling holes distributed with respect to a first direction, wherein the cooling holes have a cross-sectional shape that varies along the first direction. The component may be configured so that the first direction corresponds to a loading distribution of the component which increases along the first direction from a low loading position to a high loading position.