TURBOFAN ENGINE

• US 20090016870A1
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Company Limited
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Yoshiyuki, Goto, Shinya, Murooka, Takeshi, Mizuta, Ikuhisa, Kodama, Hidekazu
• Granted Patent: US 7,748,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 415/72
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/021 for flow machines or engines with only one axial stage for more than one stage F01D5/06
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/141 Shape, i.e. outer, aerodynamic form F01D5/148 - F01D5/20 take precedence; blade construction F01D5/147
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/04 Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants
• CPC Class Codes: F02K 3/06 with front fan
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/324 Blades
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/384 characterised by form
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2250/70 Shape
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A turbofan engine of the invention is provided with a fan first-stage moving blade for taking an air therein, and a spinner rotationally driving the fan first-stage moving blade, the spinner has a spiral blade extending spirally to an outer side in a radial direction, sucking the air from a front face of the spinner and supplying the air to the fan first-stage moving blade. Further, the fan first-stage moving blade and the spinner are integrally coupled, and the spiral blade and the fan first-stage moving blade are formed such that blade surfaces are smoothly connected.

Claims

1. A turbofan engine comprising:

a fan first-stage moving blade for taking an air therein; and

a spinner rotationally driving the fan first-stage moving blade,

wherein the spinner has a spiral blade extending spirally to an outer side in a radial direction, sucking the air from a front face of the spinner and supplying the air to the fan first-stage moving blade.

2. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fan first-stage moving blade and the spinner are integrally coupled, and the spiral blade and the fan first-stage moving blade are formed such that blade surfaces are smoothly connected.

3. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spiral blade extends to an outer side in the radial direction from an axis thereof.

4. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a leading end of the spiral blade is positioned in a downstream side rather than a leading end of the spinner.

5. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spiral blade and the fan first-stage moving blade are separated.

6. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 5, wherein a separated region at the radial direction formed between a rear edge end of the spiral blade and a front edge end of the fan first-stage moving blade arranged at the nearest position of the rear edge end of the spiral blade is formed in such a manner as to extend in a direction inclined to a front side of the engine toward the outer side in the radial direction with respect to a plane perpendicular to a center line of the engine.

7. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 5, wherein a separated region at the radial direction formed between a rear edge end of the spiral blade and a front edge end of the fan first-stage moving blade arranged at the nearest position of the rear edge end of the spiral blade is formed in such a manner as to extend in a direction of 90 degree or close thereto with respect to a hub side passage surface.

8. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the separated region is formed in such a manner as to extend in a direction inclined to the front side of the engine rather than 90 degree with respect to the hub side passage surface.

9. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 5, wherein a meridian plane shape at a position in a radially outer side rather than a root of the separated region in the spiral blade corresponds to a shape in which a chord length is reduced toward the tip side from the hub side, and the chord length comes to zero without limit in the tip, the tip is formed at a position brought into contact with a diametrically outer end of the separated region in the spiral blade, a portion protruding to the spiral blade side is formed at a position brought into contact with the diametrical outer end of the separated region in the front edge of the fan first-stage moving blade, and the tip in the spiral blade and the protruding portion in the fan first-stage moving blade are formed in a curved shape.

10. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the spiral blade is arranged in a back side of the fan first-stage moving blade in such a manner that a phase is shifted in a peripheral direction.

11. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the number of the spiral blade is a half of the number of the fan first-stage moving blade.

12. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 11, wherein the spiral blade is arranged alternately one by one with respect to the fan first-stage moving blade.

13. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 5, wherein a shape and an arrangement of the spiral blade and the fan first-stage moving blade are set such that a wake in the hub side of the spiral blade is brought into contact with the back face of the fan first-stage moving blade, and a wake in the tip side of the spiral blade is brought into contact with a body side of the fan first-stage moving blade.

14. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 6, wherein a meridian plane shape at a position in a radially outer side rather than a root of the separated region in the spiral blade corresponds to a shape in which a chord length is reduced toward the tip side from the hub side, and the chord length comes to zero without limit in the tip, the tip is formed at a position brought into contact with a diametrically outer end of the separated region in the spiral blade, a portion protruding to the spiral blade side is formed at a position brought into contact with the diametrical outer end of the separated region in the front edge of the fan first-stage moving blade, and the tip in the spiral blade and the protruding portion in the fan first-stage moving blade are formed in a curved shape.

15. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 7, wherein a meridian plane shape at a position in a radially outer side rather than a root of the separated region in the spiral blade corresponds to a shape in which a chord length is reduced toward the tip side from the hub side, and the chord length comes to zero without limit in the tip, the tip is formed at a position brought into contact with a diametrically outer end of the separated region in the spiral blade, a portion protruding to the spiral blade side is formed at a position brought into contact with the diametrical outer end of the separated region in the front edge of the fan first-stage moving blade, and the tip in the spiral blade and the protruding portion in the fan first-stage moving blade are formed in a curved shape.

16. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 8, wherein a meridian plane shape at a position in a radially outer side rather than a root of the separated region in the spiral blade corresponds to a shape in which a chord length is reduced toward the tip side from the hub side, and the chord length comes to zero without limit in the tip, the tip is formed at a position brought into contact with a diametrically outer end of the separated region in the spiral blade, a portion protruding to the spiral blade side is formed at a position brought into contact with the diametrical outer end of the separated region in the front edge of the fan first-stage moving blade, and the tip in the spiral blade and the protruding portion in the fan first-stage moving blade are formed in a curved shape.

17. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 6, wherein a shape and an arrangement of the spiral blade and the fan first-stage moving blade are set such that a wake in the hub side of the spiral blade is brought into contact with the back face of the fan first-stage moving blade, and a wake in the tip side of the spiral blade is brought into contact with a body side of the fan first-stage moving blade.

18. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 7, wherein a shape and an arrangement of the spiral blade and the fan first-stage moving blade are set such that a wake in the hub side of the spiral blade is brought into contact with the back face of the fan first-stage moving blade, and a wake in the tip side of the spiral blade is brought into contact with a body side of the fan first-stage moving blade.

19. A turbofan engine as claimed in claim 8, wherein a shape and an arrangement of the spiral blade and the fan first-stage moving blade are set such that a wake in the hub side of the spiral blade is brought into contact with the back face of the fan first-stage moving blade, and a wake in the tip side of the spiral blade is brought into contact with a body side of the fan first-stage moving blade.