Turbine blade damper and seal

• US 5,785,499 A
• Filed: 12/24/1996
• Issued: 07/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Gonsor, Michael, Airey, David, Houston, David P., Pelland, Natalie A.
• Primary Examiner(s): KWON, JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/773,017
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 416/248, 416/500, 416/190, 416/193 A
• US Class Current: 416/248
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 11/006 Sealing the gap between rotor blades or blades and rotor
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 11/008 by spacer elements between the blades, e.g. independent interblade platforms
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/22 Blade-to-blade connections, e.g. for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 416/50 Vibration damping features

Abstract

An integral damper and seal for a turbine blade in a gas turbine engine includes a damper portion which contacts the platform and at least one sealing portion, angled radially inward from the damper portion, which makes contact with and seals against the platform.

Claims

1. An integral damper and seal for a turbine rotor blade in a gas turbine engine, the engine having a longitudinal axis, each blade having a platform with an upstream side and a downstream side, the radially inner surface of said platform having a damping portion, a sealing portion, and a transition portion located between them, the sealing portion extending generally radially inward from the damping portion, the integral damper and seal being characterized by:

a substantially rigid damper portion, having a damping surface in contact with the damping portion of the radially inner surfaces, said damper portion being generally disposed in a plane; and

at least one sealing portion having a proximal end joined to said damper, and a distal end which is free, said sealing portion extending generally radially inward from said damper portion at an angle from said general plane, said sealing portion making contact and sealing in combination with the associated sealing portion of the adjacent blade platform radially inner surfaces.

2. The damper and seal according to claim 1 wherein said damper portion fairs into said sealing portion such that the proximal end of the sealing portion and the end of the damper portion have thicknesses which are substantially the same as each other.

3. The damper and seal according to claim 1 wherein said sealing portion is substantially coextensive with the majority of the associated sealing portion of the platform.

4. The damper and seal according to claim 1 wherein said sealing portion is substantially coextensive with the entire associated sealing portion of the platform.

5. The damper and seal according to claim 1 wherein said integral damper and seal is of a shape which defines a clearance relative to the transition portion of the radially inner surface of the platform.

6. The damper and seal according to claim 1 wherein said angle from said general plane is in the range of from about 60 to 90 degrees.

7. The damper and seal according to claim 1 wherein said angle from said general plane is in the range of from about 75 to 90 degrees.

8. The damper and seal according to claim 1 wherein said damper and seal is formed by casting as an integral component.

9. The damper and seal according to claim 1 wherein the sealing portion has at least two subportions longitudinally offset from one another.

10. The seal according to claim 1 wherein there are two of said sealing portions, one being an upstream sealing portion for sealing to the sealing portion of the radially inner surface on the upstream side of the platform, the other of said two sealing portions being a downstream sealing portion for sealing to the sealing portion of the radially inner surface on the downstream side of the platform.

11. The damper and seal according to claim 10 wherein said integral damper and seal is of a shape which defines a clearance relative to the transition portion of the radially inner surface of the platform.

12. The damper and seal according to claim 11 wherein said damper portion fairs into said sealing portion such that the proximal end of the sealing portion and the end of the damper portion have thicknesses which are substantially the same as each other.

13. The damper and seal according to claim 11 wherein said sealing portion is substantially coextensive with the majority of with the associated sealing portion of the platform.

14. The damper and seal according to claim 11 wherein said sealing portion is substantially coextensive with the entire associated sealing portion of the platform.

15. The damper and seal according to claim 11 wherein said angle from said general plane is in the range of from about 60 to 90 degrees.

16. The damper and seal according to claim 11 wherein said angle from said general plane is in the range of from about 75 to 90 degrees.

17. The damper and seal according to claim 11 wherein said damper and seal is formed by casting as an integral component.

18. The damper and seal according to claim 11 wherein the sealing portion has at least two subportions longitudinally offset from one another.