Turbine blade nested seal and damper assembly

• US 8,011,892 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Ramlogan, Amarnath, Doll, Stephen D., Agrawal, Rajendra K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Look; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): White; Dwayne J
• Application Number:
  US11/769,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20090004013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• Field of Search: 416/190, 416/193.A, 416/219.R, 416/221, 416/500
• US Class Current: 416/190
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 11/006 Sealing the gap between rotor blades or blades and rotor
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/22 Blade-to-blade connections, e.g. for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/3007 of axial insertion type
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/96 Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise

Abstract

A turbine blade damper-seal assembly includes a seal nested within a damper such that both the seal and damper are disposed to provide sealing between adjacent blade platforms. The seal traverses the seal slot in the damper and seals the gap between adjacent blade platforms for the full axial length of the neck cavity between adjacent blades. The damper is located in an aft most position and includes features to facilitate vibration-dampening performance. The damper also includes features that cause entrapment between blades and therefore avoids the conventionally required protrusions on the blade to retain it in the assembled position.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine rotor assembly comprising:

a multitude of blades spaced apart from each other for rotation about an axis of rotation, each of said plurality of turbine blades having a blade platform which defines an inner platform surface and an outer platform surface;

a damper having a lengthwise seal slot and an aft seal surface adjacent said inner platform surface, said damper includes a damper body with a forward leg which extends from said damper body transverse to said lengthwise seal slot and an aft leg which extends from said damper body transverse to said lengthwise seal slot and generally parallel to said forward leg, said aft leg having an aft seal surface; and

a seal nested with said lengthwise seal slot and disposed adjacent said inner platform surface.

2. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said seal comprises tangs that fit onto said damper.

3. The assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein said damper comprises alignment features for aligning said damper relative to each of said plurality of turbine blades.

4. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said damper includes a center of gravity aft of a longitudinal center and between said forward leg and said aft leg.

5. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said damper includes a crosswise underbody stiffener rib.

6. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said seal includes a lengthwise seam that aligns with a circumferential gap between two blade platforms at the intersection of two adjacent blades.

7. The seal as recited in claim 1, further comprising a damper forward protrusion that extends said lengthwise seal slot, said damper forward protrusion includes lateral extensions which extend laterally relatively to said lengthwise seal slot.

8. The seal as recited in claim 7, wherein said seal includes mid-section tangs engageable with said lateral extension and said damper body.

9. A gas turbine engine rotor assembly comprising:

a multitude of blades spaced apart from each other for rotation about an axis of rotation, each of said plurality of turbine blades having a blade platform which defines an inner platform surface, an outer platform surface, a forward portion and an aft portion, said inner and outer platform surfaces extend therebetween;

a damper having a lengthwise seal slot and an aft seal surface adjacent said inner platform surface, said damper disposed adjacent said aft portion; and

a seal nested with said lengthwise seal slot and disposed adjacent said inner platform surface.

10. The assembly as recited in claim 9, wherein said damper includes an aft leg which defines a rear surface adjacent said aft portion.

11. The assembly as recited in claim 9, wherein said damper includes an aft leg which defines a rear surface adjacent said aft portion, said aft surface seals between adjacent blade platform rear gussets.

12. A gas turbine engine rotor assembly comprising:

a multitude of blades spaced apart from each other for rotation about an axis of rotation, each of said plurality of turbine blades having a blade platform which defines an inner platform surface and an outer platform surface;

a damper having a lengthwise seal slot and an aft seal surface adjacent said inner platform surface;

a seal nested with said lengthwise seal slot and disposed adjacent said inner platform surface; and

a rotor disk having a radial lug on an outer diameter which restricts axial movement of said damper.

13. A damper and seal assembly for a gas turbine engine rotor blade comprising:

a damper body defining a lengthwise seal slot, said damper body having an aft seal surface;

a damper forward protrusion that extends said lengthwise seal slot, said damper forward protrusion includes lateral extensions which extend laterally relatively to said lengthwise seal slot; and

a seal nested within said lengthwise seal slot, said seal includes mid-section tangs engageable with said lateral extension and said damper body.

14. The assembly as recited in claim 13 wherein said damper defines a front leg and an aft leg, said aft leg defines said aft seal surface.

15. The assembly as recited in claim 14, further comprising a crosswise underbody stiffener rib between said front leg and said aft leg.

16. The assembly as recited in claim 13, wherein said damper includes a concave side positioning tab and a convex side positioning tab.

17. The assembly as recited in claim 13, wherein said seal includes a lengthwise seam.

18. The assembly as recited in claim 17, wherein said lengthwise seam is non-linear.

20. The assembly as recited in claim 13 wherein said lengthwise seal slot is recessed within said damper body, said forward protrusion extends in plane with said lengthwise seal slot from said damper body in a cantilever manner.

19. The assembly as recited in claim l3, wherein said damper has a center of gravity aft of a longitudinal center.

21. A damper comprising:

a damper body which defines a lengthwise seal slot;

a forward leg which extends from said damper body transverse to said lengthwise seal slot; and

an aft leg which extends from said damper body transverse to said lengthwise seal slot and generally parallel to said forward leg, said aft leg having an aft seal surface.

22. The damper as recited in claim 21, wherein said damper has a center of gravity aft of a longitudinal center and between said forward leg and said aft leg.

23. The damper as recited in claim 21, further comprising a crosswise underbody stiffener rib between said front leg and said aft leg.

24. The damper as recited in claim 21, wherein said forward protrusion extends from said damper body in a cantilever manner.

25. The assembly as recited in claim 21 wherein said lengthwise seal slot is recessed within said damper body, said forward protrusion extends in plane with said lengthwise seal slot from said damper body in a cantilever manner.

26. The damper as recited in claim 21, further comprising a damper forward protrusion that extends said lengthwise seal slot, said damper forward protrusion includes lateral extensions which extend laterally relatively to said lengthwise seal slot.

27. A seal comprising:

a seal member having a top surface with a lengthwise seam and a forward seal area with a forward width, a bridge seal area aft of the forward seal area, said bridge seal area having a bridge width less than the first width and an aft seal area having an aft width, said aft width greater than said bridge width.

28. The seal as recited in claim 27, wherein said bridge seal area define mid-section tangs transverse to said bridge seal area.

29. The seal as recited in claim 27, wherein said forward seal area increases in lateral width as said forward seal area extends longitudinally away from said bridge seal area.

30. The seal as recited in claim 27, wherein said lengthwise seam is a raised area from said top surface.

31. The seal as recited in claim 27, wherein said lengthwise seam aligns with a circumferential gap between two blade platforms at the intersection of two adjacent blades.