Single channel inner diameter shroud with lightweight inner core

• US 8,500,394 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2008
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Major, Daniel W., Speers, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiehe, Nathaniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beebe, Joshua R
• Application Number:
  US12/070,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20090208338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,994 Days
• Field of Search: 415/173.7, 415/170.1, 415/160, 415/209.3, 415/215, 416/215
• US Class Current: 415/160
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 11/001 for sealing space between stator blade and rotor
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/162 for axial flow, i.e. the vanes turning around axes which are essentially perpendicular to the rotor centre line F01D17/167 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/563 specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps

Abstract

An inner diameter shroud for receiving an inner diameter base portion of a rotatable vane in a gas turbine engine has a single piece channel and a core. The channel has a leading edge wall, an inner diameter wall, a trailing edge wall, a radial outer surface, and at least two axial projections. The axial projections prevent radial movement of the core. The core has an outer radial surface that generally aligns with the radial outer surface of the channel. The core is movable in the channel in a circumferential direction and is configured to rotatably retain the inner diameter base portion of the rotatable vane.

Claims

1. An inner diameter shroud for receiving an inner diameter base portion of a rotatable vane in a gas turbine engine comprising:

a single piece channel having a leading edge wall, an inner diameter wall, a trailing edge wall, a radial outer surface, and at least two axial projections;

a core movable in the channel in a circumferential direction and configured to rotatably retain the inner diameter base portion of the rotatable vane, the core separated into two axially abutting segments and being engaged by the axial projections so that the radial movement of the core is prevented;

the core having a radial outer surface that is generally aligned with the radial outer surface of the channel, wherein together the radial outer surface of the core and the radial outer surface of the channel define an inner diameter flow path annulus of the gas turbine engine; and

a dowel pin interconnectably aligning the two axially abutting segments of the core;

wherein at least one of the axial projections comprises an interior railhead that retains the core in the radial direction and is not exposed to an inner diameter flow path annulus.

2. The shroud of claim 1, wherein the core is retained in the channel without a fastener.

3. The shroud of claim 1, wherein only one surface of the core is disposed to interface with an inner diameter flow path of a gas turbine engine.

4. The shroud of claim 1, wherein the core is a composite material.

5. The shroud of claim 1, wherein the base portion of the vane is retained by the core such that an outer surface of the base portion generally aligns with the radial outer surface of the core.

6. The shroud of claim 1, further comprising a composite bearing disposed between the base portion of the vane and the core.

7. The shroud of claim 1, wherein a portion of the core is configured to act as a bearing for the base portion of the vane.

8. The shroud of claim 1, wherein the base portion of the vane has a first surface and a second surface, the first surface interconnected to the second surface by a trunnion, the first surface and the second surface subject to a thrust force during operation of a gas turbine engine, the first surface interfaces with a first bearing surface on the core and the second surface interfaces with a second bearing surface on the core.

9. The shroud of claim 1, wherein a radial height of the leading edge wall of the channel is between about 0.250 of an inch to about 0.330 of an inch (about 6.35 mm to about 8.47 mm).

10. The shroud of claim 1, wherein the channel extends through a circumferential arc of substantially 90 degrees in length.

11. The shroud of claim 1, further comprising an inner air seal bonded to a surface of the channel.

12. An inner diameter shroud for receiving an inner diameter base portion of a rotatable vane in a gas turbine engine comprising:

a core, the core having two axially abutting segments, the segments movable in a channel in a circumferential direction and configured to rotatably interface with the inner diameter base portion of the rotatable vane;

the channel retaining the two segments without a fastener, the channel having a leading edge wall, an inner diameter wall, a trailing edge wall, and at least two axial projections for preventing radial movement of the two segments;

wherein a radial outer surface of the core is generally aligned with a radial outer surface of the channel, and wherein together the radial outer surface of the core and the radial outer surface of the channel define an inner diameter flow path annulus of the gas turbine engine; and

a dowel pin interconnectably aligning the two axially abutting segments of the core;

wherein at least one of the axial projections comprises an interior railhead that retains the core in the radial direction and is not exposed to the inner diameter flow path annulus.

13. The shroud of claim 12, wherein the core extends through a circumferential arc of substantially 60 degrees in length.

14. The shroud of claim 12, wherein the channel is less than about 14 inches (about 355 mm) in diameter when arrayed circumferentially to interface with an inner diameter flow path of a gas turbine engine.

15. The shroud of claim 12, wherein a radial height of the leading edge wall of the channel is between about 0.250 of an inch to about 0.330 of an inch (about 6.35 mm to about 8.47 mm).

16. The shroud of claim 12, wherein only one surface of each of the abutting portions is disposed to interface with an inner diameter flow path of a gas turbine engine.

17. The shroud of claim 12, wherein a plurality of cores are circumferentially abuttably disposed inside a plurality of circumferentially disposed channels in a high pressure compressor section of the gas turbine engine.