Single channel inner diameter shroud with lightweight inner core

• US 20090208338A1
• Filed: 02/20/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Speers, William J., Major, Daniel W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,500,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/215
• 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 being engaged by the axial projections so that the radial movement of the core is prevented; and

the core having a radial outer surface generally aligned with the outer surface of the channel.

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 surface of the core and the surface of the channel substantially align to define the inner diameter flow path annulus of a gas turbine engine.

5. The shroud of claim 1, further comprising a dowel pin interconnectably aligning two axially abutting segments of the core.

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

7. 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.

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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. The shroud of claim 1, wherein the channel has an interior railhead that retains the core in the radial direction.

12. 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).

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

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

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

a channel for 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; and

wherein a radial outer surface of the core and a radial outer surface of the channel interface with an inner diameter flow path of a gas turbine engine.

16. The shroud of claim 15, wherein the core extends through a circumferential arc of substantially 60 degrees in length.

17. The shroud of claim 15, 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.

18. The shroud of claim 15, 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).

19. The shroud of claim 15, 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.

20. The shroud of claim 15, 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.