Noise reducing vane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10287987-B2
Application number	US-201414204983-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2014
Priority date	Jul 19, 2010
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes a first airflow structure and a second airflow structure disposed aft of the first airflow structure. The second airflow structure includes a leading edge region. A thickness of the leading edge region is based on a thickness of a wake in the airflow produced by the first airflow structure when the airflow passes between the first airflow structure and the second airflow structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a rotor with a blade;
a vane disposed aft of the rotor for adjusting an airflow from the rotor, the vane having a suction surface, a pressure surface, and a leading edge region joining the suction surface and the pressure surface; and
wherein the leading edge region and a portion of the pressure surface form a profile that is substantially parallel to a portion of a velocity profile of a wake produced in the airflow by the blade, wherein the wake and the velocity profile of the wake are disposed in the airflow downstream of the blade and upstream of the leading edge region of the vane, and
wherein the profile is confined within a quarter of a chord of the vane from the leading edge region.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the velocity profile of the wake is defined between a centerline of the wake to an outer edge of the wake, the outer edge of the wake defined where a velocity of the wake is approximately equal to 99 percent of a free stream flow velocity of the airflow.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the leading edge region of the vane is approximately half as thick to one times as thick as the thickness of the wake.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the leading edge region of the vane is defined as an elliptical contour, and the thickness of the leading edge region is defined by a minor axis of the elliptical contour.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 1 , wherein the rotor is a fan rotor, the blade is a fan blade, and the vane is a fan exit guide vane.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 5 , wherein the engine comprises approximately 14 to 22 fan blades and approximately 20 to 50 fan exit guide vanes.

7. A method for optimizing a vane to reduce noise generated by airflow between an upstream blade and the vane, the method comprising:
establishing an aerodynamic configuration of the vane as a baseline configuration of the vane;
determining a wake thickness of a wake in the airflow produced by the blade, wherein the wake is disposed in the airflow downstream of the blade and upstream of the vane; and
adjusting a leading edge thickness of the vane relative to the baseline configuration based on the wake thickness such that a leading edge region of the vane and a portion of a pressure surface of the vane form a profile that is substantially parallel to a portion of a velocity profile of the wake downstream of the blade and upstream of the leading edge region of the vane,
wherein the adjusting of the leading edge thickness of the vane is confined within a quarter of a chord of the vane from the leading edge region of the vane.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining a velocity profile of the wake; and
adjusting the profile of the pressure surface of the vane proximate the leading edge region of the vane relative the baseline configuration such that the profile of the pressure surface proximate the leading edge region is substantially parallel to at least the portion of the velocity profile of the wake.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the profile deviates from a pre-established aerodynamic configuration of the vane, and the profile reduces a thickness gradient between a suction surface and the pressure surface proximate the leading edge region relative the pre-established aerodynamic configuration of the vane.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the profile reduces a volumetric strain of the wake relative the pre-established aerodynamic configuration of the vane.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the thickness of the leading edge of the vane is adjusted to be approximately half as thick to one times as thick as the thickness of the wake.

12. The method of claim 7 , the method further comprising:
maintaining a profile of a suction surface of the vane at the baseline configuration.

13. The method of claim 7 , the method further comprising:
transitioning the profile of the pressure surface of the vane to a pressure surface of the baseline configuration downstream from the leading edge region at approximately one quarter of a chord of the vane.

14. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a first airflow structure;
a second airflow structure disposed aft of the first airflow structure, the second airflow structure having a leading edge region; and
wherein a thickness of the leading edge region is based on a thickness of a wake in the airflow produced by the first airflow structure when the airflow passes between the first airflow structure and the second airflow structure,
wherein the leading edge region of the second airflow structure is approximately half as thick to one times as thick as the thickness of the wake,
wherein the second airflow structure includes a pressure surface with a profile proximate the leading edge region that is substantially parallel to at least a portion of a velocity profile of the wake, and
wherein the wake and the velocity profile of the wake are disposed in the airflow downstream of the blade and upstream of the leading edge region of the vane.

15. The gas turbine engine of claim 14 , wherein the leading edge region of the second airflow structure is defined as an elliptical contour, and the thickness of the leading edge region is defined by a minor axis of the elliptical contour.

16. The gas turbine engine of claim 15 , wherein the minor axis of the elliptical contour is approximately half as thick to one times as thick as the thickness of the wake.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Baltas Constantine
• Atassi Oliver V

Classifications

• F05D2260/96

  Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise · CPC title

• F02K3/06

  with front fan · CPC title

• F02K1/09 Primary

  by axially moving an external member, e.g. a shroud (F02K1/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02C7/24 Primary

  Heat or noise insulation (air intakes having provisions for noise suppression F02C7/045; turbine exhaust heads, chambers, or the like F01D25/30; silencing nozzles of jet-propulsion plants F02K1/00) · CPC title