Airfoil having serpentine core resupply flow control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10519782-B2
Application number	US-201715613255-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2017
Priority date	Jun 4, 2017
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

Airfoils having a body with leading and trailing edges and a first serpentine cavity within the body enabling a cooling flow in a first direction within the airfoil body, a second serpentine cavity fluidly connected to the first serpentine cavity enabling a cooling flow in a second direction, and a third serpentine cavity fluidly connected to the second serpentine cavity enabling a cooling flow in at least one of the first direction or a third direction. A resupply cavity is fluidly connected to the third serpentine cavity to supply a resupply air to the third serpentine cavity, a junction at the location of the second serpentine cavity, the resupply cavity and the third serpentine cavity, and a flow control feature arranged to turn the serpentine cooling air from the second direction and/or prevent resupply air backflow.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An airfoil for a gas turbine engine, the airfoil comprising:
an airfoil body having a leading edge and a trailing edge, the airfoil body defining an axial direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge, a radial direction from a root to a tip, and a circumferential direction from a pressure side to a suction side;
a first serpentine cavity formed within the airfoil body and defining a first portion of a serpentine cooling flow path and enabling a cooling flow in a first direction within the airfoil body;
a second serpentine cavity fluidly connected to the first serpentine cavity and defining a second portion of the serpentine cooling flow path and enabling a cooling flow in a second direction;
a third serpentine cavity fluidly connected to the second serpentine cavity and defining a third portion of the serpentine cooling flow path and enabling a cooling flow in at least one of the first direction or a third direction, wherein a serpentine cooling air flows through the serpentine cooling flow path;
a resupply cavity fluidly connected to the third serpentine cavity and arranged to supply a resupply air to the third serpentine cavity;
a junction defined at the location where both the second serpentine cavity and the resupply cavity fluidly connect to the third serpentine cavity; and
a flow control feature located at the junction and arranged to at least one of (i) turn the serpentine cooling air from the second direction to at least one of the first or third direction or (ii) prevent the resupply air from flowing into the second serpentine cavity,
wherein the flow control feature defines a tapering flow control cavity that narrows in the circumferential direction to form one or more tapering portions to turn the serpentine cooling air and/or prevent the resupply air from flowing into the second serpentine cavity.

2. The airfoil of claim 1 , wherein the tapering flow control cavity fluidly connects the resupply cavity and the second serpentine cavity.

3. The airfoil of claim 2 , the tapering flow control cavity including a first tapering cavity portion and a second tapering cavity portion and a cavity inflection point between the first and second tapering cavity portions, wherein each of the first and second tapering cavity portions expand in width in a direction away from the cavity inflection point.

4. The airfoil of claim 3 , wherein the first tapering cavity portion has a first circumferential width at a maximum thereof, a second circumferential width is defined at the cavity inflection point, and the second tapering cavity portion has a third circumferential width at a maximum thereof, wherein the first circumferential width and the second circumferential width are equal.

5. The airfoil of claim 1 , wherein the flow control feature includes a serpentine flow control subportion extending in the axial direction and arranged to turn the serpentine cooling air into a direction substantially similar to a flow direction of the resupply air.

6. The airfoil of claim 1 , wherein the flow control feature includes a resupply flow control subportion extending at least partially in the radial direction and arranged to prevent the resupply air from entering the second serpentine cavity.

7. The airfoil of claim 1 , further comprising at least one air ejection hole arranged to eject at least some of the serpentine cooling air to an external surface of the airfoil body.

8. The airfoil of claim 7 , wherein the at least one air ejection hole forms at least one of a gas path aperture or a platform aperture on the external surface of the airfoil body.

9. The airfoil of claim 7 , wherein the at least one air ejection hole is arranged at a position upstream of the resupply cavity along a flow path of the serpentine cooling air.

10. The airfoil of claim 7 , wherein the at least one air ejection hole is configured to eject at least thirty percent of the serpentine cooling air.

11. A core assembly for manufacturing an airfoil of a gas turbine engine, the core assembly comprising:
a first serpentine cavity core arranged to define a first serpentine cavity with a cooling flow in a first direction within a formed airfoil body, the formed airfoil body defining an axial direction from a leading edge to a trailing edge, a radial direction from a root to a tip, and a circumferential direction from a pressure side to a suction side;
a second serpentine cavity core connected to the first serpentine cavity core and arranged to define a second serpentine cavity with a cooling flow in a second direction within the formed airfoil body;
a third serpentine cavity core fluidly connected to the second serpentine cavity core and arranged to define a third serpentine cavity with a cooling flow in at least one of the first direction or a third direction within the formed airfoil body;
a resupply cavity core connected to the third serpentine cavity core and arranged to form a resupply cavity in the formed airfoil body, wherein a core junction is defined at the location where the second serpentine cavity core and the resupply cavity core connect to the third serpentine cavity core; and
a flow control feature core including a first tapering core portion that narrows in the circumferential direction and a second tapering core portion that narrows in the circumferential direction and a core inflection point between the first and second tapering core portions, wherein each of the first and second tapering core portions expand in thickness in a direction away from the core inflection point.

12. The core of claim 11 , wherein the flow control feature core forms a structure that connects the resupply cavity core and the second serpentine cavity core.

13. The core of claim 11 , wherein the first tapering core portion has a first core thickness in the circumferential direction at a maximum thereof, a second core thickness in the circumferential direction is defined at the core inflection point, and the second tapering core has a third core thickness in the circumferential direction at a maximum thereof, wherein the first core thickness and the third core thickness are equal.

14. The core of claim 11 , wherein the flow control feature core includes a serpentine flow control core subportion extending in the axial direction and arranged to form a structure in an airfoil body that turns a serpentine cooling air into a direction substantially similar to a flow direction of a resupply air.

15. The core of claim 11 , wherein the flow control feature core includes a resupply flow control core subportion extending at least partially in the radial direction and arranged to form a structure in an airfoil body that prevents a resupply air from entering a second serpentine cavity.

16. The core of claim 11 , further comprising at least one ejection hole core arranged to form apertures within an airfoil body, the apertures enabling ejection of a portion of air from a second serpentine cavity.

17. The core of claim 16 , wherein the at least one air ejection hole core is integrally formed with the core.

18. The core of claim 16 , wherein the at least one air ejection hole core is arranged at a position forward of the resupply cavity core.

19. The core of claim 16 , wherein the at least one air ejection hole core is configured to form an ejection hole that will eject at least thirty percent of a serpentine cooling air from the second serpentine cavity.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Clum Carey
• Molony Evan P
• Thistle Charles
• Mongillo Dominic J

Classifications

• F05D2260/202

  by film cooling · CPC title

• F05D2230/211

  by precision casting, e.g. microfusing or investment casting · CPC title

• F01D9/041

  using blades (F01D5/148 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title

• B22C9/103

  Multipart cores · CPC title