Turbomachine blade with improved stiffness to weight ratio

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9249667-B2
Application number	US-201213421743-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2012
Priority date	Mar 15, 2012
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

A system includes a turbomachine that includes a stator and a rotor. The rotor is configured to rotate about a rotational axis relative to the stator. In addition, the rotor includes a least one rotary blade, and the at least one rotary blade has a patterned structure of beams and cavities.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a turbomachine, comprising:
a stator; and
a rotor configured to rotate about a rotational axis relative to the stator, wherein the rotor comprises at least one rotary blade having a grid of beams and cavities extending crosswise to a longitudinal axis of the at least one rotary blade, wherein a width of the cavities, the beams, or both, is between 0.01 and 0.04 centimeters, wherein the grid comprises a plurality of layers of the beams and cavities stacked one over another relative to the longitudinal axis of the at least one rotary blade, wherein the grid extends to an exterior surface along a lateral perimeter portion of the at least one rotary blade.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rotary blade comprises a tip portion having the grid.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the tip portion comprises a tip shroud having the grid, and the tip shroud protrudes away from a blade portion of the at least one rotary blade in a crosswise direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the blade portion.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the tip shroud comprises a radially inner plate portion and a radially outer plate portion disposed about the grid.

5. The system of claim 4 , comprising a one-piece structure having the radially inner plate portion and the radially outer plate portion disposed about the grid.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one rotary blade comprises a one-piece structure having the tip portion and the blade portion.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of layers comprises at least three layers of the beams and cavities stacked one over another relative to the longitudinal axis of the at least one rotary blade.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the turbomachine comprises a gas turbine engine.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the grid extends to the exterior surface on opposite sides of the lateral perimeter portion relative to the longitudinal axis.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the turbomachine comprises a turbine, a compressor, or a combination thereof.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the grid has the width of the cavities, the beams, or both, between 0.020 and 0.028 centimeters.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the grid of the beams and cavities is integrally formed as one-piece with the at least one rotary blade.

13. A system, comprising:
at least one rotary blade having a blade portion and a tip portion, wherein the tip portion comprises a grid of beams and cavities extending crosswise to a longitudinal axis of the blade portion, wherein a width of the cavities, the beams, or both, is between 0.01 and 0.04 centimeters, wherein the grid comprises a plurality of layers of the beams and cavities stacked one over another relative to the longitudinal axis of the blade portion, wherein the grid extends to an exterior surface along a lateral perimeter portion of the tip portion.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the grid has the width of the cavities, the beams, or both, between 0.016 and 0.034 centimeters.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the tip portion comprises a tip shroud having the grid, and the tip shroud protrudes away from the blade portion in a crosswise direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the blade portion.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of layers comprises at least three layers of the beams and cavities stacked one over another relative to the longitudinal axis of the blade portion.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the tip shroud comprises a radially inner plate portion and a radially outer plate portion disposed about the grid.

18. The system of claim 13 , comprising a turbomachine having the at least one rotary blade.

19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the grid has the width of the cavities, the beams, or both, between 0.020 and 0.028 centimeters.

20. The system of claim 13 , wherein the the grid of the beams and cavities is integrally formed as one-piece with the tip portion.

21. A system, comprising:
a tip portion of a rotary blade, wherein the tip portion of the rotary blade comprises a tip shroud configured to protrude away from a blade portion of the rotary blade in a crosswise direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the blade portion, wherein the tip shroud comprises a grid of beams and cavities extending in the crosswise direction, wherein a width of the cavities, the beams, or both, is between 0.01 and 0.04 centimeters, wherein the grid comprises a plurality of layers of the beams and cavities stacked one over another relative to the longitudinal axis of the blade portion, wherein the grid extends to an exterior surface along a lateral perimeter portion of the tip shroud.

22. The system of claim 21 , comprising a turbomachine having the rotary blade with the tip portion.

Assignees

• Noble Patrick Daniel
• Weber Joseph Anthony
• Floyd Ii Donald Earl
• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Noble Patrick Daniel
• Weber Joseph Anthony
• Floyd Ii Donald Earl

Classifications

• F05D2240/307

  related to the tip of a rotor blade · CPC title

• F01D11/08

  for sealing space between rotor blade tips and stator (specially-shaped blade tips therefor F01D5/20) · CPC title

• F01D5/147 Primary

  Construction, i.e. structural features, e.g. of weight-saving hollow blades (F01D5/148, F01D5/16 and F01D5/20 take precedence; blade shape F01D5/141; blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities F01D5/18; heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades F01D5/18) · CPC title

• F01D5/20

  Specially-shaped blade tips to seal space between tips and stator {(F01D5/225 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• Y02T50/671

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic