Airfoil member and composite platform having contoured endwall

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9598967-B2
Application number	US-201213718181-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2012
Priority date	Dec 18, 2012
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

An airfoil member and platform assembly for a gas turbine engine is provided. The platform to which the airfoil member is anchored is made of a composite material and includes an endwall defining a contoured region for improved aerodynamics. The contoured region influences the flow of gases through the flow passages between the airfoil members, thereby reducing endwall losses due to horseshoe vortexing. The composite material may be woven ceramic matrix composite fibers infiltrated with a ceramic matrix material or woven organic matrix composite fibers infiltrated with an organic matrix material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly comprising:
an airfoil member having an airfoil portion and a root portion, the airfoil portion having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first side extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge, a second side extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge and a base near the root portion; and
at least one platform defining a channel for receiving the root portion, the at least one platform formed from a composite material and comprising an endwall extending in generally circumferentially opposite directions from either side of the airfoil portion, the endwall having an outboard surface comprising a contoured region, the contoured region including at least one convex region and at least one concave region at a same circumferential side of the airfoil, the at least one convex region extending uniformly in an axial direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge and the at least one concave region extending uniformly in the axial direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the contoured region is adjacent the base of the airfoil portion.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:
a portion of the contoured region extends upstream of the leading edge.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:
a portion of the contoured region extends downstream of the trailing edge.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the airfoil member is a turbine blade; and
the at least one platform is made from a plurality of ceramic matrix composite fibers infiltrated with a ceramic matrix material.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the airfoil member is a turbine vane and extends between an inner diameter platform and an outer diameter platform; and
at least one of the inner diameter platform and outer diameter platform is made from a plurality of ceramic matrix composite fibers infiltrated with a ceramic matrix material.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the airfoil member is a compressor rotor blade; and
the at least one platform is made from a plurality of woven organic matrix composite fibers infiltrated with an organic matrix material.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the airfoil member is a compressor stator vane, the compressor stator vane extending between an inner diameter platform and an outer diameter platform; and
at least one of the inner diameter platform and outer diameter platform is made from a plurality of woven organic matrix composite fibers infiltrated with an organic matrix material.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the airfoil member is made from a composite material.

10. A method of making an airfoil member and platform assembly comprising the steps of:
a. forming an airfoil member, the airfoil member having an airfoil portion and a root portion;
b. forming a platform from a composite material, the platform and the airfoil portion partly defining a fluid flow passage, the platform having an endwall having a surface that faces the fluid flow passage and that comprises a contoured region, a pair of feet extending substantially radially away from the endwall, the endwall and the feet defining a channel having a channel wall; and
c. inserting the root portion of the airfoil member into the channel so that the root portion abuts the channel wall;
wherein the contoured region includes at least one convex region and at least one concave region at a same circumferential side of the airfoil, the at least one convex region extending uniformly in an axial direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge and the at least one concave region extending uniformly in the axial direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein:
step (b) comprises forming the platform by providing a plurality of chopped composite material fibers and infiltrating the fibers with a matrix material.

12. The method of claim 10 comprising the further step of:
d. bonding the airfoil member to the platform.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:
step (d) includes the steps of introducing composite material along areas of contact between the root portion and the platform and heating the assembly.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein:
the airfoil member is a turbine blade or turbine vane; and

the composite material is a ceramic matrix composite material.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein:
the airfoil member is a compressor stator vane or a compressor rotor blade; and

the composite material is an organic matrix composite material.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein:
during step (a) the airfoil member is formed by laying up plies of a composite material and infiltrating the plies with a matrix material.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein:
step (a) further comprises forming an airfoil member having an airfoil portion with opposing radial ends and a root portion extending from either radial end;
step (b) further comprises forming an inner diameter platform and an outer diameter platform, both the inner diameter platform and the outer diameter platform partly defining the fluid flow passage, each of the inner diameter platform and the outer diameter platform comprising feet and an endwall having a surface that faces the fluid flow passage wherein the feet and endwall define a channel, at least one of the endwalls defining a contoured region; and
step (c) further comprises inserting the root portion at either radial end of the airfoil member into both channels.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Xu Jinquan

Classifications

• Y02T50/672

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F05D2300/603

  Composites; e.g. fibre-reinforced · CPC title

• F01D5/3084

  the blades being made of ceramics · CPC title

• Y10T29/49316

  Impeller making · CPC title

• F01D5/282 Primary

  Selecting composite materials, e.g. blades with reinforcing filaments · CPC title