Patent Application
20050169760
This invention relates to rotor blades of the type used in industrial gas turbine engines, and more specifically, trout for the tip region of such a rotor blade.
Gas turbine engines for aircraft have rotor blades that typically are smaller than rotor blades used in, for example, the turbine of an industrial gas turbine that employs steam as a working medium
The rotor assembly employs such blades with a rotating structure, such as a rotor disk, having an axis of rotation and a plurality of outwardly extending blades. Each blade is disposed about a spanwise axis that extends radially. Generally, the spanwise axis is a radial line referred to as the stacking line which extends outwardly on a radius from the axis of the rotor blade. The rotor blade has a base, commonly called a root, which engages the rotating structure at the inner end of the blade.
The rotor blades each have an airfoil which extends outwardly from the root across the working medium flowpath. The rotor blade typically has a shroud extending between airfoils of adjacent rotor blades at the tip region of the rotor blade. The shroud has cantilevered wings which extend laterally (circumferentially) between adjacent rotor blades. The wings include a portion of a transition zone that extends from the junction with the airfoil that has an inwardly facing surface which bounds the working medium flowpath. The shroud also has a seal land which extends circumferentially a close to adjacent stator structure to block the working medium gases from leaving the flowpath. In some constructions, a more rigid member extends between the front and rear portions of the wings to carry the seal land and provide a portion of the transitions zone.
The shrouds of adjacent rotor blades abut at contact areas on the laterally sides of the shroud. The shrouds reduce blade deflections about the spanwise axis and minimize vibration of the rotor blades. Damping of the blades takes place through rubbing of the contact faces of adjacent shrouds. Additional rotational loads are created by the mass of the shroud as compared with rotor blades having no shrouds. These rotational loads increase stresses at the shroud airfoil interface because of the sudden change in cross-section of the material and at the root-disk interface of the rotor blade and the desk. The stresses in the airfoil and the shroud of the rotor blades require heavier designs than non-shrouded blades of equivalent cyclic fatigue life. In addition, the mass of the shroud may cause creep of the airfoil and creep of portions of the shroud in a radial direction because of rotational forces generated under operative conditions.
Accordingly, scientists and engineers working on the direction of applicants assignee have sought to develop and to shrouds for rotor blades that reduce the concentrated stressors in the rotor blades and demonstrate acceptable resistance to creep without causing additional creep in the airfoil by increasing the mass of the rotor blade.
A tip shroud for a rotor blade shroud attached to an airfoil by a transition zone includes wings extending from the sides of the airfoil and a beam which extends past the airfoil for carrying a seal land and between the wings to divide each wing into a front portion and a rear portion,
The surface contour of a transition zone for a rotor blade shroud at a particular location is defined by the line of intersection of a reference plane P with the surface of the transition zone. The reference plane is referred to as the normal sectioning plane. The reference plane passes through the point at the junction of the transition zone and the airfoil. The junction point is usually the point of tangency of the transition zone with the airfoil. The reference plane P contains a first line perpendicular to the airfoil surface (airfoil section surface) at the junction point and a second line parallel to the stacking line of the airfoil.
Accordingly, the normal sectioning plane P passes through the junction point and is defined by two straight lines passing through the junction point. As shown, for example, this provides an “X axis” which is a first straight line in the plane of the airfoil section normal (perpendicular) to the surface of the airfoil section; and, a “Y-axis,” which is perpendicular to the first straight line and also parallel to the stacking line of the airfoil.
The line of intersection of the normal sectioning plane with the transition zone is referred to as a transition line. As will be realized, lines of intersection between a plane and a surface may be straight or curved depending on the orientation of the plane to the surface. Accordingly, the term “transition line” includes straight lines and curved lines. In this application, the line of intersection is viewed perpendicular to the sectioning plane. The definition of the “offset ratio” for a transition line is the ratio of the length or distance “A” of the projection of the transition line along the X-axis of the sectioning plane divided by the length or distnce “B” of the projection of the transition line along the spanwise Y-axis. The length A is also referred to as the offset distance of the transition line (or transition zone) from the airfoil and the length B is referred to as the offset distance of the transition line from the shroud.
Bending or the bend of the transition line is a measure of the change in slope per unit length of the transition line as the transition line extends away from the airfoil surface. Thus, at any location, the transition line (transition zone) has a first end at the junction point with the airfoil and a second end at the location on the shroud where the remainder of the shroud extends in cantilevered fashion from the transition zone. This location is where the associated transition line smoothly joins the remainder of the shroud and the instantaneous change in slope is zero, such as at a point of tangency, or where the extension of the transition line on the shroud reverses curvature and bends outwardly.
According to the present invention, a rotor blade includes a tip shroud having a depression generally outwardly of the airfoil and generally following the curve of the pressure and suction sides of the airfoil from the leading edge region to the trailing edge region, the tip shroud having wings extending from the sides of the airfoils, each wing having a front portion and a rear portion which continue the surface of the depression, the shroud further including a seal land extending past the sides of the airfoil between the front and rear portions of the wings.
In one embodiment, a beam which carries the seal land extends laterally across the depression to divide the depression into a front portion and a rear portion, and extends past the sides of the airfoil and is integral with the wings to support the front and rear portions of the wings.
In one embodiment, the radial thickness of the wings is decreased by the depression in the wings which decreases airfoil creep as compared to a wing which does not have a radial depression.
In another embodiment, at least a portion of the wing includes a transition zone that extends from the side of the airfoil to provide a flow path surface of the shroud, the transition zone having a cross-sectional shape which is tapered to the side of the wing.
In one detailed embodiment, the transition line of the wing, which is also the contour of the flow path surface of the shroud for the transition zone of the wing, generally follows the shape of a conical section as it extends away from the airfoil and the depression above the transition zone has a spanwise depth at a first lateral location that is smaller than the spanwise depth of the depression in the wing at a second lateral location that is laterally closer to the airfoil.
In one detailed embodiment, the spanwise depth of the transition zone at the first location is greater than the spanwise depth at the second location.
In accordance with the present invention, the transition lines extending under the beam have a first radius of curvature adjacent the airfoil and a second radius of curvature adjacent the shroud that is larger than the first radius of curvature.
In accordance with one detailed embodiment of the present invention, the first and second radii of curvature intersect at a point of tangency.
In accordance with another detailed embodiment of the present invention, the intersection includes a straight line that is tangent to the first and second radii of curvature.
In accordance with another detailed embodiment of the present invention, the intersection includes a curved line that is tangent to the first and second radii of curvature.
A primary advantage of the present invention is the efficiency of the engine and creep resistance of the airfoil and creep and bending resistance of the shroud which results from reducing the shroud mass while maintaining the overall configuration of the surface bounding the working medium flow path by forming a depression which is generally radially outwardly of the airfoil and tapering the wings of the shroud.
Another advantage of the present invention is the fatigue life of the shroud resulting from the level of the bending stresses in the wings which occurs from transferring a portion of the rotational loads on the wings through the beam to the transition zone under the beam to permit reducing the size of the transition zone under the wings.
In one particular embodiment, an advantage is the level of creep resistance of the shroud as compared to a solid shroud which is enhanced by providing a portion of the material removed to form the depressions in the shroud and in the wings and providing a transition zone having increased mass at a location which is spanwise inwardly of the locations where shroud material was removed as compared to a shroud of the same flowpath configuration which does not have a depression. This reduces rotational forces acting on the airfoil and increases creep resistance of the airfoil and shroud under operative conditions.
The foregoing features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.
The rotor blade has a tip region 28 having a tip shroud 30. The tip shroud includes a seal land 32 which is a surface having a radius of curvature about the axis Ar. The tip shroud has a transition zone 34 which extends from the sides 24, 26 of the airfoil, as represented by the pressure side. The transition zone includes part of a flowpath surface which extends from a tangent to the pressure side of the airfoil along a junction J.
The tip shroud includes a pressure side wing 52 extending from the pressure side of the airfoil having a front portion 52f and a rear portion. The portions of the wing continue the surface of the depression. The pressure side wing has a laterally facing pressure side. The tip shroud includes a suction side wing extending from the suction side of the airfoil having a front portion and a rear portion. The portions of the wing continue the surface of the depression. The suction side wing has a laterally facing suction side.
The tip shroud further has the beam 42 which has a front face 42f and a rear face 42r integral with the wings. The beam extends laterally between the wings to divide each wing into the front portion and the rear portion and laterally across the depression to divide the depression into a front portion 48f and a rear portion 48r. The beam further has a pressure side region 62 extending laterally past the pressure side of the airfoil in the tip region of the airfoil, and has a laterally facing pressure side 63 which adapts the beam to engage the suction side 65 of the beam of the adjacent airfoil. The beam also has a similar region on the suction side. The suction side region 64 extends laterally past the suction side of the airfoil in the tip region of the airfoil, and has a laterally facing suction side which adapts the suction side of the beam to engage the pressure side of the beam of the adjacent airfoil.
Table 1 is a listing of the offset distances A, B and the offset ratio R=A/B. The offset ratio is also shown rounded to the nearest hundredths. As can be seen from inspection of the Table, the offset ratio is fairly large and the front portion of the suction side wing and under the beam on the suction side. The ratios are also greater than one underneath the beam on the pressure side, but are smaller. This is attributable in part to the contouring of the transition zone which has more material extending radially down the side of the airfoil on the pressure side than on the suction side as shown in
The relationship of the offset ratios of the transition line a shown in the following Figures.
As can be seen, the transition zone extending under the beam extends to a location between the pressure side of the airfoil and the pressure side of the beam. The transition zone ends at a location on the inwardly facing surface of the suction side region of the beam and between the suction side of the airfoil and the suction side of the beam. Similarly, as shown in
As can be seen from these figures, the transition zone over substantially all of its extent between the leading edge region and the trailing edge region extends to the sides of the wings such that each wing has a cross-sectional shape at a location along a normal sectioning plane that is spanwisely tapered to the sides of the wings, and that is spanwisely tapered under the beam at least as far as the immediately adjacent portion of the wing. In one particular embodiment, the transition lines in the transition zone that extended only under the wings covered over ninety-nine (99) percent of the surface area of the transition zone. In other embodiments, good results are expected where the transition lines extend to over ninety-five (95) percent of the transition zone. As can be seen from the table, the cross-sectional shape of the transition zone has more than one type of curvature to reduce stresses in the rotor blade as compared to transition zones having one type of curvature for the transition zone. For example, offset ratios equal to one provide circular transition lines which on the pressure side of the airfoil decreases surface stresses in the airfoil at the rare portion of the pressure side wing. Offset ratios greater than one provide elliptical shaped or true elliptical transition lines reduce stress concentration factors better than circular cross-sections. They are heavier constructions than analogous circular transition lines because more material is placed closer to the shroud at greater radial distance from the axis Ar.
Conical section lines that represent the intersection of a plane with a right circular cone form transition lines that have the advantageous benefits of reducing stress concentration factors. These curves may be used to form transition lines. Elliptical transition lines are one example. Another example are transition lines formed with curves of multiple radii that follow a conical section lines such as an elliptical transition line and may be formed. These curves are used on at least one of said sides of the airfoil and show transition lines that extend under the beam that have greater bending away from the airfoil at a region closer to the airfoil on the transition line than at a region closer to the side of the shroud. As a result, and as shown in
Thus, the transition lines which define the contour of the flow path surface of the shroud for the transition zone of the wing and of the beam follow the shape of part of a conical section. They also have an offset ratio on the suction side of the airfoil for the beam Rb and for the forward portion of the wing Rw that is greater on average than the offset ratio on the pressure side of the airfoil for the beam Rb and for the rear portion of the wing Rw, thus providing a more elliptical flowpath surface on the suction side beam-wing forward region to reduce stress concentration factors in that region. They also provide a more circular flowpath surface on the pressure side for the beam-rear wing portion to provide transition zone material that extends down the airfoil, the offset distance B, for at least 80% of the length that the material extends laterally on the shroud, offset distance A, to reduce airfoil surface stresses as compared to an airfoil not having such a length of shroud material.
These are more easily manufactured because curves with constant radius or regions of constant radius are much easier to inspect. Thus, it is advantageous to transfer some loads from a region and to use circular curves (rear portions of wing) in those regions because the stress concentration factor is less of a concern. In regions where the stress concentration factor is of more concern curves of multiple radii may be used used to generate transition lines having a conical or almost conical curves. The advantage results because during manufacture, the transition line curves must be inspected and have a profile tolerance. In applying the tolerances, the minimum radial dimension should not be violated. However, when normal tolerances are applied in some locations on conical sections, it is difficult to determine if the curve has violated the minimum radius tolerance dimension. This is less severe and may be eliminated if curved compound transition line is used. In those cases, the inspection criteria set out can control the radii sizes by applying a limit dimension to each of the radii.
Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to detailed embodiments thereof, it shoud be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.
