Abstract: A turbine engine component such as a turbine blade includes an airfoil portion formed by a suction side wall and a pressure side wall, and a cooling microcircuit incorporated in at least one of the suction side wall and the pressure side wall. The cooling microcircuit comprises a channel through which a cooling fluid flows, at least one exit hole for distributing cooling fluid over a surface of the turbine blade, and internal features within the channel for accelerating the flow of cooling fluid prior to the cooling fluid flowing through the at least one exit hole.

Abstract: A turbine engine component has an airfoil portion with a suction side. The component includes a cooling microcircuit embedded within a wall structure forming the suction side. The cooling microcircuit has at least one cooling film hole positioned ahead of a gage point for creating a flow of cooling fluid over an exterior surface of the suction side which travels past the gage point. The cooling microcircuit is formed using refractory metal core technology. A method for forming the cooling microcircuit is described.

Abstract: A turbine engine component has an airfoil portion with a leading edge portion. The leading edge portion includes a plurality of staggered holes for causing fluid to flow over a surface of the airfoil portion. A method for forming the leading edge portion using refractory metal core technology is described.

Abstract: A turbine component has an airfoil portion with at least one central core element, a pressure side wall, and a suction side wall. The airfoil portion also has a serpentine cooling passageway in at least one of the walls. In a preferred embodiment, the airfoil portion has a serpentine cooling passageway in both of the pressure and suction side walls. A refractory metal core for forming the serpentine cooling passageway(s) is also described.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a cooling microcircuit in a blade-outer-air-seal is provided. The method broadly comprises the steps of forming a first section of the blade-outer-air-seal having a first exposed internal wall, forming a second section of the blade-outer-air-seal having a second exposed internal wall, and forming at least one cooling microcircuit on at least one of the first and second exposed internal walls.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a turbine engine component comprises the steps of forming a first half of an airfoil portion of the turbine engine component and forming a plurality of microcircuits having at least one passageway on an exposed internal wall of the first half of the airfoil portion. The method further comprises forming a second half of the airfoil portion of said turbine engine component, and forming at least one additional cooling microcircuit having at least one passageway on an exposed internal wall of the second half of the airfoil portion. Thereafter, the first half is placed in an abutting relationship with the second half after the cooling microcircuits have been formed and inspected. The first half and the second half are joined together to form the airfoil portion.

Abstract: An airfoil assembly includes an airfoil extending away from a platform. One or more cooling circuits are formed through the platform in order to provide cooling of the platform. The cooling circuit may include a downwardly directed inlet receiving cooling air from below the platform. The cooling air is then directed in a direction generally parallel to the outer surface of the platform and through exits formed through the outer surface of the platform. The cooling circuit may optionally include a plurality of pedestals extending from an outer wall to an inner wall of the cooling circuit to increase the rigidity and the cooling function of the cooling circuit.

Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes a span wise extending cavity formed from a ceramic mold and a slot extending from the cooling air cavity to a trailing edge being formed by a refractory metal core. The refractory metal core facilitates the reduction in the size of the slot and also in the reduction in the size of pedestals which pass transversely through the slot to interconnect the pressure side to the suction side of the airfoil. The blade has a cutback feature to expose a back surface on the inner side of the suction side wall with dimples being formed on the back surface so as to enhance heat transfer characteristics thereof. Provision is made for fabricating the dimples by way of a photo etching process.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine component, such as a high pressure turbine blade, has an airfoil portion, a platform, and micro-circuits within the platform for cooling at least one of a platform edge adjacent the pressure side of the airfoil portion and the trailing edge of the platform. The micro-circuits include a first micro-circuit on a suction side of the airfoil and a second micro-circuit on a pressure side of the airfoil. The micro-circuits within the platform achieve high thermal convective efficiency, high film coverage, and high cooling effectiveness.

Abstract: An airfoil, and in a disclosed embodiment a rotor blade, has film cooling holes formed at a leading edge. A supplemental film cooling channel is positioned near the leading edge, but spaced toward the trailing edge from the leading edge. The supplemental film cooling channel directs film cooling air onto a suction wall. The supplemental film cooling channel air is generally directed to a location on the suction wall that has raised some challenges in the past. In a disclosed embodiment, the airfoil is provided with a thermal barrier coating, and the supplemental film cooling air protects this thermal barrier coating.

Abstract: An airfoil, and in a disclosed embodiment a rotor blade, has a serpentine cooling path. To best account for the Coriolis effect, the paths of the serpentine cooling channel have trapezoidal cross-sections. An area of the rotor blade between a smaller side of the trapezoidal-shaped paths, and a facing wall of the rotor blade has high thermal and mechanical stresses, and is a challenge to adequately cool. A microcircuit, which is a very thin cooling circuit having crossing pedestals, is embedded into the blade in this area. The microcircuit provides additional cooling, and addresses the challenges with regard to cooling these areas.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine blade has a relatively large fillet to improve the characteristics of the air flow thereover. The fillet has a thin wall which, together with an impingement rib, defines a fillet cavity therebetween, and cooling air is provided to flow through impingement holes in the impingement rib and impinge on the rear surface of the fillet. The impingement holes are elongated in cross sectional shape with their elongations being orient in a direction generally transverse to a radial direction.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine blade has a relatively large fillet to improve the characteristics of the air flow thereover. The fillet has a thin wall which partially defines a fillet cavity therebehind, and cooling air is provided to the fillet cavity and is then routed to the outer surface by way film cooling holes. Various design features are provided to enhance the effectiveness of the cooling air being provided to both the fillet cavity and other cavities within the blade.

Abstract: An improved cooling design and method for cooling airfoils within a gas turbine engine is provided which includes an embedded microcircuit that traverses a tip between a suction sidewall and a pressure sidewall of the airfoil. The microcircuit includes at least on inlet disposed proximate to the tip and one of the sidewalls for receiving cooling air from an internal cooling cavity of the airfoil and at least outlet disposed proximate to the tip through which the cooling air ejects into a region outside the airfoil.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine component, such as a high pressure turbine blade, has an airfoil portion, a platform, and micro-circuits within the platform for cooling at least one of a platform edge adjacent the pressure side of the airfoil portion and the trailing edge of the platform. The micro-circuits include a first micro-circuit on a suction side of the airfoil and a second micro-circuit on a pressure side of the airfoil. The micro-circuits within the platform achieve high thermal convective efficiency, high film coverage, and high cooling effectiveness.

Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes a plurality of cooling circuits embedded within the pressure and suction sidewalls and a first and a second flow passage. The first flow passage feeds the coolant fluid to the cooling circuits that are embedded only within the pressure sidewall and the second flow passage feeds the coolant fluid to the cooling circuits that are embedded only within the suction sidewall. A method embodiment of the present comprises placing the inlets of the cooling circuits embedded within the first sidewall in flow communication with only one of the flow passages and placing the inlets of the cooling circuits embedded within the second sidewall in flow communication with at least one of the other flow passages to minimize the difference in sink pressures of the suction and pressure sidewalls to ensure ingestion of the coolant fluid into the inlets of the respective cooling circuits.

Abstract: A cooling circuit disposed within a first wall portion and a second wall portion of a wall for use in a gas turbine engine is provided. The cooling circuit includes a plurality of inlet apertures disposed in the first wall portion to provide a flow path of cooling air into the cooling circuit, a first exit slot disposed in the second wall portion to provide a cooling air flow path out of the cooling circuit, a plurality of pedestals arranged in rows extending within the between the first wall portion and the second wall portion and a first elongated pedestal disposed radially and extending between the first and second wall portions. The first elongated pedestal is positioned between the pedestals and the first exit slot.

Abstract: A turbine blade is provided comprising an internal cavity into which cooling air is flowable, an external wall and a first, second and third cooling circuits embedded with the wall. The cooling circuits include inlets that connect each respective cooling circuit with cavity to provide a cooling air flow path into the respective cooling circuit. The cooling circuits also include an exit aperture that provides a cooling air flow path out of the respective cooling circuits. The cooling circuits are configured to increase the temperature of the cooling air as it travels from the inlet to the exit aperture. In the exemplary embodiment, the inlets are aligned with the direction of counter-rotating flow circulations experienced by the inner surface of the wall caused by Coriolis flow effects on the cooling air flowing inside the cavity.