Turbine blade or vane

Abstract

A turbine blade or vane includes passages in the interior. Further, in the region of a radial end of a partition which delimits a passage, a shoulder is provided. On the shoulder there rests an insert which closes off the at least one passage. As such, the end of a partition is produced in such a manner that it is optimized in terms of flow retained.

Description

[0001] The present application hereby claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 on German patent application number DE 10217389.3 filed Apr. 18, 2002, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention generally relates to a turbine blade or vane. Turbine blades or vanes are often produced by a casting process, in which it is beneficial for more passages to be formed in the interior of the turbine blade or vane than are required for cooling. To close up these passages again, plates, which have right-angled edges, are generally welded onto the ends of the inner partitions which form the cooling passages. However, the cooling medium has to flow past these right-angled edges, which, inter alia, leads to pressure losses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is an object of an embodiment of the invention to provide a turbine blade or vane in which passages in the interior, which are produced for manufacturing technology reasons and are not required for operation, are closed off with respect to the outside but which, in terms of flow, do not cause any disturbance or pressure loss.

[0004] The object may be achieved by a turbine blade or vane according to an embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is diagrammatically depicted in the figures, in which:

[0006] FIG. 1 shows a turbine blade or vane,

[0007] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an underside of a pedestal of a turbine blade or vane according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0008] FIG. 3 shows a section in line II-II from FIG. 2, and

[0009] FIG. 4 shows an enlarged illustration from FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a turbine blade or vane 1 with a main blade or vane region 4, a pedestal 7, by which it is secured, for example, in a disc (not shown in more detail) of a rotor of a turbine (not shown in more detail), and a platform 10 and which has a radial axis 2.

[0011] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a section on line B-B from FIG. 1.

[0012] Starting from the pedestal 7, by way of example three passages, namely a first passage 13, a second passage 16 and a third passage 19, run in the interior of the turbine blade or vane 1 in the region of the main blade or vane region 4. They form, for example, cooling passages. Further passages are possible.

[0013] Passages 13, 16, 19 of this type are useful for design reasons. This is because the material saved reduces the weight of and mechanical loads on the turbine blade or vane. A core which is surrounded with material during casting can easily be removed if the passages 13, 16, 19 extend along the radial axis 2.However, in terms of manufacturing technology, it is very difficult to produce passages which are closed in the region of the pedestal 7 when using a casting process.

[0014] In this example (FIG. 3), two passages 16 and 19 should be closed. FIG. 3 shows a section on line II-II from FIG. 2, parallel to the radial axis 2. The second passage 16 is, inter alia, delimited on two sides by a first partition 31 and a second partition 34. The third passage 19 is laterally delimited, inter alia, by the second partition 34 and a pedestal wall 22 of the pedestal 7.

[0015] The cooling medium which flows out of the disc of the turbine rotor into the pedestal 7, as indicated by arrows 37, is not intended to flow through the second passage and the third passage 16, 19. Rather, it is intended to flow through at least one other passage 13 into the interior of the turbine blade or vane 1 in the main blade or vane region 4.

[0016] At one axial end 49, the first partition 31 has a first shoulder 25 which faces into the second passage 16, i.e. is on its inner surface 52. The pedestal wall 22, also has a second shoulder 28 in the interior of the passage 19 at the same radial height as the first shoulder 25. If a corresponding insert 40 is resting on the shoulder 25 and 28, the second passage 16 and the third passage 19 are completely closed off with respect to the outside.

[0017] A transition 43 which runs from the insert 40, via the first partition 31, into the axially adjacent first passage 13 is rounded and therefore optimized in terms of flow, so that no turbulence, pressure losses or swirling, as would be caused by a sharp edge, occur.

[0018] The thickness of the insert 40 corresponds to the depth of the shoulder 25, 28 in the radial direction (FIG. 4). The shoulders 25, 28 are designed to run all the way around and are connected to one another, i.e. one opening 46 of the passages 16, 19 has a widened cross section in the region of the opening (FIG. 2) and forms a recess 55.

[0019] The radial end 49 of the second partition 34 by way of example directly adjoins the insert 40, so that this end rests on the insert 40. A radial end 49 of further partitions 58 is rounded or optimized in terms of flow. The insert 40 is welded, soldered, adhesively bonded or secured in some other way to the partitions 31, 34 or 22.

[0020] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

[0021] List of reference symbols

[0022] 1 Turbine blade or vane

[0023] 2 Axial axis

[0024] 4 Main blade or vane region

[0025] 7 Pedestal

[0026] 10 Platform

[0027] 13 First passage

[0028] 16 Second passage

[0029]

[0030] 19 Third passage

[0031] 22 Pedestal wall

[0032] 25 First shoulder

[0033] 28 Second shoulder

[0034] 31 First partition

[0035] 34 Second partition

[0036] 37 Direction of flow

[0037] 40 Insert

[0038] 43 Transition

[0039] 46 Passage opening

[0040] 49 Radial end of 31, 34

[0041] 52 Inner surface

Claims

1. A turbine blade, comprising:

a pedestal, adapted to secure the turbine blade, and including at least one outer pedestal wall,

a plurality of inner passages, the passages at least being formed by at least one inner partition, wherein at least one passage is closed off in the region of the pedestal, wherein at least one partition and a pedestal wall include a shoulder, and wherein an insert rests at least partially on the shoulder and is adapted to close off the passage with respect to the outside in the pedestal region.

2. The turbine blade as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shoulder is formed on an inner surface of the passage and creates a relative widening of a cross section of an opening of the passage.

3. The turbine blade as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insert and the partition are optimized in terms of flow.

4. The turbine blade as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insert and the partition are rounded at a radial end.

5. A turbine vane, comprising:

a pedestal, adapted to secure the turbine vane, and including at least one outer pedestal wall,

a plurality of inner passages,the passages at least being formed by at least one inner partition, wherein at least one passage is closed off in the region of the pedestal, wherein at least one partition and a pedestal wall include a shoulder, and wherein an insert rests at least partially on the shoulder and is adapted to close off the passage with respect to the outside in the pedestal region.

6. The turbine vane as claimed in claim 5, wherein the shoulder is formed on an inner surface of the passage and creates a relative widening of a cross section of an opening of the passage.

7. The turbine vane as claimed in claim 5, wherein the insert and the partition are optimized in terms of flow.

8. The turbine vane as claimed in claim 5, wherein the insert and the partition are rounded at a radial end.

9. A turbine blade, comprising:

a pedestal, adapted to secure the turbine blade; and

a plurality of inner passages, the passages being formed in the interior of the pedestal, wherein a shoulder is provided in a region of a radial end of a partition which delimits a passage, and wherein an insert, adapted to close off at least one passage, rests on the shoulder.

10. The turbine blade of claim 9, wherein the end of the partition is produced in such a manner that it is optimized in terms of flow retained.

11. The turbine blade of claim 9, wherein the shoulder is formed on an inner surface of the passage and creates a relative widening of a cross section of an opening of the passage.

12. The turbine blade of claim 9, wherein the insert and the partition are optimized in terms of flow.

13. The turbine blade of claim 9, wherein the insert and the partition are rounded at a radial end.

14. A turbine vane, comprising:

a pedestal, adapted to secure the turbine vane; and

a plurality of inner passages, the passages being formed in the interior of the pedestal, wherein a shoulder is provided in a region of a radial end of a partition which delimits a passage, and wherein an insert, adapted to close off at least one passage, rests on the shoulder.

15. The turbine vane of claim 14, wherein the end of the partition is produced in such a manner that it is optimized in terms of flow retained.

16. The turbine vane of claim 14, wherein the shoulder is formed on an inner surface of the passage and creates a relative widening of a cross section of an opening of the passage.

17. The turbine vane of claim 14, wherein the insert and the partition are optimized in terms of flow.

18. The turbine blade of claim 14, wherein the insert and the partition are rounded at a radial end.