Importance

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Abstract

A cooling system for use in a rotor assembly of a gas turbine engine, the rotor assembly including an annular disk rotatable about a centerline axis of the engine and a plurality of blades mounted on the disk. The disk includes alternating posts and slots, with each slot receiving a blade dovetail. The cooling system comprises an axially extending plenum disposed inward of each blade dovetail and a thermal isolation chamber, formed by a seal body, disposed over the outer surface of each disk post. An annular forward blade retainer is attached to the disk and sealed with adjacent structures via inner and outer seals. Alternative structures are disclosed for diverting the cooling air from the plenums, past the inner and outer seals, and into the isolation chambers during operation of the engine so as to cool each disk point, without compromising the structural integrity of the forward blade retainer. The cooling system further includes an aft retention member forming in part an annular plenum in fluid flow communication with each of the axially extending plenums. The annular plenum is further in fluid flow communication with a plurality of passages formed between disk post and blade dovetail relief surfaces, with air flowing through these passages effective for further cooling the disk posts. The air flowing through at least a portion of these passages is subsequently directed to the thermal is isolation chambers.

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First Claim