An aerofoil body for a gas turbine engine is provided. The aerofoil body has leading and trailing edge portions, wherein one of the leading and trailing edge portions is a morphable edge portion having a composite layer structure. The aerofoil body further has a non-morphing central portion which forms pressure and suction surfaces of the aerofoil body between the leading and trailing edge portions. The composite layer structure includes a return spring, one or more shape memory alloy layers, and a flexible cover for the return spring and the one or more shape memory alloy layers. The flexible cover defines pressure and suction surfaces of the aerofoil body at the morphable edge portion. The one or more shape memory alloy layers are electrically heatable to deform the layers against the resistance of the return spring, and thereby alter the pitch of the aerofoil body at the morphable edge portion.

Airfoils (12) are molded of material (28), such as silicon rubber, which is fluent during molding, becoming solid and compliant at temperatures of use, with rigidly fixed vanes (25) and rotatable vanes (26), as inserts which are co-molded within the airfoil. The inserts are pre-prepared of either stiff or semi-stiff material to suit the intended needs of the airfoil. Then, with inserts in place within a mold, the airfoil is molded of compliant material. At least one of the inserts (26) is rotatable so as to force at least some portion of the compliant airfoil to alter camber, the compliant material between the inserts smoothing out the surface of the airfoil. The airfoils thus molded are then inserted between the inner hub (18) and the outer ring (22) of the rotary machine in which a fan or compressor is being constructed. Rods of the movable vanes extend to a unison ring connected (32) to rotate the vanes.

One exemplary aspect of this disclosure relates to an assembly for a gas turbine engine having an engine axis. The assembly includes a case including an integrally formed projection configured to extend transverse to the engine axis. The assembly further includes an engine component including a flange configured for contact with the projection to limit motion of the component along the engine axis.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a gas turbine engine is disclosed that includes an engine section comprising a plurality of stages of variable vanes, and also includes first and second synchronizing rings (sync-rings). Movement of the first sync-ring adjusts vane angles of a first one of the stages of variable vanes, and movement of the second sync-ring adjusts vane angles of a second one of the stages of variable vanes. At least one sensor is configured to measure a condition of the gas turbine engine. A controller is configured to move the first sync-ring independently of the second sync-ring based on data from the at least one sensor.

A variable vane actuation system for a gas turbine engine includes a stem section that forms a base and a contoured section that extends from the base along an axis. A vane arm comprising a claw section received onto the contoured section and a fastener fastened to the contoured section to load the claw section to the base.

An example centrifugal compressor includes a housing that defines an inlet chamber and includes first and second openings that define a recirculation passage in fluid communication with the inlet chamber. An impeller is disposed within the housing and is rotatable about a longitudinal axis to draw fluid into the inlet chamber. The first and second openings are at different axial locations along the longitudinal axis. A plurality of inlet guide vanes are rotatable and situated in the inlet chamber. The centrifugal compressor includes a ring and a controller for moving the ring along the longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position when rotating the inlet guide vanes. The ring obstructs at least one of the first and second openings more in the second position than in the first position.

A variable vane assembly for a gas turbine engine having an actuating system including a rotatable face gear and a respective pinion engaged to and extending transversely from the end of each of the moveable vanes. The teeth of each pinion define land surfaces angled with respect to adjacent ones of the land surfaces of the teeth of the face gear meshed therewith. A smallest axial distance between the adjacent land surfaces of the meshed pinion and face gear teeth define a backlash of the actuating system. At least one shim has a thickness adjusting an axial distance between the pinion and the face gear to set the backlash to a predetermined value. An engine with a compressor with a variable vane assembly and a method of adjusting angular variance in an actuating system for variable vanes are also discussed.

Variable stator vane assemblies and stator vanes thereof having a local swept leading edge are provided. The variable stator vane comprises an airfoil disposed between spaced apart inner and outer buttons centered about a rotational axis. The inner and outer buttons each have a button forward edge portion. The airfoil includes leading and trailing edges, pressure and suction sides, and a root and a tip. The leading edge includes a local forward sweep at the root, a local aft sweep at the tip, or both, thereby forming a locally swept leading edge thereat. The button forward edge portion of one or both of the inner and outer buttons is substantially coextensive with the locally swept leading edge. Methods are also provided for minimizing endwall leakage in the variable stator vane assembly using the same.

An actuator system mounted to a gas turbine engine that communicates mechanical power for positioning variable guide vanes within the gas turbine engine. The actuator system includes a torque box having components for communicating mechanical power to the variable guide vanes for positioning the vanes and an actuator mechanically coupled to provide mechanical power to the components of the torque box used to communicate the provided mechanical power to the inlet guide vanes. The actuator is mounted to the torque box via an elongate fastener extending in one direction and another elongate fastener extending in another direction.

A method of assembling a gas turbine engine comprising the steps of providing a casing having an insertion aperture in its outer surface. A guide vane is inserted through the insertion aperture. The guide vane is secured to the outer surface of the casing such that the guide vane can be serviced from an outer part of the casing.