Combination for sealing a gap between turbomachine blades and for reducing vibrations of the turbomachine blades

Abstract

A combination including a seal (36-38) for sealing a gap (s) between blade platforms (11, 21) of two adjacent blades of a turbomachine and a reducer (31; 32-34) for reducing vibrations of at least one of the blades, the seal including at least one rib (36) having a rib thickness and at least one wall (37) having a wall thickness that is smaller than the rib thickness and/or the reducer including a tuning-element guide housing (32) having at least one cavity (33) in which at least one tuning element (34) is disposed with play for impacting contact with the tuning-element guide housing.

Claims

1. A combination comprising: a seal for sealing at least one gap between blade platforms of two adjacent blades of a turbomachine and a reducer for reducing vibrations of at least one of the blades, the seal including at least one rib having a rib thickness and at least one wall having a wall thickness that is smaller than the rib thickness; wherein the seal includes at least one further rib having a further rib thickness greater than the wall thickness and which branches from the at least one rib or intersects the at least one rib; the seal having a first axial end and a second axial end and the reducer being located at one of the first and second axial ends of the seal.

2. The combination as recited in claim 1 wherein the seal and the reducer are interconnected.

3. The combination as recited in claim 2 wherein the seal and the reducer are interconnected by a web.

4. The combination as recited in claim 2 wherein the seal and the reducer and formed in one piece or integrally with each other.

5. The combination as recited in claim 1 wherein the seal and the reducer are unconnected.

6. The combination as recited in claim 1 wherein the seal or the reducer is at least partially produced using a generative manufacturing process or is at least partially made of a nickel alloy.

7. The combination as recited in claim 1 wherein the reducer includes a tuning-element guide housing having at least one cavity in which at least one tuning element is disposed with play for impacting contact with the tuning-element guide housing.

8. The combination as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one rib or the at least one wall of the seal is curved.

9. The combination as recited in claim 8 wherein the at least one rib or the at least one wall of the seal is curved in a circumferential direction.

10. A turbomachine blade assembly comprising: two adjacent blades having blade platforms and airfoils connected thereto; and the combination as recited in claim 1, the at least one gap being between the adjacent blade platforms and for reducing vibrations of at least one of the blades being disposed on a side of the blade platforms facing away from the airfoils.

11. The turbomachine blade assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the reducer is attached to at least one of the adjacent blades or movably disposed in a cavity on a side of the blade platforms facing away from the airfoils.

12. The turbomachine blade assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the reducer includes a tuning-element guide housing having at least one cavity in which at least one tuning element is disposed with play for impacting contact with the tuning-element guide housing and the tuning-element guide housing is attached to at least one of the adjacent blades.

13. The turbomachine blade assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the seal is disposed downstream behind the reducer or the reducer extends over only one of the two blade platforms or both blade platforms at least partially.

14. The turbomachine blade assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the seal is disposed downstream behind the reducer.

15. A turbomachine comprising at least one turbomachine blade assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the blades are rotor-mounted blades or casing-mounted vanes.

16. A compressor or turbine of a gas turbine comprising the turbomachine as recited in claim 15.

17. A method for operating a combination as recited in claim 1 comprising sealing the at least one gap and reducing vibrations of at least one of the blades.

18. The combination as recited in claim 7 wherein the tuning-element guide housing is at least partially produced using the generative manufacturing process or is at least partially made of the nickel alloy.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantageous refinements of the present invention will become apparent from the dependent claims and the following description of preferred embodiments. To this end, the drawings show, partly in schematic form, in:

(2) FIG. 1: a portion of a turbomachine blade assembly including a combination according to an embodiment of the present invention in an axial section taken along line I-I in FIG. 2; and

(3) FIG. 2: a portion of the turbomachine blade assembly in a meridional section along line II-II in FIG. 1; and

(4) FIG. 3: a perspective view of the combination; and

(5) FIG. 4: a meridional section, corresponding to FIG. 2, through a combination in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) FIGS. 1, 2 respectively show in an axial section (FIG. 1) perpendicular to a (main) machine axis or axis of rotation of a gas turbine and in a meridional section (FIG. 2) perpendicular to this section a portion of a turbomachine blade assembly including two blades which are adjacent to one another in FIG. 1; i.e., in the circumferential direction, and which include blade platforms 11, 21 and airfoils 12, 22 connected thereto as well as a combination according to an embodiment of the present invention, shown in isolated perspective view in FIG. 3.

(7) The combination includes a seal 36, 37, 38 (36-38) for sealing a gap s between the two adjacent blade platforms 11, 21 as well as a reducing means in the form of a solid friction damper 31 for reducing vibrations of airfoils 12, 22, the rib-cage-like seal including a first rib 36 having a rib thickness and a wall 37 having a wall thickness smaller than the rib thickness.

(8) Seal 36-38 and reducing means 31 are interconnected by a web 35 and formed in one piece. Elastic web 35 enables dissipative relative movements of friction damper 31 and, at the same time, sealing of gap s by means of seal 36-38. In a modification seal 36-38 and reducing means 31 may also be unconnected, i.e. not directly connected.

(9) The seal includes further ribs 38, which each also have a rib thickness greater than the wall thickness and which branch from the one (first) rib 36. These further ribs 38 and wall 37 of the seal are curved in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 3).

(10) Friction damper 31 is movably received in a cavity K on a side of the blade platforms 11, 21 facing away from the airfoils.

(11) Seal 36-38 is disposed downstream (to the right in FIG. 2) behind friction damper 31, which extends over each of the two blade platforms 11, 21 in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 1).

(12) FIG. 4 shows, in a view similar to that of FIG. 2, a combination in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Corresponding features are identified by identical reference numerals, so that reference is made to the above explanations and only the differences will be discussed below.

(13) In the embodiment of FIG. 4, which, thus, is otherwise identical to FIGS. 1-3, the reducing means includes a tuning-element guide housing 32 having a cavity 33 in which a tuning element 34 is disposed with play for impacting contact with tuning-element guide housing 32.

(14) Web 35 is multiply curved in the axial direction (horizontally in FIGS. 2, 4) in such a way that it extends past the side of tuning-element guide housing 32 facing away from the blade platforms. In a modification (not shown), as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, seal 36-38 and reducing means 32-34 may also be unconnected.

(15) Tuning-element guide housing 32 is attached to one of the adjacent blades and extends over only one of the two blade platforms at least partially in the circumferential direction.

(16) Although exemplary embodiments have been described hereinabove, it should be understood that many modifications thereof are possible. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description provides those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing at least one exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described without departing from the scope of protection as is derived from the claims and the combinations of features equivalent thereto.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(17) 11, 21 blade platform

(18) 12, 22 airfoil

(19) 31 friction damper

(20) 32 tuning-element guide housing

(21) 33 cavity

(22) 34 tuning element

(23) 35 web

(24) 36 first rib

(25) 37 circumferential surface

(26) 38 further rib

(27) K cavity

(28) s gap