Turbine blade flared buttress

Abstract

A turbine blade construction having a flared buttress is disclosed. The turbine blade is of the type adapted for use within a gas turbine engine and includes a buttress so as to fortify the area of the blade between the airfoil and the serrated root fillet. The bottom of the buttress is flared to reduce the stress concentration due to the abrupt termination of the buttress in close proximity of the mounting root. By employing a flared buttress, the blade is able to withstand the operating conditions of the turbine within the gas turbine engine over an extended period of time. The turbine blade may also include a mounting root with a compound radiused fillet to further enable the blade to withstand operating stress.

1 . A turbine blade, comprising: 
 a platform having a flowpath side, an under side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge;    an airfoil extending from the platform first side;    a neck extending from the platform second side;    a blade root extending from the neck; and    a flared buttress forming part of the neck and extending between the platform second side and the blade root.    
   
   
       2 . The turbine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the flared buttress is proximate the leading edge of the platform.  
   
   
       3 . The turbine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the airfoil includes a pressure side and a suction side, and wherein the flared buttress is proximate the airfoil pressure side.  
   
   
       4 . The turbine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the flared buttress is triangular in shape.  
   
   
       5 . The turbine blade of  claim 4 , wherein the flared buttress includes a longitudinal dimension and a lateral dimension, the longitudinal dimension being greater than the lateral dimension.  
   
   
       6 . The turbine blade of  claim 5 , wherein the lateral dimension is approximately seventy-five percent of the longitudinal dimension.  
   
   
       7 . The turbine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the blade root includes a plurality of serrations.  
   
   
       8 . The turbine blade of  claim 7 , wherein at least one of the pluralities of serrations includes a compound fillet radius.  
   
   
       9 . The turbine blade of  claim 8 , wherein the serration with the compound fillet radius is proximate the leading edge of the platform.  
   
   
       10 . The turbine blade of  claim 8 , wherein the radius comprising the compound radius fillet has a ratio of approximately five to six.  
   
   
       11 . A method of manufacturing a turbine blade, comprising: 
 manufacturing a platform having a flowpath side, an under side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, with an airfoil extending from the platform flowpath side, a neck extending from the platform under side, and a blade root extending from the neck; and    forming a flared buttress in the neck between the platform under side and the blade root.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11  further including positioning the flared buttress proximate the leading edge of the platform.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the airfoil includes a pressure side and a suction side, and further including positioning the flared buttress proximate the airfoil pressure side.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 11 , further including forming the flared buttress to be triangular in shape.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the flared buttress includes a longitudinal dimension and a lateral dimension, the longitudinal dimension being greater than the lateral dimension.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the lateral dimension is approximately seventy-five percent of the longitudinal dimension.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 11 , further including forming the blade root to have a plurality of serrations.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , further including forming at least one of the pluralities of serrations to have a compound fillet radius.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the serration with the compound fillet radius is proximate the leading edge of the platform.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the radius comprising the compound radius fillet has a ratio of approximately five to six.  
   
   
       21 . A gas turbine engine, comprising: 
 a compressor section;    a combustor downstream of the compressor section; and    a turbine section downstream of the combustor, the turbine having a central rotatable shaft from which a plurality of turbine blades extend, each turbine blade including a platform having a first side, a second side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, an airfoil extending from the platform first side, a neck extending from the platform second side, a blade root extending from the neck, and a flared buttress in the neck extending between the platform second side and the blade root.    
   
   
       22 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 21 , wherein the flared buttress is proximate the leading edge of the platform.  
   
   
       23 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 21 , wherein the airfoil includes a pressure side and a suction side, and wherein the flared buttress is proximate the airfoil pressure side.  
   
   
       24 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 21 , wherein the flared buttress is triangular in shape.  
   
   
       25 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 24 , wherein the flared buttress includes a longitudinal dimension and a lateral dimension, the longitudinal dimension being greater than the lateral dimension.  
   
   
       26 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 25 , wherein the lateral dimension is approximately seventy-five percent of the longitudinal dimension.  
   
   
       27 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 21 , wherein the blade root includes a plurality of serrations.  
   
   
       28 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 27 , wherein at least one of the plurality of serrations includes a compound fillet radius.  
   
   
       29 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 28 , wherein the serration with the compound fillet radius is proximate the leading edge of the platform.  
   
   
       30 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 28 , wherein the radius comprising the compound radius fillet has a ratio of approximately five to six.