Turbine blade pin seal

Abstract

A gas turbine engine turbine disk assembly includes a turbine disk, turbine blades, and pin seals. Each turbine blade includes a platform with a pressure side seal slot extending into a pressure side of the platform and a suction side seal slot extending into a suction side of the platform. The pressure side seal slot and the suction side seal slot are each angled between three and ten degrees in the radial direction relative to the axis of the turbine disk. The pin seal includes a cylindrical shape and is located within a seal slot formed from the pressure side seal slot and the suction side seal slot of adjacent turbine blades.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pin seal for a gas turbine engine with a turbine disk and a plurality of turbine blades, the pin seal comprising:
 a body having a cylindrical shape;   a first end; and   a second end, opposite and distal to the first end;   wherein the pin seal is configured to be installed between two adjacent turbine blades within a pressure side seal slot that extends into a pressure side slash face of a first turbine blade and a suction side seal slot that extends into a suction side slash face of a second turbine blade, and the length of the pin seal is configured such that the pin seal extends forward of an airfoil leading edge of each adjacent turbine blade at least by 0.020 inches when the pin seal is in contact with either an aft pressure side surface located at an end of the pressure side seal slot distal to the leading edge of each airfoil or an aft suction side surface located at an end of the suction side seal slot distal to the leading edge of each airfoil, and wherein the pin seal is angled from three to ten degrees in a radial direction relative to an axis of the gas turbine engine during operation of the gas turbine engine.   
     
     
         2 . The pin seal of  claim 1 , wherein a length of the pin seal is from 1.655 inches to 1.665 inches. 
     
     
         3 . The pin seal of  claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the pin seal is from 0.093 inches to 0.097 inches. 
     
     
         4 . The pin seal of  claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the pin seal is configured to be larger than a slash face gap between the pressure side slash face and the suction side slash face of the adjacent turbine blades. 
     
     
         5 . The pin seal of  claim 4 , wherein the pin seal is configured to contact a pressure side sealing surface and a suction side sealing surface, the pressure side sealing surface extending into a platform of the turbine blade from the pressure side slash face and being angled between three and ten degrees relative to the axis of the gas turbine engine, and the suction side sealing surface extending into the platform from the suction side slash face and being angled between three and ten degrees relative to the axis of the gas turbine engine. 
     
     
         6 . A gas turbine engine including the pin seal of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         7 . A turbine blade assembly for a gas turbine engine having a turbine disk with an axis, the turbine blade assembly comprising:
 a turbine blade having
 an airfoil extending in a first direction, the airfoil having
 a leading edge, 
 a trailing edge, 
 a pressure side spanning between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and 
 a suction side spanning between the leading edge and the trailing edge; 
 
 a blade root extending in a second direction, opposite the first direction, and 
 a platform located between the airfoil and the blade root, the platform having
 a forward end adjacent the leading edge, 
 an aft end adjacent the trailing edge, 
 a pressure side platform extending from the pressure side, the pressure side platform including
 a pressure side slash face distal to the pressure side, the pressure side slash face extending from the forward end to the aft end, and 
 a pressure side seal slot extending into pressure side platform from pressure side slash face, the pressure side seal slot including 
 a forward pressure side slot located adjacent the forward end spanning a forward portion of the pressure side slash face with a concave shape, and 
 an aft pressure side slot located adjacent the aft end spanning an aft portion of the pressure side slash face with a concave shape, 
 wherein the pressure side seal slot is angled between three and ten degrees in a radial direction relative to a reference axis located below the blade root, opposite the airfoil, the reference axis being coaxial to the axis of the turbine disk when the turbine blade is installed onto the turbine disk, the pressure side seal slot being angled with the forward pressure side slot being radially closer to the reference axis than the aft pressure side slot, and 
 
 a suction side platform extending away from the suction side in a direction opposite the pressure side platform, the suction side platform including
 a suction side slash face distal to the suction side, the suction side slash face extending from the forward end to the aft end, and 
 a suction side seal slot extending into suction side platform from the suction side slash face, the suction side seal slot including 
  a forward suction side slot located adjacent the forward end spanning a forward portion of the suction side slash face, and 
  an aft suction side slot located adjacent the aft end spanning an aft portion of the suction side slash face, 
  wherein the suction side seal slot is angled between three and ten degrees in the radial direction relative to the reference axis with the forward suction side slot being radially closer to the reference axis than the aft suction side slot; and 
 
 
   a pin seal affixed to the turbine blade, the pin seal having
 a body including a cylindrical shape, 
 a first end, and 
 a second, opposite the first end. 
   
     
     
         8 . The turbine blade assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the pin seal is affixed to the turbine blade within the suction side seal slot. 
     
     
         9 . The turbine blade assembly of  claim 8 , wherein forward suction side slot includes a forward suction side surface and the aft suction side slot includes an aft suction side surface, the suction side seal slot extends between the forward suction side surface to the aft suction side surface, and the pin seal extends beyond the leading edge in the direction of the reference axis when the pin seal is in contact with the aft suction side surface. 
     
     
         10 . The turbine blade assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the pin seal extends beyond the leading edge at a minimum of 0.020 inches. 
     
     
         11 . The turbine blade assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the pin seal is glued to the turbine blade. 
     
     
         12 . The turbine blade assembly of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a forward suction side damper buttress extending from the suction side platform adjacent the forward end and extending down adjacent the blade root, the forward suction side damper buttress including a forward suction damper surface; and   an aft suction side damper buttress extending from the suction side platform adjacent the aft end and extending down adjacent the blade root, the aft suction side damper buttress including an aft suction damper surface, the aft suction damper surface faces towards the forward suction damper surface and the forward suction damper surface faces towards the aft suction damper surface;   wherein the pin seal extends beyond the forward suction damper surface when in contact with the aft suction side surface and the pin seal extends beyond the aft suction damper surface when in contact with the forward suction side surface.   
     
     
         13 . The turbine blade assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the pin seal includes a length from 1.655 inches to 1.665 inches, and a diameter of from 0.093 inches to 0.097 inches. 
     
     
         14 . The turbine blade assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the pin seal includes a length within a predetermined tolerance of 1.660 inches and a diameter within a predetermined tolerance of 0.095 inches. 
     
     
         15 . The turbine blade assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the first end and the second end each include a hemispherical shape. 
     
     
         16 . A gas turbine engine including the turbine blade assembly of  claim 7 . 
     
     
         17 . A turbine disk assembly of a gas turbine engine, the turbine disk assembly comprising:
 a turbine disk with a cylindrical shape, the turbine disk having
 disk posts, each disk post extending radially outward from the cylindrical shape, with adjacent disk posts forming a turbine disk slot there between; 
   a plurality of turbine blades, each blade having
 an airfoil extending radially outward relative to an axis through the cylindrical shape of the turbine disk, the axis including a forward direction and an aft direction, the airfoil including
 a leading edge, 
 a trailing edge axially aft of the leading edge relative to the axis, 
 a pressure side spanning between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and 
 a suction side spanning between the leading edge and the trailing edge, 
 
 a blade root extending radially inward relative to the axis, the blade root including the shape of the turbine disk slots, and 
 a platform located between the airfoil and the blade root, the platform including
 a forward end, 
 an aft end axially aft of the forward end, 
 a pressure side platform extending from the pressure side in a first circumferential direction relative to the axis, the pressure side platform including
 a pressure side slash face distal to the pressure side, the pressure side slash face extending in a radial direction relative to the axis spanning from the forward end to the aft end, and 
 a pressure side seal slot extending into pressure side platform from pressure side slash face, the pressure side seal slot being angled between three and ten degrees in the radial direction relative to the axis, and 
 
 a suction side platform extending from the suction side in a first circumferential direction relative to the axis, the suction side platform including
 a suction side slash face distal to the suction side, the suction side slash face extending in the radial direction relative to the axis spanning from the forward end to the aft end, and 
 a suction side seal slot extending into suction side platform from suction side slash face, the suction side seal slot being angled between three and ten degrees in the radial direction relative to the axis; and 
 
 
   a plurality of pin seals, each pin seal having
 a body including a cylindrical shape, 
 a first end, and 
 a second end opposite the first end; 
   wherein each pin seal is located within a seal slot formed from the pressure side seal slot and the suction side seal slot of adjacent turbine blades, each pin seal extending axially forward of the leading edge of each adjacent turbine blade.   
     
     
         18 . The turbine disk assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the pin seal extends axially forward of the leading edge of each adjacent turbine blade at a minimum of 0.020 inches. 
     
     
         19 . The turbine disk assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the pressure side seal slot is angled from four to six degrees in the radial direction relative to the axis, and the suction side seal slot is angled from four to six degrees in the radial direction relative to the axis. 
     
     
         20 . A gas turbine engine including the turbine disk assembly of  claim 17 .