Turbine blade squealer tip including internal squealer tip cooling channel

Abstract

A gas turbine engine component may include an airfoil extending radially from a base to a blade tip, the airfoil including a pressure sidewall and a suction sidewall each extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge, an internal cooling circuit extending from the base to the blade tip; and a squealer tip. The squealer tip may include a first and a second squealer tip rail adjacent to the first squealer tip rail, and a squealer tip cap extending between the first and second squealer tip rails. The blade tip, the first and second squealer tip rails, and the squealer tip cap may define an internal squealer tip cooling channel. The blade tip may define a supply aperture that fluidly connect the internal cooling circuit and the internal squealer tip cooling channel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A gas turbine engine component comprising:
 an airfoil extending radially from a base to a blade tip, the airfoil comprising:
 a pressure sidewall and a suction sidewall each extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge; 
 an internal cooling circuit extending from the base to the blade tip; and 
   a squealer tip comprising:
 a first squealer tip rail and a second squealer tip rail adjacent to the first squealer tip rail; and 
 a squealer tip cap extending between the first and second squealer tip rails, wherein the blade tip, the first and second squealer tip rails, and the squealer tip cap define an internal squealer tip cooling channel, and wherein the blade tip defines a supply aperture that fluidly connect the internal cooling circuit and the internal squealer tip cooling channel. 
   
     
     
         2 . The gas turbine engine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second squealer tip rails are integrally formed with the blade tip and joined to the squealer tip cap. 
     
     
         3 . The gas turbine engine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second squealer tip rails are integrally formed with the squealer tip cap and joined to the blade tip. 
     
     
         4 . The gas turbine engine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second squealer tip rails are set back from the pressure and suction sidewalls. 
     
     
         5 . The gas turbine engine blade of  claim 1 , wherein a width of the internal squealer tip cooling channel is between about 0.25 millimeters and about 2.0 millimeters 
     
     
         6 . The gas turbine engine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second squealer tip rails are substantially parallel to each other. 
     
     
         7 . The gas turbine engine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the blade tip defines a plurality of supply apertures extending through the blade tip that fluidly connect the internal squealer tip cooling channel and the internal cooling circuit. 
     
     
         8 . The gas turbine engine blade of  claim 7 , wherein each aperture of the plurality of supply apertures defines a diameter of between about 0.25 millimeters and about 2.0 millimeters. 
     
     
         9 . The gas turbine engine blade of  claim 1 , wherein a surface of at least one of the blade tip, the first squealer tip rail, the second squealer tip rail, or the squealer tip cap comprises three-dimensional features, wherein the three-dimensional features are configured to increase convective heat transfer between a cooling fluid and the at least one of the blade tip, the first squealer tip rail, the second squealer tip rail, or the squealer tip cap. 
     
     
         10 . The gas turbine engine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the first squealer tip rail along the pressure sidewall or the suction sidewall, the second squealer tip rail along the pressure sidewall or the suction sidewall, or the first squealer tip rail at the trailing edge defines a discharge aperture configured to discharge cooling fluid from the internal squealer tip cooling channel. 
     
     
         11 . The gas turbine engine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the airfoil further comprises an abrasive coating on a radial surface of the squealer tip cap or particles of an abrasive in the squealer tip cap. 
     
     
         12 . A method of forming a gas turbine engine component that includes an airfoil extending radially from a base to a blade tip, the airfoil including a pressure sidewall and a suction sidewall each extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge, and an internal cooling circuit extending from the base to the blade tip, the method comprising:
 forming, on the blade tip, a first squealer tip rail and a second squealer tip rail adjacent to the first squealer tip rail;   forming a squealer tip cap extending between the first and second squealer tip rails, wherein the blade tip, the first and second squealer tip rails, and the squealer tip cap define an internal squealer tip cooling channel, and wherein the blade tip defines a supply aperture that fluidly connect the internal cooling circuit and the internal squealer tip cooling channel.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein forming the first and second squealer tip rails comprises machining material from the blade tip or direct energy deposition of material onto the blade tip. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein forming the squealer tip cap comprises brazing a presintered preform defining the squealer tip cap onto the first and second squealer tip rails. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein forming the first and second squealer tip rails and forming the squealer tip cap comprise brazing a presintered preform defining the first and second squealer tip rails and squealer tip cap onto the blade tip. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising, before forming the squealer tip cap, disposing a filler material between the first and second squealer tip rails. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein forming the squealer tip cap comprises brazing a wide gap braze composition onto the first and second squealer tip rails. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein forming the squealer tip cap comprises depositing, by directed energy deposition, a molten metallic powder onto the first and second squealer tip rails. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein forming the squealer tip cap comprises welding material onto the first and second squealer tip rails. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the presintered preform comprises particles of an abrasive.