This application relates to an airfoil for a turbine blade, wherein pedestals connecting opposed walls in a trailing edge cooling chamber have cross-sections designed to accommodate thermal stress.
Turbine blades are utilized in gas turbine engines. As known, a turbine blade typically includes a platform, with an airfoil shape extending above the platform. The airfoil is curved, extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge. Moreover, there is a pressure side and a suction side to the airfoil. The pressure side becomes much hotter than the suction side during operation.
Cooling channels are formed within the airfoil body to circulate cooling air. One type of cooling channel which is used particularly adjacent the trailing edge is an open chamber having cylindrical pedestals connecting opposed suction and pressure side walls. Cooling air flows around these pedestals, and through the open chamber. Typically, the pedestals have had a generally equal diameter.
In this prior art, the cylindrical pedestals have sometimes been subject to concentrated heat-induced stress. In particular, since the pressure side is much hotter than the suction side, there is more thermal expansion on the pressure side. This is particularly true adjacent the platform. Since the pressure side of the airfoil expands for a greater extent than the suction side, concentrated stresses are applied to the pedestals. This is undesirable.