A gas turbine engine generally includes a fan and a core arranged in flow communication with one another. Additionally, the core of the gas turbine engine generally includes, in serial flow order, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. In operation, air is provided from the fan to an inlet of the compressor section where one or more axial compressors progressively compress the air until it reaches the combustion section, which includes a combustor defining a combustion chamber. Fuel is mixed with the compressed air and burned within the combustion chamber to provide combustion gases. The combustion gases are routed from the combustion section to the turbine section. The flow of combustion gases through the turbine section drives the turbine section and is then routed through the exhaust section, e.g., to atmosphere.
Typically, the combustor includes a combustor dome at its forward end, and one or more combustor deflectors are positioned within the combustion chamber just aft of the combustor dome, e.g., to protect the combustor dome from the combustion gases. However, the combustor deflectors usually are made of metal, which may limit engine operating temperatures and may sustain damage such as metal oxidation and chipping of a thermal barrier coating (TBC) applied to the deflector. In some instances, cracked metal deflectors may liberate and damage airfoils and/or other engine components. Thus, metal combustor deflectors may frequently cause unscheduled engine removal and maintenance.
More commonly, non-traditional high temperature materials, such as ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials, are being used in gas turbine applications. Components fabricated from such materials have a higher temperature capability compared with typical components, e.g., metal components, which may allow improved component performance and/or increased engine temperatures. Accordingly, using high temperature materials for combustor deflectors may improve the durability of the deflectors, as well as allow reduction of impingement cooling or other types of cooling of the deflectors, which may improve engine performance.
Therefore, combustor deflectors that overcome one or more disadvantages of existing designs would be desirable. In particular, a CMC combustor deflector would be beneficial. Additionally, a combustor assembly having one or more CMC combustor deflectors would be useful. Further, methods of assembling combustor assemblies having CMC combustor deflectors would be advantageous.