Endwall Controuring

Abstract

An airfoil array is disclosed. The airfoil array may include an endwall, and a plurality of airfoils radially projecting from the endwall. Each airfoil may have a first side and an opposite second side extending axially in chord between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoils may be circumferentially spaced apart on the endwall thereby defining a plurality of flow passages between adjacent airfoils. The airfoil array may further include a convex profiled region extending from the endwall adjacent to the first side of at least one of said plurality of airfoils near the leading edge of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils, and a concave profiled region in the endwall and extending across said at least one of said plurality of flow passages.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An airfoil array, comprising:
 an endwall;   a plurality of airfoils radially projecting from the endwall, each airfoil having a first side and an opposite second side extending axially in chord between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the airfoils circumferentially spaced apart on the endwall thereby defining a plurality of flow passages between adjacent airfoils;   a convex profiled region extending from the endwall adjacent the first side of at least one of said plurality of airfoils near the leading edge of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils; and   a concave profiled region in the endwall and extending across said at least one of said plurality of flow passages.   
     
     
         2 . The airfoil array of  claim 1 , wherein a local maximum in radial extent of the convex profiled region is positioned between the leading edge and mid-chord of the airfoil. 
     
     
         3 . The airfoil array of  claim 1 , wherein each airfoil has an axial chord, and a local maximum in radial extent of the convex profiled region is disposed between about 0% to about 50% of the axial chord. 
     
     
         4 . The airfoil array of  claim 1 , wherein each flow passage has a passage width, and a local maximum in radial extent of the convex profiled region is disposed between about 0% to about 50% of the passage width. 
     
     
         5 . The airfoil array of  claim 1 , wherein a local minimum in radial extent of the concave profiled region is positioned between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the airfoil. 
     
     
         6 . The airfoil array of  claim 1 , wherein the concave profiled region is elongated across the flow passage from the first side of at least one of said plurality of airfoils to the second side of an adjacent airfoil. 
     
     
         7 . The airfoil array of  claim 6 , wherein the concave profiled region is adjacent to the first side of the airfoil near mid-chord. 
     
     
         8 . The airfoil array of  claim 6 , wherein the concave profiled region is adjacent to the second side of the adjacent airfoil along a significant length of the second side. 
     
     
         9 . The airfoil array of  claim 6 , wherein the concave profiled region adjacent to the second side of the adjacent airfoil extends along a majority of the second side of the airfoil. 
     
     
         10 . The airfoil array of  claim 6 , wherein an extent of the concave profiled region adjacent the first side of the airfoil is less than an extent of the concave profiled region adjacent the second side of the adjacent airfoil. 
     
     
         11 . The airfoil array of  claim 1 , wherein each airfoil has an axial chord and each flow passage has a passage width, and a local minimum in radial extent of the concave profiled region is disposed between about 0% to about 100% of the axial chord and between about 0% to about 100% of the passage width. 
     
     
         12 . The airfoil array of  claim 1 , wherein the first side is a pressure side of an airfoil, and the opposite second side is a suction side of an airfoil. 
     
     
         13 . A gas turbine engine, comprising:
 a compressor section;   a combustor section downstream of the compressor section; and   a turbine section downstream of the combustor section, one of the compressor section and the turbine section having at least one airfoil array including a plurality of airfoils circumferentially spaced apart and projecting radially from an endwall, the airfoils establishing a plurality of flow passages, each airfoil having a first side, an opposite second side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, the endwall having a convex profiled surface near the leading edge of at least one of said plurality of airfoils, and a concave profiled surface elongated across at least one of said plurality of flow passages from the first side of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils to the second side of an adjacent airfoil.   
     
     
         14 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 13 , wherein the convex profiled surface is adjacent to the first side of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils. 
     
     
         15 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 13 , wherein each airfoil has an axial chord, and the concave profiled surface adjacent to the first side of the at least one of said plurality of airfoils extends between about 30% to about 80% of the axial chord. 
     
     
         16 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 13 , wherein each airfoil has an axial chord, and the concave profiled surface adjacent to the second side of the adjacent airfoil extends between about 0% to about 100% of the axial chord. 
     
     
         17 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 13 , wherein each airfoil has an axial chord, and a local minimum in radial extent of the concave profiled surface adjacent to the second side of the adjacent airfoil is positioned between about 0% to about 100% of the axial chord. 
     
     
         18 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 13 , wherein each flow passage has a passage width, and a local minimum in radial extent of the concave profiled surface is disposed between about 30% to about 80% of the passage width. 
     
     
         19 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 13 , wherein a local maximum in radial extent of the convex profiled surface is disposed between about 0% to about 50% of the passage width, and a local minimum in radial extent of the concave profiled surface is disposed between about 50% to about 100% of the passage width. 
     
     
         20 . The gas turbine engine of  claim 13 , wherein the first side is a pressure side of an airfoil and the opposite second side is a suction side of an airfoil.