Turbine wheels, turbine engines including the same, and methods of fabricating turbine wheels with improved bond line geometry

Abstract

Turbine wheels, turbine engines, and methods of fabricating the turbine wheels are provided. An exemplary method includes fabricating a turbine wheel that includes a rotor disk and a plurality of turbine blades operatively connected to the rotor disk through a blade mount. The method includes locating a cooling passage within a blade mount preliminary configuration and a cooling inlet on a surface of the blade mount preliminary configuration. A rotor disk bonding surface geometry and a blade mount bonding surface geometry are designed based upon a stress analysis of the turbine wheel and locations of the cooling passage and cooling inlet. A rotor disk production configuration and a blade mount production configuration are generated based upon the preliminary configurations. A blade mount and a rotor disk are formed based upon the production configurations. A blade ring including a plurality of blade mounts is formed and bonded to the rotor disk.

1 .- 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A turbine wheel comprising:
 a rotor disk optionally having a stress relief hole passing through the rotor disk;   a plurality of turbine blades, wherein each turbine blade is operatively connected to the rotor disk through a blade mount, wherein the blade mount is bonded to the rotor disk at a blade mount bonding surface of the blade mount and a rotor disk bonding surface of the rotor disk to form a bond line, wherein the rotor disk bonding surface of the rotor disk and the blade mount bonding surface of the blade mount have a geometry to minimize radial stress at the bond line, wherein the blade mount and the rotor disk have a fore surface on a higher pressure side thereof, an aft surface on a lower pressure side thereof, wherein the blade mount comprises a blade attachment surface extending between and connecting the fore surface and the aft surface thereof, wherein the turbine blade extends from the blade attachment surface; and   a gap defined between adjacent blade mounts, separating the blade mounts and extending into the rotor disk.   
     
     
         17 . The turbine wheel of  claim 16 , wherein the rotor disk bonding surface and the blade mount bonding surface of the blade mount have the geometry to minimize radial stress at the bond line along an entire length of the bond line. 
     
     
         18 . The turbine wheel of  claim 16 , wherein the blade mount further comprises a cooling passage within the blade mount and a cooling inlet on a surface of the blade mount and in fluid communication with the cooling passage, and wherein the rotor disk bonding surface and the blade mount bonding surface of the blade mount have the geometry to minimize thickness of blade mount material between the blade mount bonding surface and the cooling passage along an entire length of the bond line. 
     
     
         19 . A turbine engine comprising:
 a turbine wheel, wherein the turbine wheel comprises:
 a rotor disk having an optional stress relief hole passing through the rotor disk; 
 a plurality of turbine blades, wherein each turbine blade is operatively connected to the rotor disk through a blade mount, wherein the blade mount is bonded to the rotor disk at a blade mount bonding surface of the blade mount and a rotor disk bonding surface of the rotor disk to form a bond line, wherein the rotor disk bonding surface of the rotor disk and the blade mount bonding surface of the blade mount have a geometry to minimize radial stress at the bond line, wherein the blade mount and the rotor disk have a fore surface on a higher pressure side thereof, an aft surface on a lower pressure side thereof, wherein the blade mount comprises a blade attachment surface extending between and connecting the fore surface and the aft surface thereof, wherein the turbine blade extends from the blade attachment surface; 
 a gap defined between adjacent blade mounts, separating the blade mounts and extending into the rotor disk; 
 a fore seal plate having a fore plate edge abutting the fore surface of the blade mounts about a circumference of the turbine wheel; and 
 optionally, an aft seal plate having an aft plate edge that abuts the aft surface of the blade mounts about the circumference of the turbine wheel. 
   
     
     
         20 . The turbine engine of  claim 19 , wherein the fore seal plate and the turbine wheel define a cooling cavity therebetween, wherein the cooling cavity is in fluid communication with a cooling fluid source isolated from a gaseous environment surrounding the plurality of turbine blades, wherein the cooling cavity is sealed from gaseous communication between the cooling cavity and the gaseous environment surrounding the plurality of turbine blades, and wherein the blade mount further comprises a cooling passage within the blade mount and a cooling inlet on a surface of the blade mount, in fluid communication with the cooling passage. 
     
     
         21 . The turbine wheel of  claim 18 , wherein the bond line follows the contours of lowermost boundaries of the cooling passage and the cooling inlet. 
     
     
         22 . The turbine wheel of  claim 16 , wherein the rotor disk bonding surface and the blade mount bonding surface have circumferentially irregular geometries relative to the rotational axis of the turbine wheel, and wherein the bond line is irregular at the fore surface and the aft surface of the turbine wheel. 
     
     
         23 . The turbine wheel of  claim 22 , wherein the bond line is sloped from the fore surface to the aft surface in a direction radially outward from the axis of rotation of the turbine wheel. 
     
     
         24 . The turbine wheel of  claim 22 , wherein the bond line is sloped radially inward from the fore surface to the aft surface. 
     
     
         25 . The turbine wheel of  claim 16 , wherein the rotor disc has the stress relief hole. 
     
     
         26 . The turbine wheel of  claim 16 , wherein each turbine blade is bonded to the rotor disk through the blade mount in the absence of a mechanical connection. 
     
     
         27 . The turbine wheel of  claim 16 , wherein the turbine blades and respective blade mounts are unitary. 
     
     
         28 . The turbine wheel of  claim 16 , wherein the blade mounts include a single turbine blade and are directly bonded to the rotor disk. 
     
     
         29 . The turbine wheel of  claim 16 , wherein the blade mounts and rotor disk are formed from dissimilar materials having different mechanical and/or thermal properties. 
     
     
         30 . The turbine wheel of  claim 16 , wherein the gap includes a pre-formed pocket defined in and between adjacent blade mounts to enable effective release of the hoop stress through slotting. 
     
     
         31 . The turbine wheel of  claim 30 , wherein each pocket is defined in and between adjacent blade mounts. 
     
     
         32 . The turbine wheel of  claim 31 , wherein the blade ring is slotted through the pocket of adjacent blade mounts. 
     
     
         33 . The turbine wheel of  claim 31 , wherein the pocket is fully contained within and between adjacent blade mounts. 
     
     
         34 . The turbine wheel of  claim 30 , wherein the pocket is free from an opening in the blade attachment surface of the blade mount.