US 11,808,157 B1
Variable flowpath casings for blade tip clearance control
Naveena K P, Bengaluru (IN); Ravindra Shankar Ganiger, Bengaluru (IN); Domala Uma Maheshwar, Bengaluru (IN); Kishore Budumuru, Bengaluru (IN); Kudum Shinde, Bengaluru (IN); and Abhishek Goverdhan, Bengaluru (IN)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Aug. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/899,324.
Claims priority of application No. 202211040170 (IN), filed on Jul. 13, 2022.
Int. Cl. F01D 11/24 (2006.01); F01D 25/24 (2006.01); F01D 25/10 (2006.01)
CPC F01D 11/24 (2013.01) [F01D 25/10 (2013.01); F01D 25/24 (2013.01); F05D 2240/11 (2013.01); F05D 2260/20 (2013.01); F05D 2260/50 (2013.01); F05D 2270/821 (2013.01); F05D 2300/50212 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
17. A turbine engine comprising:
a rotor blade extending from a rotor end radially outward to a rotor blade tip; and
a variable flowpath casing to surround the rotor blade, the variable flowpath casing including:
an outer shell;
a variable surface radially adjacent the rotor blade tip, the variable surface associated with a clearance between the variable surface and the rotor blade tip; and
a smart structure coupled to the outer shell and to the variable surface, the smart structure to cause the variable surface to move in a radially outward direction in response to an increase in temperature of ambient air surrounding the rotor blade, the smart structure to cause the variable surface to move in a radially inward direction in response to a decrease in temperature of ambient air surrounding the rotor blade, the smart structure to include:
a coupled wishbone structure having a first wishbone-type structure coupled to a second wishbone-type structure first and second radially positions of the first and second wishbone-type structures, the coupled wishbone structure axially constrained by the outer shell; and
an actuator rod operatively coupled to the first wishbone-type structure at a first axial point of the coupled wishbone structure and to the second wishbone-type structure at a second axial point of the coupled wishbone structure.