Patent ID: 11959393
Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F | IPC F

Claim 0:
1. An airfoil assembly for a turbine engine, the airfoil assembly rotatable about a rotational axis and comprising:
an outer band;
an inner band radially spaced inwardly from the outer band to define an annular region therebetween, the inner band having an upstream edge, a downstream edge and a surface extending therebetween, with at least a portion of the surface extending circumferentially along a surface baseline defined by a constant radial distance from the rotational axis;
a pair of circumferentially adjacent airfoils, with each airfoil of the pair of circumferentially adjacent airfoils having an outer wall extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge and between a root and a tip in a span-wise direction a total length between the root and the tip, the outer wall defining a pressure side and a suction side and the root provided along the surface at the surface baseline;
a projection extending radially outward from a portion of the surface at the surface baseline and being provided on the pressure side of the outer wall of a corresponding airfoil of the pair of circumferentially adjacent airfoils; and
a valley separate and spaced from the projection, the valley provided along the surface and extending radially inward from the surface baseline to a maximum depth;
wherein the surface extends along a total surface area, with the surface being at the surface baseline a greater amount of the total surface area than the valley and the projection.