Patent ID: 11873738
Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  Y | IPC F

Claim 13:
14. A gas turbine, comprising:
a compressor including a row of airfoils;
a combustion section;
a turbine;
a turbine casing positioned around the compressor, the combustion section, and the turbine, the turbine casing defining a split between a bypass airflow passage and a compressor airflow passage;
a shaft to rotatably couple the compressor and the turbine; and
a fan section, the fan section including:
an array of fan blades;
an array of fan exit stators positioned in the compressor airflow passage upstream of the row of airfoils, the row of airfoils adjacent to at least a portion of the fan exit stators, each of the fan exit stators including an airfoil including a first leading edge and a first trailing edge;
a plurality of fan frame struts positioned in the compressor airflow passage and the bypass airflow passage, each of the fan frame struts including a second leading edge and a second trailing edge, the second leading edge of each of the fan frame struts aerodynamically integrated into the first trailing edge of a first portion of the fan exit stators, the second trailing edge separated from third leading edges of the row of airfoils by a gap in an axial direction defined by the gas turbine downstream of the second trailing edge; and
an adhesive to couple the fan frame struts to the fan exit stators, the adhesive positioned at least partially between the first trailing edge and the second leading edge, the fan exit stators or the fan frame struts to separate the adhesive from a suction surface and a pressure surface defined between the first leading edge and the second trailing edge.