Patent ID: 9528377
Filing Date: 2016-12-27
CPC Classification: F01D,Y02T

Claim Text:
1. A method for cooling an angelwing in a gas turbine engine, said method comprising: coupling an angelwing to a shank of a rotor blade of a gas turbine engine, the rotor blade coupled for rotation in a first direction about an axis of rotation, wherein the shank includes a shank wall including an outer face, the angelwing includes a body portion extending from a root portion to an opposite tip portion, the root portion coupled to the outer face of the shank wall radially inward from a platform of the rotor blade, the body portion including a radially outer surface that extends between the root portion and the tip portion, the radially outer surface extending substantially parallel to the first direction; defining at least one cooling passage extending through the shank wall and the angelwing, from at least one inlet opening defined in the outer face and radially inward from the root portion of the angelwing to at least one outlet opening defined in the radially outer surface of the body portion and offset from the tip portion, such that the at least one inlet opening is coupled in flow communication with an inner wheelspace of the gas turbine engine and the at least one outlet opening is coupled in flow communication with an outer rotor/stator cavity of the gas turbine engine; and supplying pressurized cooling air to the inner wheelspace, such that the pressurized cooling air is channeled into the at least one inlet opening and discharged from the at least one outlet opening forming a cooling air film layer adjacent to the radially outer surface.