Patent ID: 8221059

Claim:
A variable geometry turbine comprising: a turbine wheel supported in a housing for rotation about a turbine axis; an annular inlet passage defined between first and second radial inlet surfaces, one of said first and second inlet surfaces being defined by a moveable wall member and the other of said first and second inlet surfaces being defined by a facing wall of said housing, the moveable wall member being moveable relative to the facing wall of the housing along the turbine axis to vary the size of the inlet passageway; a substantially annular array of vanes extending across the inlet passageway; each vane being fixed to said first inlet surface, the second inlet surface being provided with respective vane slots for receiving each vane to accommodate relative movement between the first and second surfaces; wherein each vane has first and second major vane surfaces having a chordal length extending between a radially outer leading vane edge and a radially inner trailing vane edge, the first major vane surface facing generally away from the axis and the second major vane surface facing generally towards the axis, such that vane passages are defined between the first major surface of each vane and the second major surface of an adjacent vane in the array; and wherein a rib extends across at least a substantial portion of the chordal length of at least one of the first and second major vane surfaces of one or more vanes of the array.