Patent ID: 8920111

Claim:
A gas turbine engine comprising a compressor, a combustor, and turbine, the turbine including an airfoil of the type having leading and trailing edges, opposing pressure and suction sidewalls extending between the leading and trailing edges, and an interior chamber intermediate the leading and trailing edges, the chamber configured to receive a flow of cooling fluid, said airfoil comprising a first structure containing cooling passageways extending between the chamber and a series of apertures positioned along the trailing edge through which cooling fluid received from the chamber exits the airfoil, the first structure including: a first series of cooling passageways extending along a first direction; and a second series of cooling passageways extending along a second direction, with cooling passageways of the second series intersecting cooling passageways of the first series, the first structure comprising a plurality of solid regions each defined by a pair of adjacent cooling passageways of the first series and a pair of adjacent cooling passageways of the second series, wherein the structure is characterized by a variable thickness between the pressure and suction sidewalls as a function of position along the cooling passageways such that each in a plurality of the cooling passageways of the first and second series are characterized by a cross sectional flow area which decreases as a function of distance from the chamber, wherein the first structure is integrally formed with the pressure and suction sidewalls and extends between the pressure and suction sidewalls, said airfoil further comprising one or more additional structures, each integrally formed with the first structure and the pressure and suction sidewalls and also extending between the pressure and suction sidewalls, each of the one or more additional structures including a first series of cooling passageways extending along a first direction and a second series of cooling passageways extending along a second direction, with cooling passageways of the second series intersecting cooling passageways of the first series, wherein the first structure and a second of the structures each form a portion of a wall of the chamber with inlets to multiple ones of the cooling passageways in the first and second structures formed along the wall of the chamber.