Patent ID: 7223072

Claim:
A turbine blade for a gas turbine engine, comprising: an airfoil having at least an outer surface, a bottom edge, and a top edge; a plurality of internal cooling channels formed in the airfoil; and a plurality of film cooling holes extending through the airfoil and in fluid communication with one of the internal cooling channels, the plurality of film cooling holes ranged into at least two adjacent rows, each row disposed on at least a portion of a line that extends between the airfoil top and bottom edges, and each film cooling hole having an inlet port, art outlet port, and a centerline extending therethrough, wherein: (i) the centerline of each film cooling hole forms a compound angle with respect to a tangent of the airfoil outer surface, (ii) a distance between the centerlines of each film cooling hole is at least a predetermined minimum distance, (iii) the compound angle of each film cooling hole centerline comprises at least a first angle formed with respect to a first predetermined datum structure and a second angle formed with respect to a second predetermined datum structure, (iv) the outlet port of each film cooling hole is located at a position relative to the first datum structure and the second datum structure, (v) the position of each film cooling hole relative to the first datum structure is determined by (1) rotating a first locater plane, about a first reference axis that is perpendicular to the first datum structure, a predetermined number of degrees relative to the first datum structure and (2) translating the first locater plane a first predetermined distance in a predetermined direction that is perpendicular to the first locater plane, and (vi) the position of each film cooling hole relative to the second datum structure is determined by (1) rotating a second locater plane, about a second reference axis that is perpendicular to the second datum structure, a predetermined number of degrees relative to the second datum structure and (2) translating the second locater plane a second predetermined distance in a predetermined direction that is perpendicular to the second locater plane.