Patent ID: 7223066

Claim:
A variable vane arrangement for a turbomachine comprising a plurality of circumferentially arranged vanes, a plurality of operating levers and a control ring, each vane being pivotally mounted to a casing of the turbomachine, each operating lever being pivotally mounted at a first end to the control ring, each operating lever being mounted at a second end to a respective one of the vanes, the second end of each operating lever comprising a multi-sided aperture, each vane having a multi-sided spindle which locates in the multi-sided aperture of the respective operating lever, each operating lever having a drive member located in the multi-sided aperture and around the multi-sided spindle of the respective vane, each drive member engaging the respective multi-sided aperture and the respective multi-sided spindle to transmit drive from the operating lever to the vane wherein the sides of each multi-sided aperture taper from a first end adjacent the respective vane to a second end remote from the respective vane such that the cross-sectional area of the aperture increases from the first end to the second end.