Patent ID: 8662825

Claim:
An aerofoil blade or vane suitable for the turbine of a gas turbine engine, comprising: a longitudinally extending aerofoil portion having facing wall parts, the wall parts being interconnected by a generally longitudinally extending divider member to partially define first and second cooling fluid passage portions disposed in side-by-side generally longitudinally extending relationship, the first and second passage portions being interconnected in series fluid flow relationship by a bend passage portion, the first passage portion being adapted to direct cooling fluid to the bend portion and the second passage portion being adapted to exhaust cooling fluid from the bend portion, the divider member having a first local thickening in the region of the bend portion to provide a localised contraction of the downstream end of the first passage portion to accelerate the cooling fluid flow before it enters the bend passage portion, and the first local thickening of the divider member being greater along the centre line of the divider member than along the edges of the divider member where the divider member connects with the wall parts, and the divider member having a second local thickening in the region of the bend portion to provide a localised progressive series narrowing and opening of the upstream end of the second passage portion in the general direction of cooling fluid flow.