US 12,442,302 B2
Solid-state welded multi-piece radial turbine with air cooled blades for gas turbine engines
Michel S. Smallwood, Indianapolis, IN (US); and Stanford Clemens, Indianapolis, IN (US)
Assigned to Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc., Indianapolis, IN (US)
Filed by Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc., Indianapolis, IN (US)
Filed on Dec. 24, 2024, as Appl. No. 19/000,957.
Application 19/000,957 is a continuation of application No. 18/371,851, filed on Sep. 22, 2023, granted, now 12,215,595.
Prior Publication US 2025/0154870 A1, May 15, 2025
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. F01D 5/04 (2006.01); B23P 15/00 (2006.01); F01D 5/02 (2006.01); F01D 5/08 (2006.01); F01D 5/30 (2006.01)
CPC F01D 5/04 (2013.01) [B23P 15/006 (2013.01); F01D 5/021 (2013.01); F01D 5/048 (2013.01); F01D 5/085 (2013.01); F01D 5/3023 (2013.01); Y10T 29/4932 (2015.01); Y10T 29/49321 (2015.01); Y10T 29/49329 (2015.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A radial turbine rotor, the rotor comprising:
a hub arranged around a central axis that defines a radially-innermost surface of the rotor,
a plurality of turbine blades located circumferentially outward of the hub, and
a flowpath ring coupled with each of the plurality of turbine blades and the hub to locate the flowpath ring radially between the hub and each of the plurality of turbine blades, the flowpath ring formed to include a plurality of apertures spaced apart from one another about the flowpath ring and extending radially through the flowpath ring, each of the plurality of apertures receiving a corresponding one of the plurality of turbine blades therein,
wherein the hub is fixed to the flowpath ring by a friction weld joint formed between a radially-outwardly facing surface of the hub and a radially-inwardly facing surface of the flowpath ring,
wherein each of the plurality of turbine blades is fixed to the flowpath ring by a blade joint formed between each of the plurality of turbine blades and the flowpath ring.