Effect of Chord Size on Weight and Cooling Characteristics of Air-cooled Turbine Blades

by Jack B. Esgar, Eugene F. Schum, Arthur N. Curren

1957

An analysis has been made to determine the effect of chord size on the weight and cooling characteristics of shell-supported, air-cooled gas-turbine blades. In uncooled turbines with solid blades, the general practice has been to design turbines with high aspect ratio (small blade chord) to achieve substantial turbine weight reduction. With air-cooled blades, this study shows that turbine blade weight is affected to a much smaller degree by the size of the blade chord.

Preliminary Survey of Possible Cooling Methods for Hypersonic Aircraft

by Jack B. Esgar, Robert O. Hickel, Francis S. Stepka

1958

Abstract: Many methods of cooling the structure of an aircraft capable of flight speeds up to 18,000 feet per second were studied. Water and hydrogen stored in the liquid state appear very promising as both coolants and heat sinks. The storage and circulation of hydrogen throughout the aircraft need not be a hazard. Cooling the outer skin of the aircraft in high-equilibrium-temperature regions could probably be avoided by using a material such as silicon carbide. The internal structure could be cooled by use of a thin layer of balsa wood saturated with water. In this way tanks for storage of coolant would be avoided.