US 7,320,575 B2
Methods and apparatus for aerodynamically self-enhancing rotor blades
Aspi Rustom Wadia, Loveland, Ohio (US); Peter Nicholas Szucs, West Chester, Ohio (US); Syed Arif Khalid, Indianapolis, Ind. (US); Peter John Wood, Loveland, Ohio (US); Kevin R. Kirtley, Scotia, N.Y. (US); and Xiaoyue Liu, Clifton, N.Y. (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, N.Y. (US)
Filed on Sep. 28, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/952,184.
Prior Publication US 2006/0067821 A1, Mar. 30, 2006
Int. Cl. B63H 1/14 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 416—97R  [415/115; 415/116] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An airfoil having:
a root;
a tip;
a leading edge extending from said root to said tip;
a trailing edge extending from said root to said tip; and
an outer surface extending between said leading edge and said trailing edge for pressuring air flowable thereover from said leading edge to said trailing edge, said outer surface further comprising one or more slots elongate in a direction extending along at least one line of constant pressure, said one or more slots are selected to preclude or reduce circulation within said slots, and said one or more slots configured to bleed a boundary layer from said outer surface to said tip utilizing one or more passageways within said airfoil.