Variable camber vane and method therefor

Claim 2

A variable camber vane having a first portion adapted to be secured to a mounting means, a second free tip portion spaced from said first secured portion, and a working face disposed within and diverting flow of a working fluid, for temperature-responsive deflection of said tip portion as respects said root coorelative to the temperature of said working fluid, said vane comprising: a. a sintered, generally laminar composite of a first amorphous metallic composition as a first vane element; b. a second amorphous metallic composition as a second vane element; c. said vane elements being characterized in that the coefficients of thermal expansion for each of said first and second compositions differ in a manner that the camber of said vane varies in response to thermal variations of said working fluid; d. each of said amorphous metallic compositions being an RSR amorphous metallic composition; e. each of said first and second vane elements being formed with an array of lateral surface grooves disposed generally along a flow path of said working fluid.

Claim 3

The variable camber vane of claim 1, wherein at least one of said amorphous metallic compositions further includes a coating of an environmentally-protective composition.

Claim 4

A vane assembly particularly adapted for use in an air breathing turbine engine, said vane assembly comprising: a. a first outer ring mounting member; b. a second inner ring mounting member disposed within said first member; c. a plurality of vane members mounted in an area between said first and second ring mounting members, each vane member being a variable camber vane, having a first secured portion by which it is mounted to said first and second ring mounting members, a second freetip portion spaced from said first secured portion, and a working face disposed within and diverting flow of a working fluid, for temperature responsive deflection of said tip portion as respects said root correlative to the temperature of said working fluid, each of said vane members comprising: i. a sintered, generally laminar composite of a first amorphous metallic composition as a first vane element; ii. a second amorphous metallic composition as a second vane element; iii. said vane elements being characterized in that the coefficients of thermal expansion for each of said first and second compositions differ in a manner that the camber of said vane varies in response to thermal variations of said working fluid; iv. each of said amorphous metallic compositions being an RSR amorphous metallic composition; v. each of said first and second vane elements being formed with an array of lateral surface grooves disposed generally along the flow path of said working fluid.

Claim 5

A vane assembly particularly adapted for use in an air breathing turbine engine, said vane assembly comprising: a. a first outer ring mounting member; b. a second inner ring mounting member disposed within said first member; c. a plurality of vane members mounted in an area between said first and second ring mounting members, each vane member being a variable camber vane, having a first secured portion by which it is mounted to said first and second ring mounting members, a second freetip portion spaced from said first secured portion, and a working face disposed within and diverting flow of a working fluid, for temperature responsive deflection of said tip portion as respects said root correlative to the temperature of said working fluid, each of said vane members comprising: i. a sintered, generally laminar composite of a first amorphous metallic composition as a first vane element; ii. a second amorphous metallic composition as a second vane element; iii. said vane elements being characterized in that the coefficients of thermal expansion for each of said first and second compositions differ in a manner that the camber of said vane varies in response to thermal variations of said working fluid; iv. each of said amorphous metallic compositions being an RSR amorphous metallic composition; v. each of said first and second vane elements being formed with an array of lateral surface grooves disposed generally along the flow path of said working fluid.

Claim 6

The vane assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein at least one of said amorphous metallic compositions further includes a coating of an environmentally-protective composition.