Cooling hole arrangements in jet engine components exposed to hot gas flow

摘要

A jet engine component includes a body having a wall portion with an external surface exposed to hot gas flow and an internal surface exposed to a cooling air flow. The engine component incorporates an arrangement of cooling holes defined through the wall portion between the external and internal surfaces thereof to permit flow of cooling air from the hollow interior through the wall portion to the exterior of the component. Each cooling hole includes at least one flow inlet at the internal surface of the wall for receiving the cooling air flow, at least a pair of flow outlets at the external surface of the wall for discharging the cooling air flow, and at least a pair of flow branches extending through the wall portion and between the flow inlet and the flow outlets for permitting passage of the cooling air flow from the flow inlet to the flow outlets. In one V-shaped configuration, the flow branches merge and intersect with one another at the flow inlet. In another X-shaped configuration, there are a pair of flow inlets and the flow branches merge and intersect with one another at a location intermediate between and spaced from the flow inlets and outlets. The flow outlets are displaced preferably downstream of the flow inlet relative to the direction of gas flow past the external surface of the wall of the engine component.