The turbine rotor disk functions mainly as which entity?

The turbine rotor disk functions mainly as which entity?

• A. Provides mounting surface for turbine blades
• B. Houses the exhaust nozzle
• C. Directs fuel spray into the combustion chamber
• D. Serves as the intake plenum

Answer: (A)

The turbine rotor disk is the hub that the turbine blades attach to, serving as the mounting surface for the blades and the means by which their mechanical energy is transferred to the shaft. Blades are mounted into slots (often through fir-tree or dovetail roots) in the disk, and as high-energy gas acts on the blades, the disk converts that energy into rotational energy carried by the shaft. This is why the disk’s primary role is to hold and support the blades and carry the resulting torque. Exhaust nozzles are part of directing the turbine’s exhaust flow, fuel spray is introduced in the combustor, and the intake plenum concerns the air entering the compressor. Those functions lie outside the rotor disk’s job.

The turbine rotor disk is the hub that the turbine blades attach to, serving as the mounting surface for the blades and the means by which their mechanical energy is transferred to the shaft. Blades are mounted into slots (often through fir-tree or dovetail roots) in the disk, and as high-energy gas acts on the blades, the disk converts that energy into rotational energy carried by the shaft. This is why the disk’s primary role is to hold and support the blades and carry the resulting torque.

Exhaust nozzles are part of directing the turbine’s exhaust flow, fuel spray is introduced in the combustor, and the intake plenum concerns the air entering the compressor. Those functions lie outside the rotor disk’s job.