Combustor liner construction for gas turbine engine

Claim 1

In a gas turbine combustor having a combustor wall defining a combustor volume, a dome dividing said combustor volume into an air inlet plenum and a combustion chamber, heat shield panels closely space inwardly of said combustor wall forming a wall airflow path between the heat shield panels and the combustor wall, and means for introducing air to said airflow path with at least a portion of the air flowing through said wall airflow paths toward said dome, the improvement comprising: a dome heat shield closely spaced inwardly toward said combustion chamber and parallel to said dome, forming a dome airflow path therebetween; said dome having a plurality of holes therethrough to pass dome cooling air against said dome heat shield and through said dome airflow path; said dome heat shield having an outer portion closely spaced from and overlapping the portion of said wall heat shield closest to said dome; said wall airflow path extending to and blocked by said dome, but in fluid communication with said dome airflow path at a location immediately upstream of said outer portion of said dome shield whereby said portion of wall airflow reverses direction, joining with said dome airflow and forces said airflow against said outer portion of said dome heat shield improving the cooling thereof.