Fan blade with inherent damping characteristic

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture corresponding to fan blades having intrinsic damping characteristics are disclosed. An example fan blade includes: an outer body including a first side and a second side; a first hairpin structure coupled to the first side of the outer body and the second side of the outer body; and a second hairpin structure coupled to the first side and the second side, the first hairpin structure being in contact with the second hairpin structure.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 202110541784.9 filed on May 18, 2021, and invention name “Fan blade with inherent damping characteristics”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates generally to turbine engines and, more particularly, to fan blades having inherent damping properties. Background Art

[0003] In recent years, turbine engines have been increasingly used in various applications and fields. Turbine engines are complex machines with wide availability, reliability and applicability requirements. Turbine engines include fan blades. The fan blades rotate at high speed and then compress the airflow. The high-pressure compressor then supplies the pressurized airflow to the combustion chamber to generate a high-temperature and high-pressure airflow. Summary of the invention

[0004] Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture corresponding to fan blades having inherent damping properties are disclosed.

[0005] Certain examples provide an exemplary fan blade, the exemplary fan blade including an outer body having a first side and a second side. The exemplary fan blade also includes a first hairpin structure coupled to the first side of the outer body and the second side of the outer body. The exemplary fan blade also includes a second hairpin structure coupled to the first side and the second side, the first hairpin structure contacting the second hairpin structure.

[0006] Certain examples provide an exemplary turbine engine including a compressor, a turbine, and a rotor including a fan blade including a first hairpin structure coupled to a first side of a first inner wall of the fan blade and a second side of a second inner wall of a second fan blade.

[0007] Certain examples provide a method of designing a fan blade, the method comprising generating a design of the fan blade to include a first hairpin structure and a second hairpin structure, the first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure corresponding to the test results. The exemplary method also includes fusing the first hairpin structure to a first inner side and a second inner side of the fan blade, the first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure contacting at an interior of the fan blade; and the exemplary method also includes attaching the fan blade to a rotor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 An exemplary gas turbine engine is shown that may be used in an aircraft in which the examples disclosed herein may be implemented.

[0009] Figure 2 yes Figure 1An exemplary embodiment of a fan blade.

[0010] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a fan blade.

[0011] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a fan blade.

[0012] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a fan blade.

[0013] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a fan blade.

[0014] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of an exemplary implementation of an exemplary fan blade generator.

[0015] FIG. 8A to FIG. 8B A flowchart representing exemplary machine readable instructions is shown that may be executed to implement Figure 1 and / or Figure 7 An exemplary fan blade generator is provided for generating fan blade designs according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0016] Fig. 9 A flowchart representing exemplary machine readable instructions and / or manufacturing methods is shown, which may be executed to implement Figure 1 An exemplary gas turbine engine generator is provided for manufacturing fan blades in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0017] Fig.10 is a block diagram of an exemplary processing platform configured to perform Figure 8A-B and / or Fig. 9 Instructions to achieve Figure 1 and / or Figure 7 An exemplary fan blade generator and / or gas turbine engine generator.

[0018] The drawings are not drawn to scale. Instead, the thickness of the layer or region may be exaggerated in the drawings. In general, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the accompanying written description to refer to the same or similar parts. As used in this patent, stating that any part (e.g., layer, film, zone, region or plate) is located (e.g., positioned, located, placed or formed, etc.) on another part in any way means that the referenced part is in contact with the other part, or the referenced part is on the other part, and there are one or more intermediate parts between them. Unless otherwise specified, connection references (e.g., attachment, connection, connection and engagement) will be interpreted broadly and may include intermediate members between element sets and relative movement between elements. In this way, connection references do not necessarily infer that the two elements are directly connected and in a fixed relationship with each other. The statement that any part is "in contact" with another part means that there are no intermediate parts between the two parts. Although the drawings show layers and regions with clean lines and boundaries, some or all of these lines and / or boundaries may be ideal. In practice, boundaries and / or lines may be unobservable, mixed and / or irregular.

[0019] Descriptors "first," "second," "third," etc., are used herein when identifying multiple elements or components that can be referenced individually. Unless otherwise specified or understood based on the context of use, such descriptors are not intended to confer any meaning of priority, physical order, or arrangement in a list or chronological order, but are merely used as labels to refer to multiple elements or components separately for ease of understanding of the disclosed examples. In some examples, the descriptor "first" may be used to refer to an element in the detailed description, while a different descriptor such as "second" or "third" may be used in the claims to refer to the same element. In such cases, it should be understood that such descriptors are merely for the convenience of referencing multiple elements or components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in the accompanying drawings, specific exemplary embodiments that can be practiced are shown by way of illustration. These exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice this subject matter, and it should be understood that other embodiments can be utilized. Therefore, the following detailed description is provided to describe exemplary embodiments, rather than to limit the scope of the subject matter described in this disclosure. Certain features of the different aspects described below can be combined to form new aspects of the subject matter discussed below.

[0021] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

[0022] As used herein, the terms "system," "unit," "module," "engine," "component," and the like may include hardware and / or software systems that operate to perform one or more functions. For example, a module, unit, or system may include a computer processor, controller, and / or other logic-based devices that perform operations based on instructions stored on a tangible and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a computer memory). Alternatively, a module, unit, or system may include a hard-wired device that performs operations based on the hard-wired logic of the device. The various modules, units, engines, and / or systems shown in the accompanying drawings may represent hardware that operates based on software or hard-wired instructions, software that directs the hardware to perform operations, or a combination thereof.

[0023] A turbine engine, also known as a combustion turbine or gas turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. Turbine engines are commonly used in aircraft and power generation applications. As used herein, the terms "asset", "aircraft turbine engine", "gas turbine", "land-based turbine engine" and "turbine engine" are used interchangeably. The basic operation of a turbine engine includes drawing in a fresh atmospheric airflow through the front of the turbine engine with a fan. In some examples, the airflow travels through an intermediate pressure compressor or a booster compressor located between the fan and the high-pressure compressor. The booster compressor is used to boost or supercharge the airflow before it enters the high-pressure compressor. The airflow can then pass through the high-pressure compressor to further compress the airflow. The high-pressure compressor includes a set of blades (e.g., a fan) attached to a shaft. The blades rotate at high speed and subsequently compress the airflow. The high-pressure compressor then feeds the pressurized airflow into the combustion chamber. In some examples, the high-pressure compressor feeds the pressurized airflow at a speed of several hundred miles per hour. In some cases, the combustion chamber includes one or more fuel injector rings that inject a steady stream of fuel into the combustion chamber, where the fuel mixes with the pressurized airflow.

[0024] In the combustion chamber of the turbine engine, the fuel is ignited by an electric spark provided by an igniter, and in some examples, the fuel burns at a temperature of more than 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. The combustion thus generated produces a high-temperature, high-pressure airflow (e.g., hot combustion gases) that passes through another set of blades called a turbine. In some examples, the turbine includes a complex array of alternately rotating and fixed airfoil section blades. Alternatively, the turbine can be configured to have adjacent rotating or fixed airfoil section blades, or any combination of alternating or adjacent airfoil section blades. When the hot combustion gases pass through the turbine, the hot combustion gases expand, causing the rotating blades to rotate. The rotating blades are used for at least two purposes. The first purpose of the rotating blades is to drive the boost compressor and / or the high-pressure compressor to draw more pressure air into the combustion chamber. For example, the turbine is mounted on the same shaft as the high-pressure compressor in a direct drive configuration, so that the rotation of the turbine causes the high-pressure compressor to rotate. The second purpose of the rotating blades is to rotate a generator operably connected to the turbine section to generate electricity. For example, the turbine can generate electricity for use in aircraft, power plants, etc.

[0025] In the example of an aircraft turbine engine, after passing through the turbine, the hot combustion gases exit the aircraft turbine engine through a nozzle at the rear of the aircraft turbine engine. As the hot combustion gases exit the nozzle, the aircraft turbine engine and a corresponding aircraft connected to the aircraft turbine engine are accelerated forward (e.g., propelled forward). In the example of a land-based turbine engine, after passing through the turbine, the hot combustion gases are dissipated and used to generate steam, etc.

[0026] In conventional engines, the dimensions of fan blades, airfoils, and vanes are adapted to fan blade shedding and / or bird strike situations. However, such conventional fan blades are bulky and complex. The examples disclosed herein include self-damping aerospace foil structures with vibration damping and hairpin relative motion (e.g., friction damping). The disclosed examples include internal air cavities and / or superelastic material cavities that absorb initial impacts, and one or more layers of sandwich hairpin structures made of functionally gradient material (FGM) filaments or shape memory alloys (SMA) to accommodate the ability to load high energy events (e.g., high impact loads, such as when an object comes into contact with a fan). The exemplary fan blades disclosed herein are thinner and significantly lighter than conventional fan blades, while also providing a self-damping mechanism to reduce stress on the fan blades.

[0027] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 for generating an exemplary gas turbine engine 102. The exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 includes an exemplary fan blade generator 101. The exemplary gas turbine engine 102 includes an exemplary core gas turbine engine 106, an exemplary fan section 108, an exemplary casing 110, an exemplary annular inlet 112, an exemplary booster compressor 114, an exemplary high pressure multi-stage axial compressor 116, an exemplary combustion chamber 118, a first exemplary turbine 120, a first exemplary drive shaft 122, a second exemplary turbine 124, a second exemplary drive shaft 126, an exemplary exhaust nozzle 128, an exemplary axial fan rotor assembly 130, an exemplary annular fan casing 132, an exemplary guide vane 134, an exemplary fan rotor blade 136, an exemplary downstream section 138, an exemplary airflow duct 140, an exemplary speed reduction device 142, an exemplary inlet 150, and an exemplary combustion product 158.

[0028] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an engine 102 that may be used within an aircraft according to aspects of the disclosed examples. For reference purposes, a gas turbine engine 102 is shown having a longitudinal or axial centerline axis 104 extending throughout the gas turbine engine 102. As used herein, the terms "axial" and "longitudinal" each refer to directions parallel to the centerline axis 104, while "radial" refers to directions perpendicular to the axial direction, and "tangential" or "circumferential" refers to directions perpendicular to the axial and radial directions. As used herein, the terms "forward" or "front" refer to a position relatively upstream in an airflow through or around a component, and the terms "rearward" or "rear" refer to a position relatively downstream in an airflow through or around a component. The direction of the flow is in the direction of the airflow through or around a component. Figure 1 14 is shown by arrow 148. These directional terms are used for convenience of description only and no particular orientation of the structure is required to be described thereby.

[0029] Figure 1 The exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 may include a generator configured to generate Figure 1 The exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 may generate an engine design, test an engine design, and / or generate the exemplary engine 102 based on the generated and / or tested engine design. The exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 includes an exemplary fan blade generator 101 to generate a design for a fan blade for self-damping and / or self-shock absorption to implement the exemplary fan blade 136. As described below in conjunction with Figure 3-5 As further described, the interior of the fan blade 136 may include various hairpin structures designed in various patterns to facilitate shock absorption (e.g., from high impact events) and / or vibration damping. Figure 7 An exemplary fan blade generator 101 is further described.

[0030] Figure 1 The engine 102 includes a core gas turbine engine 106 and a fan section 108 located upstream thereof. The core gas turbine engine 106 may generally include a substantially tubular casing 110 defining an annular inlet 112. In addition, the casing 110 may further surround and support a booster compressor 114 to increase the pressure of air entering the core gas turbine engine 106 to a first pressure level. The high-pressure multi-stage axial compressor 116 may then receive the pressurized air from the booster compressor 114 and further increase the pressure of such air to a second pressure level. Alternatively, the high-pressure multi-stage compressor 116 may be a high-pressure multi-stage centrifugal compressor or a high-pressure multi-stage axial centrifugal compressor.

[0031] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated example, the pressurized air exiting the high pressure compressor 116 may then flow to a combustion chamber 118 where fuel is injected into the pressurized air flow and the resulting mixture is combusted within the combustion chamber 118. The high energy combustion products are directed from the combustion chamber 118 along the hot gas path of the engine 102 to a first (high pressure) turbine 120 to drive the high pressure compressor 116 via a first (high pressure) drive shaft 122 and then to a second (low pressure) turbine 124 for driving the boost compressor 114 and the fan section 108 via a second (low pressure) drive shaft 126 that is generally coaxial with the first drive shaft 122. After driving each turbine 120 and 124, the combustion products may be discharged from the core gas turbine engine 106 through an exhaust nozzle 128 to provide jet thrust for propulsion.

[0032] In some examples, each of the compressors 114, 116 may include a plurality of compressor stages, wherein each stage includes an annular array of stationary compressor vanes and an annular array of rotating compressor blades immediately downstream of the compressor vanes. Similarly, each of the turbines 120, 124 may include a plurality of turbine stages, wherein each stage includes an annular array of stationary nozzle vanes and an annular array of rotating turbine blades immediately downstream of the nozzle vanes.

[0033] In addition, if Figure 1As shown, the fan section 108 of the engine 102 may generally include a rotatable axial flow fan rotor assembly 130 that is configured to be surrounded by an annular fan casing 132. The fan casing 132 may be configured to be supported relative to the core gas turbine engine 106 by a plurality of substantially radially extending, circumferentially spaced outlet guide vanes 134. Thus, the fan casing 132 may surround the fan rotor assembly 130 and its corresponding fan rotor blades 136. In addition, a downstream section 138 of the fan casing 132 may extend over an outer portion of the core gas turbine engine 106 to define a secondary airflow duct 140 or bypass airflow conduit 140 that provides additional propulsive jet thrust. Figure 2 Detailed examples of fan rotor blades 136 are described further.

[0034] In some examples, the second (low pressure) drive shaft 126 is directly coupled to the fan rotor assembly 130 to provide a direct drive configuration. Alternatively, the second drive shaft 126 can be coupled to the fan rotor assembly 130 via a reduction device 142 (e.g., a reduction gear or gearbox) to provide an indirect drive or gear drive configuration. Such a reduction device can also be provided between any other suitable shafts and / or spools within the engine 102 as needed or desired.

[0035] During operation of the engine 102, an initial airflow (as indicated by arrow 148) may enter the engine 102 through an associated inlet 150 of the fan case 132. The airflow 148 then passes through the fan blades 136 and is split into a first compressed airflow (as indicated by arrow 152) that passes through the duct 140 and a second compressed airflow (as indicated by arrow 154) that enters the boost compressor 114. The pressure of the second compressed airflow 154 is then increased and enters the high pressure compressor 116 (as indicated by arrow 156). After mixing with the fuel and combusting within the combustion chamber 118, the combustion products 158 exit the combustion chamber 118 and flow through the first turbine 120. Thereafter, the combustion products 158 flow through the second turbine 124 and exit the exhaust nozzle 128 to provide thrust for the engine 102.

[0036] Figure 2 Shown include Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of an exemplary fan rotor assembly 130 having one of the exemplary fan blades 136 . Figure 2 include Figure 1 An exemplary axial centerline axis 104 , an exemplary fan rotor assembly 130 , an exemplary fan casing 132 , and exemplary fan rotor blades 136 . Figure 2 Also included are an exemplary root 200 , an exemplary tip 202 , an exemplary outer body 204 , an exemplary first side 210 , an exemplary second side 212 , an exemplary first edge 214 , and an exemplary second edge 216 .

[0037] Figure 2 The fan blade 136 extends radially from the root 200 to the tip 202 and defines a length L. The outer body 204 is the outer portion of the fan blade 136, which extends radially from the root 200 to the tip 202. The outer body 204 is made of a first material (e.g., a metal (e.g., titanium, aluminum, steel, Inconel alloy, iron-based alloy, copper-based alloy, etc.), a composite material (e.g., reinforced plastic, fiberglass, metal-based composites, carbon and / or glass-reinforced polymers, etc.), and combinations thereof). In some examples, the outer body 204 can be made of different materials in different directions (e.g., radially and / or axially). For example, the exemplary outer body 204 near the tip 202 can be made of a first material, while the outer body 204 near the root 200 can be made of a second material. The exemplary outer body 204 can be of any shape and / or thickness. Additionally, each fan blade 136 includes a first side 210 (e.g., pressure side), a second side 212 (e.g., suction side), a first edge 214 (e.g., leading edge), and a second edge 216 (e.g., trailing edge). Exemplary sides 210, 212 and edges 214, 216 may be made of the same material and / or different materials. The interior of the outer body 204 may be filled with a hairpin structure, air, a superelastic material (e.g., nickel titanium (NiTi) and / or alloys, such as nickel titanium hydrogen fluoride (NiTiHf), nickel titanium palladium (NiTiPd), NiTi hafnium (NiTiHf), NiTi platinum (NiTiPt), NiTi copper (NiTiCu), NiTi niobium (NiTiNb), NiTi vanadium (NiTiVd), TiNb, copper aluminum beryllium (CuAlBe), copper zinc (Zn)Al, etc.) and / or metals (e.g., titanium, aluminum, steel, Inconel alloy, iron-based alloy, copper-based alloy, etc.) to provide and / or vibration damping, as described below in combination Figure 3-6 Further described.

[0038] Figure 2 The fan housing 132 is configured to direct incoming air through the fan rotor assembly 130 to help ensure that the fan rotor assembly 130 compresses a majority of the air entering the engine 102. By way of example and not limitation, the fan housing 132 may be made of metals (e.g., titanium, aluminum, steel, Inconel alloys, iron-based alloys, copper-based alloys, etc.), composite materials (e.g., reinforced plastics, fiberglass, metal-based composites, carbon and / or glass-reinforced polymers, etc.), and combinations thereof.

[0039] Figure 3 Shows Figure 1 and Figure 2300 of a portion of an exemplary fan blade 136. The exemplary cross-sectional view 300 of the fan blade 136 includes an exemplary outer body 204 including Figure 2 The exemplary side 210, 212 and the exemplary edge 214, 216. The exemplary cross-sectional view 300 also includes a first exemplary hairpin structure 302a, a second exemplary hairpin structure 302b, and an exemplary air and / or superelastic material cavity 304. Although the combination Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 The exemplary cross-sectional view 300 is described with reference to the exemplary fan blade 136 , but the cross-sectional view 300 may be implemented with any type of fan and / or blade.

[0040] Figure 3 Exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b may be "U", "V", and / or "C" shaped structures extending radially within the outer body 204 of the fan blade 136. In some examples, the hairpin structures 302a, 302b extend from the root 200 to the tip 202 (e.g., their height is equal to or approximately equal to 100). Figure 2 In some examples, the hairpin structures 302a, 302b are arranged in one or more radial sections (eg, corresponding to Figure 2 For example, if vibration and / or energy exceeding a threshold amount corresponding to an impact event is present only in an area corresponding to area L' (e.g., based on testing, simulation, regulation, etc.), the exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b may be implemented in the outer body 204 for a radial area of ​​the fan blade 136 corresponding to area L'. The remaining areas (e.g., areas of the exemplary fan blade 136 that do not generate energy exceeding a threshold amount corresponding to an impact event) may be filled with a metallic material, a composite material, a superelastic material, and / or air (e.g., as an air cavity).

[0041] Figure 3 The exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b are made of variable materials. For example, the hairpin structures 302a, 302b can be made of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) impregnated with graphene, functionally gradient materials (FGMs), metals, shape memory alloys (SMAs), etc. The variable materials can be selected and / or generated based on the desired amount of stiffness. Materials with higher stiffness absorb shock from high impact events, absorb vibrations, and have higher strength, while materials with lower stiffness provide a damping effect. Additionally or alternatively, the exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b can be made of any kind of metallic materials, composite materials, and combinations thereof. Figure 3In the example of , the first hairpin structure 302a corresponds to a higher stiffness, while the second hairpin structure 302b corresponds to a lower stiffness. However, the exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b can have the same stiffness (e.g., composed of the same material). In addition, although Figure 3 Exemplary include a specific number of hairpin structures 302a, 302b having specific characteristics (e.g., angles, orientations, dimensions (length, width, etc.), materials, etc.) and / or a specific order or pattern (e.g., one hairpin structure 302a is adjacent to another hairpin structure 302b, which is then adjacent to a second hairpin structure 302a, etc.), and the interior of the fan blade 136 may include any number and / or type of hairpin structures in any order and / or pattern.

[0042] Figure 3 The exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b are coupled to the inner wall of the outer body 204. In some examples, for high load events, the hairpin structures 302a, 302b are coupled to the inner wall of the outer body 204 using fusion shear, as shown below in combination Figure 4 Further described in Figure 3 In the example of , the exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b are in contact with each other (e.g., adjacent such that a portion of a first side of the first hairpin structure 302a is in contact with a portion of a second side of the second hairpin structure 302b), but are not coupled together. If in contact but not coupled, the first hairpin structure 302a and the second hairpin structure 302b can move relative to each other (e.g., by expanding and / or compressing the hairpin structures 302a, 302b) when energy impact, pressure and / or vibration cause the exemplary outer body 204 to compress, expand and / or otherwise adjust form. Because the hairpin structures 302a and 302b are in contact with each other and move relative to each other, the friction generated by this movement provides self-damping that absorbs energy and reduces stress propagation.

[0043] Figure 3 The exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b are configured such that there is a gap between the angled portions of the hairpin structures 302a, 302b. The gap can be left empty (e.g., corresponding to an air cavity) and / or can be filled with a superelastic material (e.g., nickel titanium and / or alloys such as NiTiHf, NiTiPd, NiTi, NiTiHf, NiTiPt, NiTiPd, NiTiCu, NiTiNb, NiTiVd, TiNb, CuAlBe, CuZnAl, etc.), thereby creating an exemplary air and / or superelastic material cavity 304. The air and / or superelastic material cavity serves as a shock absorber for high impact events. Any area within the outer body 204 that is not filled by the exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b can be filled with air and / or superelastic material, thereby also corresponding to an air and / or superelastic material cavity 304.

[0044] Figure 4 Shows Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 An alternative exemplary cross-sectional view 400 of a portion of an exemplary fan blade 136 is shown. The exemplary cross-sectional view 400 of the fan blade 136 includes the exemplary outer body 204 including the exemplary sides 210, 212, the exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b, and Figure 2 and / or Figure 3 The exemplary air and / or superelastic material cavity 304. The exemplary cross-sectional view 400 also includes an exemplary fusion 402. Although the combination Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 The exemplary cross-sectional view 400 is described with reference to an exemplary fan blade 136 , but the cross-sectional view 400 may be implemented with any type of fan and / or blade.

[0045] Figure 4 The exemplary fusion 402 couples the exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b to the interior of the exemplary outer body 204. In some examples, the fusion 402 is a shear fusion. When energy and / or load exceeding a threshold amount is applied to the fan blade 136, the shear fusion shears away (e.g., breaks). In this way, the exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b can move relative to the inner wall of the outer body 204 (e.g., laterally), thereby generating additional friction to absorb more energy. The exemplary shear fusion 402 can be created by weak diffusion bonding (e.g., by adding porosity to the fusion to make the fusion weaker). In some examples, some of the hairpin structures 302a, 302b can be fused using conventional fusion, and some of the hairpin structures 302a, 302b can be fused using one or more types of (e.g., corresponding to different strengths) shear fusion.

[0046] Figure 5 Shows Figure 1 2 and / or 2. The exemplary cross-sectional view 500 of a portion of the exemplary fan blade 136 includes the exemplary outer body 204, the exemplary outer body 204 including the exemplary sides 210, 212 and the exemplary edges 214, 216, the exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b, and Figure 2 and / or Figure 3 The exemplary air and / or superelastic material cavity 304 of FIG. Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 The exemplary cross-sectional view 500 is described with reference to the exemplary fan blade 136 , but the cross-sectional view 500 may be implemented with any type of fan and / or blade.

[0047] Figure 5 The exemplary cross-sectional view 500 of the embodiment includes alternative hairpin structure patterns. For example, the first section (e.g., closest to edge 214) includes the exemplary hairpin structure 302a, followed by the hairpin structure 302b, then the hairpin structure 302a, and so on. The second section (e.g., in the middle of the edges 214, 216) includes the exemplary hairpin structure 302a without the hairpin structure 302b. The third section (e.g., closest to edge 216) corresponds to the exemplary air and / or superelastic material cavity 304. For example, when the second section (e.g., based on test results and / or regulations) requires additional strength and the third section requires additional shock absorption for high impact events, it can be used Figure 5 500 is an exemplary structure of a cross-sectional view. However, although Figure 5 The example includes a specific number of hairpin structures 302a, 302b in a specific structure (e.g., angle, orientation, size (length, width, etc.), material, etc.) and / or a specific order or pattern, and the interior of the fan blade 136 can include any number and / or type of hairpin structures in any one or more structures according to any order and / or pattern.

[0048] Figure 6 Shows Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 6. The exemplary cross-sectional view 600 of the fan blade 136 includes the exemplary outer body 204 including the exemplary sides 210, 212 and the exemplary edges 214, 216, the exemplary hairpin structures 302a, 302b, and the exemplary outer body 204. Figure 2 and / or Figure 3 The exemplary air and / or superelastic material cavity 304 of FIG. Figure 1 and / or Figure 2 The exemplary cross-sectional view 600 is described with reference to the exemplary fan blade 136 , but the cross-sectional view 600 may be implemented with any type of fan and / or blade.

[0049] Figure 6 The exemplary cross-sectional view 600 of FIG. 600 includes alternative hairpin structure patterns. For example, a first section (e.g., closest to edge 214) includes exemplary hairpin structure 302a in a first orientation, followed by hairpin structure 302b, then hairpin structure 302a, etc. A second section (e.g., in the middle of edges 214, 216) corresponds to exemplary air and / or superelastic material cavity 304. A third section (e.g., closest to edge 216) includes the hairpin pattern of the first section in a second orientation opposite to the first orientation. For example, when the second section requires additional shock absorption for a high impact event, the hairpin structure 302a may be used. Figure 5 500 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary structure. However, although Figure 6 Examples include a specific number of hairpin structures 302a, 302b having specific characteristics (e.g., angles, orientations, dimensions (length, width, etc.), materials, etc.) and / or a specific order or pattern, and the interior of the fan blade 136 can include any number and / or types of hairpin structures in any one or more structures in any order and / or pattern.

[0050] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of an exemplary implementation of an exemplary fan blade generator 101 is shown. Figure 7 The example fan blade generator 101 includes an example component interface 700 , an example test result analyzer 702 , an example fan blade structure generator 704 , and an example digital model 706 .

[0051] Figure 7 The exemplary component interface 700 of the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 is coupled to a component interface of the gas turbine engine generator 100. For example, the component interface 700 may obtain test results and / or adjustment instructions corresponding to the structure of the fan blade 136. In addition, once the final structure of the fan blade 136 is completed, the component interface 700 may output the structure to the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 so that the gas turbine engine generator 100 may manufacture the fan blade 136 according to the final structure design.

[0052] Figure 7 The exemplary test result analyzer 702 analyzes the obtained test results and / or adjustment instructions to identify portions of the fan blade 136 that may require additional vibration damping, shock absorption, and / or strength. For example, the test result analyzer 702 may determine whether the test results correspond to exceeding a weakness, exceeding a threshold amount of vibration and / or impact energy. In some examples, the test result analyzer 702 may determine that additional vibration damping, shock absorption, strength is required in one or more areas of the fan blade 136 based on the regulations.

[0053] The exemplary fan blade structure generator 704 creates one or more hollow regions of the fan blade 136 based on the regions where additional vibration damping and / or shock absorption is required as determined by the test results analyzer 702. In addition, the exemplary fan blade structure generator 704 generates and / or adjusts the structure of the fan blade 136 based on the test results and / or regulations. For example, the fan blade structure generator 704 may include a low-rigidity hairpin structure 302b for additional vibration damping, or may include a high-rigidity hairpin structure 302a and / or additional air and / or elastic material for the fan blade 136 to provide additional impact protection. In some examples, the test results analyzer 702 adjusts the initial and / or intermediate designs based on the results of the digital model 706 that has been tested with the initial and / or intermediate designs. For example, if the results of testing based on the initial and / or intermediate designs are that the strength is less than a threshold amount of strength, the test results analyzer 702 may replace one or more low-stiffness hairpin structures 302 b with high-stiffness hairpin structures 304 b, and / or may add other hairpin structures 302 a, 302 b, wherein exemplary air and / or superelastic air cavities are located in the previous structure, to increase the strength of the fan blade 136.

[0054] Figure 7 The exemplary digital model 706 is a digital model of a fan blade design that can be virtually tested based on real-world conditions to determine the response of the fan blade structure (e.g., strength, vibration, shock, etc.). For example, the digital model 706 can be a digital twin model of the engine 102, which can simulate the virtually generated fan blade 136 in the engine 102 during a specified flight cycle. As used herein, the term "flight cycle" refers to a complete operational cycle of an aircraft flight performed by an asset, including takeoff operations and landing operations.

[0055] As used herein, the term "digital twin" refers to a digital representation, digital model, or digital "shadow" corresponding to a digital information construct about a physical system. That is, digital information can be implemented as a "twin" of a physical device / system (e.g., engine 102, etc.), as well as information associated with and / or embedded in the physical device / system. The digital model 706 can be linked to the physical system through the life cycle of the physical system. In some examples, the digital model 706 includes a physical object in real space, a digital twin of the physical object that exists in virtual space, and information linking the physical object to its digital twin. The digital model 706 exists in a virtual space corresponding to the real space, and includes links for data flow from the real space to the virtual space and links for information flow from the virtual space to the real space and the virtual subspace.

[0056] Once the fan blade 136 is designed, the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 generates the fan blade based on the design. For example, the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 may generate the exterior of the fan blade 136 from metal, composite materials, and / or a combination thereof, leaving a hollow section for the hairpin structure of the fan blade design, and leaving the hollow section open on a portion of the outer wall so that the hairpin structure can be placed within the outer wall. The exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 may then generate (e.g., three-dimensional (3D) print) the hairpin structure of the fan blade design according to the fan blade plan. Once generated, the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 110 places the structure according to the hairpin structure pattern into the corresponding one or more hollow sections of the fan blade. The exemplary gas turbine engine generator 110 may use conventional fusion and / or shear fusion to fuse the hairpin structure and complete the outer wall of the fan blade to produce Figure 1-6 Any one of the exemplary fan blades 136 shown in . Additionally, the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 110 may attach the fan blades 136 to the remainder of the engine 102 being generated (eg, the exemplary axial flow fan rotor assembly 130 of the engine 102).

[0057] Despite Figure 7 The implementation is shown in Figure 1 The exemplary fan blade generator 101 is an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, but it can be Figure 7 One or more of the elements, processes and / or devices shown may be combined, divided, rearranged, omitted, eliminated and / or implemented in any other manner. In addition, the exemplary component interface 700, the exemplary test result analyzer 702, the exemplary fan blade structure generator 704, the exemplary digital model 706, and / or more generally, Figure 7 An exemplary fan blade generator 101 and / or Figure 1 The gas turbine engine generator 100 may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, and / or any combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. Thus, for example, the exemplary component interface 700, the exemplary test result analyzer 702, the exemplary fan blade structure generator 704, the exemplary digital model 706, and / or more generally, Figure 7 An exemplary fan blade generator 101 and / or Figure 1Any of the gas turbine engine generators 100 may be implemented by one or more analog or digital circuits, logic circuits, programmable processors, programmable controllers, graphics processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), and / or field programmable logic devices (FPLDs). When any apparatus or system claim of this patent is read to cover pure software and / or firmware implementations, the exemplary component interface 700, the exemplary test result analyzer 702, the exemplary fan blade structure generator 704, the exemplary digital model 706, and / or more generally, Figure 7 An exemplary fan blade generator 101 and / or Figure 1 At least one of the gas turbine engine generators 100 is expressly defined as including a non-transitory computer-readable storage device or storage disk, such as a memory, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a compact disk (CD), a Blu-ray disk, etc., including software and / or firmware. Further, Figure 7 An exemplary fan blade generator 101 and / or Figure 1 The gas turbine engine generator 100 may include one or more elements, processes and / or devices in addition to, or in lieu of, Figure 1 and / or Figure 7 Those shown in, and / or may include any one or more or all of the illustrated elements, processes and devices. As used herein, the expression "communication", including its variations, encompasses direct communication and / or indirect communication through one or more intermediate components, and does not require direct physical (e.g., wired) communication and / or constant communication, but also includes selective communication at periodic intervals, scheduled intervals, non-periodic intervals and / or one-time events.

[0058] exist Fig. 8A , 8B 9 show exemplary hardware logic, machine readable instructions, hardware implemented state machines and / or for implementing Figure 7 The fan blade generator 101 and / or Figure 1 The machine readable instructions may be a portion of one or more executable programs or executable programs to be executed by, for example, the following in combination with Fig.10The program may be executed by a computer processor such as the processor 1012 shown in the exemplary processor platform 1000 discussed above. The program may be embodied in software stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disk, hard drive, DVD, Blu-ray disk, or memory associated with the processor 1012), however, the entire program and / or portions thereof may alternatively be executed by a device other than the processor 1012 and / or embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware. Furthermore, although reference is made to Fig. 8A , the flowcharts shown in 8B and 9 describe exemplary procedures, but many other methods of implementing the exemplary fan blade generator 101 and / or gas turbine engine generator 100 may be used instead. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be changed, and / or some of the blocks described may be changed, eliminated, or combined. Additionally or alternatively, any or all of the blocks may be implemented by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., discrete and / or integrated analog and / or digital circuits, FPGAs, ASICs, comparators, operational amplifiers (op-amps), logic circuits, etc.) configured to perform the corresponding operations without executing software or firmware.

[0059] The machine-readable instructions described herein may be stored in one or more of a compressed format, an encrypted format, a segmented format, a compiled format, an executable format, a packaged format, and the like. The machine-readable instructions described herein may be stored as data (e.g., portions of instructions, code, representations of code, and the like) that may be used to create, manufacture, and / or generate machine-executable instructions. For example, the machine-readable instructions may be segmented and stored on one or more storage devices and / or computing devices (e.g., servers). The machine-readable instructions may require one or more of installation, modification, adaptation, update, merging, supplementation, configuration, decryption, decompression, unpacking, distribution, redistribution, compilation, and the like to enable them to be directly read, interpreted, and / or executed by a computing device and / or other machine. For example, the machine-readable instructions may be stored in multiple parts that are compressed, encrypted, and stored on separate computing devices, wherein the parts, after decryption, decompression, and combination, form a set of executable instructions that implement a program such as described herein.

[0060] In another example, the machine-readable instructions may be stored in a state in which they can be read by a computer, but require the addition of a library (e.g., a dynamic link library (DLL)), a software development kit (SDK), an application programming interface (API), etc., in order to execute the instructions on a particular computing device or other device. In another example, the machine-readable instructions and / or corresponding programs may need to be configured (e.g., stored settings, data inputs, recorded network addresses, etc.) before the machine-readable instructions and / or corresponding programs can be executed in whole or in part. Therefore, the disclosed machine-readable instructions and / or corresponding programs are intended to cover such machine-readable instructions and / or programs regardless of the specific format or state of these machine-readable instructions and / or programs when stored or at rest or in transmission.

[0061] The machine-readable instructions described herein may be represented by any past, present or future instruction language, scripting language, programming language, etc. For example, the machine-readable instructions may be represented by any of the following languages: C, C++, Java, C#, Perl, Python, JavaScript, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Structured Query Language (SQL), Swift, etc.

[0062] As mentioned above, Figures 8A-8B The exemplary processes of may be implemented using executable instructions (e.g., computer and / or machine readable instructions) stored in a non-transitory computer and / or machine readable medium (e.g., a hard drive, flash memory, read-only memory, compact disk, digital versatile disk, cache, random access memory and / or any other storage device or storage disk that stores information (for any period of time, e.g., for an extended period of time, permanently, temporarily, for temporary buffering and / or for caching of information). As used herein, the term "non-transitory computer readable medium" is expressly defined to include any type of computer readable storage device and / or storage disk and to exclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media.

[0063] "Include" and "comprising" (and all forms and tenses thereof) are used herein as open-ended terms. Thus, whenever a claim employs any form of "include" or "comprising" (e.g., includes, comprises, consists of, has, etc.) as a preamble or in any kind of claim narrative, it should be understood that other elements, terms, etc. may be present without exceeding the scope of the corresponding claim or narrative. As used herein, when the expression "at least" is used as a transitional term, such as in the preamble of a claim, it is open-ended in the same manner as the terms "include" and "comprising" are open-ended. When used, for example, in a form such as A, B, and / or C, the term "and / or" refers to any combination or subset of A, B, C, such as (1) A alone, (2) B alone, (3) C alone, (4) A and B, (5) A and C, (6) B and C, and (7) A and B and C. As used herein in the context of describing structures, components, items, objects, and / or things, the expression “at least one of A and B” is intended to refer to embodiments that include any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) at least one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing structures, components, items, objects, and / or things, the expression “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer to embodiments that include any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) at least one A and at least one B. As used herein in the context of describing the execution or performance of processes, instructions, actions, activities, and / or steps, the expression “at least one of A and B” is intended to refer to embodiments that include any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) at least one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing the execution or performance of processes, instructions, actions, activities, and / or steps, the expression “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer to embodiments that include any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) at least one A and at least one B.

[0064] As used herein, singular references (e.g., "a", "an", "first", "second", etc.) do not exclude a plurality. As used herein, the term "a" or "an" entity refers to one or more of that entity. The terms "a" (or "an"), "one or more" and "at least one" are used interchangeably herein. Furthermore, although listed separately, multiple tools, elements or method actions may be implemented by, for example, a single unit or processor. In addition, although individual features may be included in different exemplary embodiments or claims, these features may be combined, and inclusion in different exemplary embodiments or claims does not mean that a combination of features is not feasible and / or disadvantageous.

[0065] Figures 8A-8BAn exemplary flow chart representing machine readable instructions 800 that may be executed to implement Figure 7 The exemplary fan blade generator 101 is used to generate Figure 1-2 The structure of the exemplary fan blade 136 of the exemplary engine 102 is described in conjunction with the exemplary blade 136 of the exemplary engine 102. Figures 8A-8B However, in other examples, the example instructions 800 may be performed in conjunction with any type of fan blade for any type of rotor and / or fan.

[0066] At block 802, the example component interface 700 obtains initial test results and / or design requirements. For example, the component interface 700 may obtain initial test results from the engine 102, wherein vibrations, impact energy, etc. are measured relative to fan blades. Additionally or alternatively, the component interface 700 may obtain design requirements corresponding to how much vibration damping, shock absorption, and / or strength is required for different regions of the fan blade 136. At block 804, the example test results analyzer 702 identifies radial regions corresponding to impact energy and / or vibrations exceeding a threshold amount based on the test results and / or design requirements. For example, if the test results are consistent with exceeding a threshold amount of impact energy and / or vibrations at a depth of 200 (150 m) from the root, the example test results analyzer 702 may determine whether the radial region corresponds to a threshold amount of impact energy and / or vibrations. Figure 2 ), the test result analyzer 702 identifies a corresponding radial region of 7 to 10 inches from the root 200.

[0067] At block 806, the example fan blade structure generator 704 determines whether the two or more regions are within a threshold distance of each other. For example, if the test result analyzer 702 determines that there is a vibration exceeding a threshold amount in the 7-10 inch region and the 11-12 inch region (e.g., the 11 inch and 12 inch regions from the root 200), and the threshold distance is two inches, the test result analyzer 702 determines that the two regions are within the threshold distance. If the example fan blade structure generator 704 determines that the two or more regions are not within the threshold distance of each other (block 806: No), control continues to block 810. If the example fan blade structure generator 704 determines that the two or more regions are within the threshold distance of each other (block 806: Yes), the example fan blade structure generator 704 combines the two or more regions within the threshold distance of each other (block 808). In the above example, the fan blade structure generator 704 combines the 7-10 inch region with the 11-12 inch region to generate the 7-12 inch region.

[0068] At block 810, the example fan blade structure generator 704 selects a first identified and / or combined region for shock absorption and / or vibration damping.At block 812, the example fan blade structure generator 704 generates a fan blade model having one or more hollow interiors for identifying and / or combining regions.

[0069] At block 814, the example fan blade structure generator 704 generates the number of hairpin structures 302a, 302b, the size of the hairpin structures 302a, 302b, and / or the characteristics of the hairpin structures 302a, 302b (e.g., size, stiffness, material, location, orientation, amount of contact between adjacent hairpin structures, amount of gap between adjacent hairpin structures, etc.) based on the test results and / or design requirements. For example, the fan blade structure generator 704 may include a less rigid hairpin structure 302b that requires additional vibration damping, or may include a higher stiffness hairpin structure 302a and / or additional air and / or elastic material for the fan blade 136 to provide additional impact protection. For example, if there is more than a threshold amount of vibration and / or if more damping of vibration is desired, more hairpin structures 302a, 302b may be tilted differently to provide more friction surface for vibration damping. If there is a load impact exceeding a threshold amount and / or if additional shock absorption is desired, the thickness and / or angle of the hairpin structure may be adjusted to provide more air and / or superelastic material cavity 304 within fan blade 136 to provide higher shock absorption. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 3 The fan blade 136 of FIG. 1 may be used for higher impact loads on the leading edge because it is more capable of handling higher impact loads on the leading edge. Additionally or alternatively, a fan blade 136 may be used based on the modal shape of the fan blade 136 (e.g., such as bending mode, torsion mode, and stripe mode). Figure 5 and / or 6 fan blades.

[0070] At block 816, the example model generator 706 uses virtual fusion (eg, corresponding to Figure 44 ), a hairpin structure is virtually applied to an inner wall (e.g., a hollow region) of the outer body 204 of the digital representation of the fan blade 136. In some examples, the virtual fusion may be a fusion shear that is configured to break when an energy exceeding a threshold amount occurs to increase the amount of energy damping. At block 818, the example fan blade structure generator 704 determines whether there are additional hollow regions for the structure (e.g., hairpin structures 302a, 302b and hairpin patterns). If the example fan blade structure generator 704 determines that there are no additional regions for the structure (block 818: No), control continues to block 822. If the example fan blade structure generator 704 determines that there are additional hollow regions for the structure (block 818: Yes), the example fan blade structure generator 704 selects a subsequent identified and / or combined region for impact and / or vibration damping (block 820), and control returns to block 812.

[0071] At block 822, the example digital model 706 tests the fan blade design using a digital twin (e.g., a virtual implementation of the example engine 102). The testing may correspond to different simulated flights and / or scenarios that are used to generate results corresponding to the vibration, energy, strength, etc. of the generated fan blade design. At block 826, the example test result analyzer 702 determines whether the results of the virtual test correspond to a passing result (e.g., whether the vibration and / or energy obtained by the virtual fan blade is below one or more thresholds, and / or whether the strength of the virtual fan blade is sufficient). If the example test result analyzer 702 determines that the results of the virtual test do not pass (block 824: No), the example fan blade structure generator 704 adjusts the fan blade design based on the initial results (e.g., from block 802) and subsequent results (block 826), and control returns to block 822 until the virtual test results do result in a passing result. If the example test results analyzer 702 determines that the results of the virtual test pass (block 824 : YES), the example component interface 700 outputs the fan blade design to the example gas turbine engine generator 100 to produce the fan blade 136 in the engine 102 based on the fan blade design.

[0072] Fig. 9 An exemplary flow chart representing machine readable instructions and / or manufacturing method 900 may be executed to implement Figure 1 An exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 is manufactured Figure 1-2 The structure of the exemplary fan blade 136 of the exemplary engine 102 is described in conjunction with the exemplary blade 136 of the exemplary engine 102. Fig. 9However, in other examples, the exemplary instructions and / or method 900 may be performed in conjunction with any type of fan blade for any type of rotor and / or fan.

[0073] At block 902, the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 receives a Figure 1 and / or Figure 7 The exemplary fan blade generator 101 of the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 obtains a fan blade design. At block 904, the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 generates hairpin structures 302a, 302b according to the fan blade design. As described above, the fan blade design identifies the number, location, size, material, etc. of hairpin structures 302a, 302b to be used in the fan blade 136. The exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 uses these elements and / or generates hairpin elements based on characteristics according to the fan blade design.

[0074] At block 906, the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 begins to create the fan blade 136 according to the fan blade design. As described above, the sections of the fan blade 136 may be solid, or may include hollow sections filled with hairpin structures 302a, 302b and / or elastic material (e.g., corresponding to air and / or superelastic material cavities 304). The exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 may create (e.g., manufacture) the fan blade 136 using casting, additive, molds, and / or three-dimensional printing. The exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 may create the fan blade 136 using composite materials or metals (e.g., titanium, steel, Inco, etc.), shape memory alloys (e.g., nickel-titanium), combinations of composite materials and metals, etc. When the gas turbine engine generator 100 begins to generate the fan blade 136, the gas turbine engine generator 100 determines whether the current section of the fan blade 136 being created corresponds to one or more hairpin structures 302a, 302b based on the fan blade design (block 908).

[0075] If the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 determines that the current section of the fan blade 136 does not correspond to a hairpin structure (block 908: No), control continues to block 916. If the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 determines that the current section of the fan blade 136 corresponds to a hairpin structure (block 908: Yes), the gas turbine engine generator 100 creates a portion of the outer body 204 according to the fan blade design (block 910), leaving a hollow interior. For placing the hairpin structures 302a, 302b therein. At block 912, the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 inserts the hairpin structures 302a, 302b into the interior of the outer body 204 according to the fan blade design. Additionally or alternatively, the gas turbine engine generator 100 may integrally print the hairpin elements in the fan blade structure by additives. In some examples, the gas turbine engine generator 100 additionally inserts and / or fills the excess hollow space (e.g., based on the fan blade design) with a superelastic material. Additionally or alternatively, the gas turbine engine generator 100 may use shear welding or other types of welding (eg, based on the fan blade design) to attach the hairpin structures 302a, 302b to the inner wall of the outer body 204.

[0076] At box 914, the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 completes a portion of the casing according to the fan blade design so that the inserted hairpin structures 302a, 302b are enclosed in the fan blade 136. At box 916, the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 continues to create (e.g., by casting, molding, or adding and / or printing) the fan blade 136 according to the fan blade design. At box 918, the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 determines whether the fan blade 136 is complete. If the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 determines that the fan blade 136 is not complete (box 918: No), control returns to box 908. If the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100 determines that the fan blade 136 is complete (box 918: Yes), the process ends.

[0077] Fig.10 is a block diagram of an exemplary processor platform 1000 configured to perform Figures 8A-8B and / or Fig. 9 Instructions to achieve Figure 7 1. The processor platform 1000 may be, for example, a server, a personal computer, a workstation, a self-learning machine (eg, a neural network), or any other type of computing device.

[0078] The processor platform 1000 of the illustrated example includes a processor 1012. The processor 1012 of the illustrated example is hardware. For example, the processor 1012 can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, microprocessors, GPUs, DSPs, or controllers of any desired family or manufacturer. The hardware processor can be a semiconductor-based (e.g., silicon-based) device. In this exemplary embodiment, the processor implements the exemplary gas turbine engine generator 100, the exemplary component interface 700, the exemplary test result analyzer 702, the exemplary fan blade structure generator 704, and the exemplary digital model 706.

[0079] The processor 1012 of the illustrated example includes a local memory 1013 (e.g., a cache). The processor 1012 of the illustrated example communicates with a main memory including a volatile memory 1014 and a non-volatile memory 1016 via a bus 1018. The volatile memory 1014 may be comprised of a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory The main memory 1014 and 1016 may be implemented by a memory controller.

[0080] The processor platform 1000 of the illustrated example also includes an interface circuit 1020. The interface circuit 1020 may be implemented by any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, a universal serial bus (USB), interface, near field communication (NFC) interface, and / or PCI Express interface.

[0081] In the example shown, one or more input devices 1022 are connected to the interface circuit 1020. The input devices 1022 allow a user to enter data and / or commands into the processor 1012. The input devices may be implemented by, for example, an audio sensor, a microphone, a camera (still or video), a keyboard, buttons, a mouse, a touch screen, a trackpad, a trackball, isopoint, and / or a voice recognition system.

[0082] One or more output devices 1024 are also connected to the interface circuit 1020 of the illustrated example. The output device 1024 can be implemented, for example, by a display device (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube display (CRT), an in-place switch (IPS) display, a touch screen, etc.), a tactile output device, a printer, and / or a speaker. Therefore, the interface circuit 1020 of the illustrated example typically includes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chip, and / or a graphics driver processor.

[0083] The interface circuitry 1020 of the illustrated example also includes communication devices, such as transmitters, receivers, transceivers, modems, residential gateways, wireless access points, and / or network interfaces to facilitate data exchange with external machines (e.g., any kind of computing device) over the network 1026. Communications may be through, for example, an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line (DSL) connection, a telephone line connection, a coaxial cable system, a satellite system, a line-of-site wireless system, a cellular telephone system, and the like.

[0084] The processor platform 1000 of the illustrated example also includes one or more mass storage devices 1028 for storing software and / or data. Examples of such mass storage devices 1028 include floppy disk drives, hard disk drives, optical disk drives, Blu-ray disk drives, redundant array of independent disks (RAID) systems, and digital versatile disk (DVD) drives.

[0085] Fig. 8A , 8B and / or 9 machine executable instructions 1032 may be stored in the mass storage device 1028, in the volatile memory 1014, in the non-volatile memory 1016, and / or on a removable, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a CD or DVD).

[0086] Further aspects of the invention are provided by the subject matter of the following clauses:

[0087] 1. A fan blade, comprising: an outer body, the outer body comprising a first side and a second side; a first hairpin structure, the first hairpin structure connected to the first side of the outer body and the second side of the outer body; and a second hairpin structure, the second hairpin structure connected to the first side and the second side, the first hairpin structure contacting the second hairpin structure.

[0088] 2. The fan blade of any preceding clause, wherein the first hairpin structure is at least one of a "U" shape, a "V" shape, or a "C" shape.

[0089] 3. A fan blade according to any preceding clause, wherein the first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure are made of different materials.

[0090] 4. A fan blade according to any preceding clause, wherein the first hairpin structure corresponds to a first stiffness and the second hairpin structure corresponds to a second stiffness different from the first stiffness.

[0091] 5. A fan blade according to any preceding clause, wherein the first hairpin structure is coupled to the first side and the second side of the outer body by fusion shears.

[0092] 6. A fan blade according to any preceding clause, wherein the first hairpin structure is clipped together with the second hairpin structure.

[0093] 7. A fan blade according to any preceding clause, wherein at least one of an air cavity or an elastic material is present between the first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure, at least one of the air cavity or the elastic material providing shock absorption.

[0094] 8. A fan blade according to any preceding clause, wherein the first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure provide at least one of vibration damping or energy absorption.

[0095] 9. A fan blade according to any preceding clause, wherein the first hairpin structure comprises at least one of graphene-impregnated carbon nanotubes, functionally gradient materials, metals, or shape memory alloys.

[0096] 10. The fan blade of any preceding clause, wherein the first hairpin structure extends radially from a first position of the fan blade to a second position of the fan blade.

[0097] 11. A fan blade according to any preceding clause, wherein the first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure rub against each other when the first side of the outer body and the second side of the outer body are compressed together.

[0098] 12. A turbine engine comprising: a compressor; a turbine; and a rotor, the rotor comprising a fan blade, the fan blade comprising a first hairpin structure coupled to a first side of a first inner wall of the fan blade and a second side of a second inner wall of the fan blade.

[0099] 13. The turbine engine according to any preceding clause, wherein the fan blade comprises a second hairpin structure coupled to a first side of the first inner wall of the fan blade and to a second side of the second inner wall of the fan blade.

[0100] 14. A turbine engine according to any preceding clause, wherein the first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure rub against each other when the first side of the first inner wall and the second side of the second inner wall are compressed together.

[0101] 15. A method for designing a fan blade, wherein the method comprises: generating a design of the fan blade to include a first hairpin structure and a second hairpin structure, the first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure corresponding to test results; fusing the first hairpin structure to a first inner side and a second inner side of the fan blade, the first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure contacting inside the fan blade; and attaching the fan blade to a rotor.

[0102] 16. The method according to any preceding clause, further comprising determining a characteristic of the first hairpin structure based on the test results.

[0103] 17. The method of any preceding clause, wherein the characteristic corresponds to at least one of a size of the first hairpin structure, a material of the first hairpin structure, a shape of the first hairpin structure, an angle of the first hairpin structure, or an orientation of the first hairpin structure.

[0104] 18. The method of any preceding clause, further comprising: generating a virtual model of the fan blade; testing the virtual model of the fan blade; and adjusting the design based on the testing of the virtual model.

[0105] 19. The method of any preceding clause, further comprising selecting a first stiffness for the first hairpin structure for shock absorption, and selecting a second stiffness for the second hairpin structure.

[0106] 20. The method of any preceding clause, wherein the first hairpin structure extends radially across the fan blade.

[0107] Based on the foregoing, it can be appreciated that exemplary methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture have been disclosed for producing fan blades having inherent damping properties. The disclosed fan blades provide vibration damping and / or energy absorption for fan blades that are lighter than conventional fan blades. The disclosed fan blades can be customized for fans that experience specific energy and / or vibrations to optimize and / or improve the strength and / or durability of an engine in which the fan blades are implemented.

[0108] Although certain example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture are disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture falling within the scope of the claims of this patent.

[0109] The following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description by reference, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A fan blade, characterized in that: include: an outer body comprising a first side and a second side; a first hairpin structure in contact with (a) the first side of the outer body and (b) the second side of the outer body; and A second hairpin structure is provided, the second hairpin structure being in contact with (a) the first side and (b) the second side, wherein the first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure are made of different materials.

2. The fan blade according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first hairpin structure is at least one of a "U" shape, a "V" shape, or a "C" shape.

3. The fan blade according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first hairpin structure corresponds to a first stiffness, and the second hairpin structure corresponds to a second stiffness different from the first stiffness.

4. The fan blade according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first hairpin structure contacts the first side and the second side of the outer body by melt shearing.

5. The fan blade according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure are clamped together.

6. The fan blade according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of an air cavity or a resilient material is present between the first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure, the at least one of the air cavity or the resilient material providing shock absorption.

7. The fan blade according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first hairpin structure and the second hairpin structure provide at least one of vibration damping or energy absorption.

8. The fan blade according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first hairpin structure includes at least one of graphene-impregnated carbon nanotubes, functionally gradient materials, metals, or shape memory alloys.

9. The fan blade according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first hairpin structure extends radially from a first position of the fan blade to a second position of the fan blade.

10. The fan blade according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first and second hairpin structures rub against each other when the first side of the outer body and the second side of the outer body are compressed together.

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