Component with collapsible flange

Abstract

The present application relates to a component (10) with a collapsible flange, the component (10) comprising a first component (11) and at least one second component (12) movable relative to the first component (11) between a collapsed position and an expanded position, the first component (11) and the at least one second component (12) being formed together by an additive manufacturing process, the at least one second component (12) forms a flange of the component (10) for connection to a further component (20) in the deployed position. When the second component is located at the folding position, the component has the small maximum size and is not prone to being limited by the size of the machining space of additive manufacturing equipment, and the feasibility of producing the component through the additive manufacturing technology is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a component with a foldable flange, and more particularly to an aircraft engine component with a foldable flange. Background Technology

[0002] Flanges are typically installed on two components during machining and assembly to connect them. Figure 1 A component 10P is shown, which includes a body 11P and a plurality of flange units 12P with mounting holes 123P disposed on the body 11P. Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the assembly of two components with such a configuration together using bolts 30P. However, because the flange unit 12P is always in an upright position (extending radially along the body 11P in this example), component 10P has a relatively large maximum dimension (radial dimension in this example). Maximum dimension is a critical parameter when manufacturing components using additive manufacturing techniques, limited by the processing space of the additive manufacturing equipment. In other words, for a given additive manufacturing equipment, the maximum dimension of the components it can manufacture should not exceed the maximum dimension it can accommodate. Therefore, reducing the maximum dimension of components with flanges is highly advantageous. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One of the objectives of this application is to reduce the maximum size of flanged components in order to improve the feasibility of manufacturing such components using additive manufacturing technology.

[0004] Therefore, embodiments of this application provide a component with a foldable flange. The component includes a first member and at least one second member movable relative to the first member between a folded position and an unfolded position. The first member and the at least one second member are formed together by an additive manufacturing process. When the at least one second member is in the unfolded position, it constitutes a flange for connection with other components. When the second member is in the folded position, the component has a smaller maximum size, is less constrained by the processing space of the additive manufacturing equipment, and greatly improves the feasibility of producing the component using additive manufacturing technology. When the second member is in the unfolded position, it forms a complete flange, functioning as a connection like a conventional flange. Such a component can be formed in one step, has high strength, and saves assembly time and costs.

[0005] According to some embodiments, the first member includes a surface for mating with other components, and at least one second member is located on the surface and is pivotable about an axis generally parallel to the surface.

[0006] According to some embodiments, the first component includes a body and at least two bushings integrally formed with the body, and at least one second component includes a flange unit with a through hole and a first shaft and a second shaft extending on both sides of the flange unit, the first shaft and the second shaft being movably formed in the two adjacent bushings by an additive manufacturing process, such that the flange unit can pivot about the first shaft and the second shaft between a folded position and an unfolded position.

[0007] According to some embodiments, the main body is a rotating body, and at least two bushings are distributed at intervals along the circumference of the rotating body on the axial end face of the rotating body near the outer edge, and the axes of the at least two bushings extend approximately along the circumference of the rotating body.

[0008] According to some embodiments, the flange unit extends axially along the rotating body or radially inward along the rotating body or in either direction when it is in the folded position, and extends radially outward along the rotating body when it is in the unfolded position.

[0009] According to some embodiments, the flange unit is generally a flat plate with a through hole extending through the thickness of the plate and having an axis that is generally perpendicular to the first and second axes.

[0010] According to some embodiments, both the first component and at least one second component are made of a metal suitable for additive manufacturing.

[0011] According to some embodiments, the component is an aircraft engine component, such as a rotor casing.

[0012] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this application. Other features, objectives, and advantages of this application will become apparent from the specification, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that these drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. For illustrative purposes, these drawings may not be drawn to scale.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view of a component with a flange in the prior art.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of two existing components with flanges assembled together.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic perspective view of a component with a foldable flange according to an embodiment of this application.

[0017] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A schematic partial side view of the first component of the shown part.

[0018] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 A schematic perspective view of the second component of the shown part.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a schematic partial perspective view of a component with a foldable flange assembled with another component according to an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic axial sectional view of a component with a foldable flange assembled with another component according to an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 8A This is a schematic side view of a component according to an embodiment of this application with the flange in a folded state.

[0022] Figure 8B This is a schematic side view of a component according to an embodiment of this application with the flange in the unfolded state.

[0023] List of reference numerals

[0024] 10P component with standard flange; 11P body; 12P flange unit; 123P mounting holes; 30P

[0025] 10 Bolt; 11 Component with foldable flange; 12 First component; 13 Body of the first component;

[0026] 111 Surface of the first component for mating with other components; 112 Bushing; 113 Bushing hole; 114 Clearance between adjacent bushings; 12 Second component; 121 First shaft; 122 Second shaft; 123 Assembly hole; 124 Flange unit; 20 Component with conventional flange; 22 Flange unit. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments according to this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0028] Figure 1 and Figure 2 The diagram shows a component with a conventional flange in the prior art, which has been described in the background section and will not be repeated here.

[0029] Figure 3 The illustration schematically shows a component 10 with a foldable flange according to an embodiment of this application. In this example, component 10 is an aircraft engine component, such as a rotor casing. However, those skilled in the art will understand that component 10 can be any component that needs to be assembled to other components via a flange. Figure 3 As shown, component 10 includes a first component 11 and several second components 12 movable relative to the first component 11 between a folded position and an unfolded position. The number of second components 12 can be set according to actual needs and is not limited here. The first component 11 and the second components 12 are integrally formed, for example, by an additive manufacturing process, to form a whole. In other words, the first component 11 and the second component 12 are not assembled together by additional connecting parts, but are directly manufactured together by a forming process, including various additive manufacturing processes that can achieve this purpose, such as selective laser melting (SLM), electron beam selective melting (EBSM), and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). The second components 12 can move in the folded position (see Figure 8A ) and unfolding position (see Figure 8B The components move between each other. Advantageously, when all the second components 12 are in the folded position, the maximum size of the first component 11 is the maximum size of the component 10. That is, the component 10 has a smaller maximum size (radial dimension in this example), which is less affected by the size limitation of the processing space of the additive manufacturing equipment, greatly improving the feasibility of producing the component 10 using additive manufacturing technology. During manufacturing, the component 10 with all the second components 12 in the folded position is directly manufactured in the additive manufacturing equipment. After being removed, when in use, all the second components 12 are unfolded to form a complete flange for connection with other components. Such a component 10 can be formed in one step, has high strength, and saves assembly time and cost.

[0030] According to some embodiments of this application, the first member 11 includes a surface 111 for mating with other components, and the second member 12 is located on the surface 111 and can pivot about an axis that is generally parallel to the surface 111. In this way, the second member 12 can be easily folded to a size not exceeding the maximum size of the first member 11, for example, to a position where the angle with the surface 111 is acute or right.

[0031] like Figure 4(Only a portion of the first component 11 is shown in the figure.) As illustrated, the first component 11 according to an embodiment of this application includes a main body 110 and at least two spaced-apart bushings 112 integrally formed with the main body 110. These bushings are distributed on the surface 111 of the first component 11 for mating with other components. Those skilled in the art can set the number, size, specific position, and spacing of the bushings 112 according to actual needs. Figure 5 As shown, the second component 12 includes a flange unit 124 with a through hole 123 (i.e., an assembly hole) and a first shaft 121 and a second shaft 122 extending on both sides of the flange unit 124, respectively. These two shafts are movably formed in the bushing holes 113 of two adjacent bushings 112 by an additive manufacturing process (see...). Figure 3 This allows the flange unit 124 to pivot about the first axis 121 and the second axis 122 between the folded and unfolded positions. Such a structure is simple, reliable, and easy to implement.

[0032] exist Figure 5 In the example, flange unit 124 is generally a flat plate, with through hole 123 penetrating the thickness of the plate and having an axis that is generally perpendicular to the first axis 121 and the second axis 122. Figure 5 The flange unit 124 shown is generally rectangular, but it should be understood that the flange unit 124 may also have any other suitable shape, such as triangular, trapezoidal, semi-circular, etc.

[0033] According to some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 3 As shown in Figure 8, the main body 110 of the first component 11 is a rotating body, and its axial end face is the surface 111 used for mating with other components. At least two bushings 112 are distributed circumferentially on this axial end face near its outer edge, and the axis of the bushings 112 extends substantially circumferentially along the rotating body. Correspondingly, a second component 12, movably formed in two adjacent bushings, can pivot about the axis of the bushing 112 between a folded position and an unfolded position. Advantageously, the flange unit 124 of the second component 12 extends axially along the rotating body, radially inward along the rotating body, or in any direction between these two directions when in the folded position, such that the overall maximum size of the component 10 does not increase due to the presence of the flange unit 124; when in the unfolded position, the flange unit 124 extends radially outward along the rotating body, thus collectively forming a complete flange for connecting the component 10 to other components. This design is particularly suitable for aero-engine components, especially for casings surrounding various rotors, effectively reducing their maximum size. Figure 8A As shown, when all flange units 124 are in the folded position, the maximum dimension of component 10 is equal to the maximum diameter D2 of its first component 11, as follows: Figure 8BAs shown, when all flange units 124 are in the unfolded position, the maximum size of component 10 is approximately equal to the maximum diameter D2 of its first component 11 plus the height of two flange units 124. In other words, the foldable flange design allows component 10 to have a smaller maximum size during manufacturing than its maximum size during normal use, by approximately the height of two flange units. This significantly improves the feasibility of manufacturing component 10 using additive manufacturing processes, whereas previously only traditional processes could be used, manufacturing the first component 11 and the second component 12 of component 10 separately and then assembling them together. Components integrally formed using additive manufacturing processes typically have superior mechanical properties and better meet the requirements of the aerospace industry.

[0034] Figure 6 and Figure 7 The illustration schematically depicts the assembly between a component 10 with a foldable flange and another component 20 with a conventional flange, according to an embodiment of this application. As shown, during assembly, the flange unit 124 of component 10 is unfolded to an upright position or pivoted to an unfolded position, and the mounting hole 123 of the flange unit 124 is aligned with the mounting hole of the corresponding flange unit of the other component 20. Fasteners such as bolts are then inserted into the mounting holes for securing the assembly. Of course, the other component 20 can also be a component with a foldable flange according to an embodiment of this application. In this case, both flange units of the components need to be unfolded to an upright position and aligned before fasteners are inserted for assembly.

[0035] When using additive manufacturing to manufacture the component 10 with a foldable flange according to the embodiments of this application, supports are typically "printed" at the required locations (e.g., between the bushing hole 113 of the first component 11 and the first and second shafts of the second component 12) during the manufacturing process. After manufacturing, the supports are removed in a suitable manner to obtain the component 10 in which the second component 12 can move relative to the first component 11. Those skilled in the art can set specific additive manufacturing process parameters according to actual conditions to manufacture qualified components. Preferably, both the first component 11 and the second component 12 are made of metals suitable for additive manufacturing, thereby manufacturing components with excellent performance, especially those that meet the requirements of aerospace components.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” used herein are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as may be used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0037] Terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “thickness,” “radial,” and “axial,” used herein to describe the relationship of one feature relative to another, as shown in the accompanying drawings, are for illustrative purposes and are not limited to a single location or spatial orientation. It is understood that, depending on the product's placement, the terms describing spatial relative positions may be intended to include different orientations besides those shown in the figures, and should not be interpreted as limiting. Furthermore, the descriptive term “horizontal,” as used herein, is not entirely equivalent to being perpendicular to the direction of gravity and allows for a certain angle of inclination. The terms “including” or “comprising” and similar expressions used herein mean that the elements or objects preceding “including” or “comprising” encompass the elements or objects listed following “including” or “comprising” and their equivalents, but do not exclude other elements or objects.

[0038] It should be understood that the terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this application specification do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components.

[0039] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A component (10) with a foldable flange, characterized in that, The component (10) includes a first member (11) and at least one second member (12) movable relative to the first member (11) between a folded position and an unfolded position. The first member (11) and the at least one second member (12) are formed together by an additive manufacturing process. When the at least one second member (12) is in the unfolded position, it constitutes a flange of the component (10) for connection with other components (20).

2. The component (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The first component (11) includes a surface (111) for mating with other components, and the at least one second component (12) is located on the surface (111) and is pivotable about an axis that is generally parallel to the surface (111).

3. The component (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The first component (11) includes a body (110) and at least two bushings (112) integrally formed with the body (110). The at least one second component (12) includes a flange unit (124) with a through hole (123) and a first shaft (121) and a second shaft (122) extending on both sides of the flange unit (124). The first shaft (121) and the second shaft (122) are movably formed in the two adjacent bushings (112) by an additive manufacturing process, such that the flange unit (124) can pivot about the first shaft (121) and the second shaft (122) between the folded position and the unfolded position.

4. The component (10) as claimed in claim 3, wherein, The main body (110) is a rotating body, and the at least two bushings (112) are distributed at intervals along the circumference of the rotating body on the axial end face of the rotating body near the outer edge, and the axes of the at least two bushings (112) extend approximately along the circumference of the rotating body.

5. The component (10) as claimed in claim 4, wherein, The flange unit (124) extends axially along the rotating body or radially inward along the rotating body or in either direction when it is in the folded position, and extends radially outward along the rotating body when it is in the unfolded position.

6. The component (10) as claimed in any one of claims 3-5, wherein, The flange unit (124) is generally a flat plate, and the through hole (123) extends through the thickness of the flat plate and has an axis that is generally perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis.

7. The component (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The first component (11) and the at least one second component (12) are both made of a metal suitable for additive manufacturing.

8. The component (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The component (10) is an aircraft engine component.

9. The component (10) as claimed in claim 8, wherein, The aircraft engine component is a rotor casing.

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