Abradable Casing Liner for Turbomachine Ice Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current protective panels in turbomachines, designed for straight blades, are inadequate for wide chord blades as they do not effectively protect the entire casing from ice impacts, leading to increased sound levels, complex and costly manufacturing, and high maintenance costs due to integration with soundproofing panels.
Innovation Solution
A laminated abradable support panel with a rigid honeycomb structure, featuring an upstream part with constant thickness and a downstream part with increasing thickness to absorb ice impacts, decoupled from soundproofing panels, allowing for simpler manufacturing and maintenance, and enhanced impact energy distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If protective panels are integrated with soundproofing panels in one piece, then protection against ice impacts is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is divided into two separate functional parts: a protective panel for ice impact protection and a soundproofing panel for acoustic insulation. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently using appropriate processes and materials, then assembled together, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining comprehensive protection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
While the protective and soundproofing functions are separated into different panels, they are combined in the same assembly location on the fan casing. The protective panel is positioned upstream to handle ice impacts, while the soundproofing panel is positioned downstream, creating a functional merger that achieves both protection goals without integrating the components into a single complex structure.
2Strength
If protective panels are made in one piece with soundproofing panels, then structural integrity is improved, but maintenance cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective panel and soundproofing panel are segmented as separate replaceable components. During maintenance, only the damaged protective panel needs to be replaced, while the soundproofing panel remains in place. This segmentation significantly reduces maintenance costs by avoiding the need to replace expensive soundproofing panels when the protective function is compromised.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective panel is designed as a sacrificial, easier-to-replace component that can be periodically inspected and replaced independently. This approach treats the protective panel as a consumable element that protects the more valuable and difficult-to-replace soundproofing panel, optimizing the overall maintenance strategy.
3Area of stationary object
If the axial extent of soundproofing panels is reduced to accommodate protective panels, then space utilization is improved, but sound level emitted by the turbomachine increases
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the protective and soundproofing functions into different panels positioned at different axial locations, the design allows the soundproofing panel to extend over the necessary axial distance without being constrained by the protective panel's thickness requirements. This segmentation enables optimal acoustic insulation while maintaining adequate space for impact protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a single-panel design where axial space must accommodate both functions to a multi-panel design where protective and soundproofing functions are distributed along the axial dimension. This dimensional arrangement allows each panel to be optimized for its specific function without compromising the other, effectively managing space utilization while controlling sound emission.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively protects the turbomachine casing from ice impacts, reduces sound levels, simplifies manufacturing and maintenance, and extends the service life of the abradable support panel by distributing impact energy across a larger surface area.
Implementation Method 1
distributing over a large surface the energy released by an impact of ice on the laminated structure, which makes it possible to increase the service life of the entire abradable support panel
Implementation Method 2
it also has the advantage of distributing over a large surface the energy released by an impact of ice on the laminated structure
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
Turbojet abradable support panel, comprising a rigid support (52) intended to be fixed to an internal wall of a fan casing (20) and one face of which is covered with a laminated structure (50) carrying a layer of abradable material (42), this laminated structure (42) being formed of sheets of fibers and comprising an upstream part (54) covered by the abradable (42) and a downstream part (56) which extends beyond the abradable (42), the thickness of the downstream part (56) being greater than that of the upstream part (54) and being capable of resisting ice impacts.