Gas Turbine Airfoil Composite Layout for Bird-Strike Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing airfoils for gas turbine engines face challenges in achieving a balance between mechanical robustness, efficiency, and weight reduction, particularly in withstanding mechanical forces such as bird strikes while maintaining performance.
Innovation Solution
The use of composite materials with tailored properties, including a hollow fiber composite inner portion and a solid carbon and glass fiber composite surface portion, provides enhanced mechanical properties and efficiency by reducing weight and optimizing material densities and tensile strengths across different parts of the airfoil.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional solid composite materials are used throughout the airfoil, then mechanical robustness is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The airfoil employs different composite material configurations in different regions: the inner portion uses hollow fiber composites for weight reduction, while the surface portion uses solid carbon and glass fiber composites for mechanical robustness. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by optimizing each region for its specific functional requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite materials combining hollow fibers, carbon fibers, and glass fibers in specific configurations. The hollow fiber composite provides lightweight structure while the solid carbon and glass fiber composites provide surface strength, together resolving the weight-strength tradeoff.
2Weight of moving object
If hollow fiber composite is used in the inner portion, then weight is reduced, but mechanical robustness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow fiber composite is specifically placed in the inner portion where weight reduction is prioritized, while the surface portion uses solid composites for robustness. This spatial differentiation allows weight reduction without compromising overall mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of hollow fiber composite in the inner portion with solid carbon and glass fiber composites in the surface portion creates a hybrid structure that achieves both weight reduction and maintained mechanical robustness through material synergies.
3Strength
If solid carbon and glass fiber composite is used in the surface portion, then mechanical robustness is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The solid carbon and glass fiber composite is applied specifically to the surface portion where mechanical robustness is critical for withstanding external forces like bird strikes, while the inner portion uses lighter hollow fiber composite, thus minimizing weight increase while maximizing surface strength.
4Ease of manufacture
If uniform material distribution is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but performance and efficiency are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The airfoil uses non-uniform material distribution with different composite configurations in inner and surface portions, optimizing performance and efficiency by placing materials where they are most needed, while the manufacturing process remains feasible through established composite fabrication techniques.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
An airfoil for a gas turbine engine. The airfoil includes an inner portion including a hollow fiber composite, and a surface portion including a solid fiber composite, the surface portion at least partially surrounding the inner portion.