Airfoil Assembly With Co-Cured Spar Inserts for Simpler Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional airfoil assemblies in turbine engines face challenges in manufacturing complexity and assembly difficulties due to the need for labor-intensive methods to couple the spar to the trunnion, which complicates maintenance and increases production burdens.
Innovation Solution
An airfoil assembly design featuring a spar with a furcated tail and set of branches defining intervening gaps, where inserts are received within these gaps and co-cured with the spar to form a unitary body, simplifying the assembly process and reducing manufacturing complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional coupling methods are used to attach the spar to the trunnion, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the manufacturing complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spar and trunnion are merged into a unitary structure through co-curing, eliminating the need for separate coupling components. The inserts are integrated directly into the spar during the curing process, creating a unified structure that reduces assembly steps and manufacturing complexity while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The inserts are pre-positioned within the furcated tail branches before the curing process begins. This preliminary placement ensures proper alignment and integration of the spar with the trunnion, simplifying the overall assembly process by eliminating the need for complex coupling mechanisms during final assembly.
2Productivity
If labor-intensive methods are used to couple the spar to the trunnion, then precise alignment is achieved, but production time and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The co-curing process combines the spar and trunnion into a single integrated component, eliminating multiple assembly steps and reducing production time. The unitary structure is formed in one curing cycle, significantly improving productivity compared to conventional multi-step assembly methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The furcated tail design with pre-positioned inserts prepares the spar for automatic or semi-automatic integration with the trunnion. This preliminary configuration reduces the need for manual alignment and adjustment during assembly, thereby reducing assembly time and increasing production efficiency.
3Ease of repair
If complex coupling methods are used, then structural strength is enhanced, but maintenance difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The unitary structure formed by co-curing the spar and trunnion eliminates complex coupling mechanisms that would be difficult to maintain. The integrated design reduces the number of potential failure points and simplifies inspection and repair procedures, as there are no separate coupling components to examine or replace.
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 simplified assembly process results in a more efficient and cost-effective manufacturing of airfoil assemblies with reduced labor and time requirements, enhancing maintenance ease by eliminating the need for complex coupling methods.
Implementation Method 1
inserts provided within the set of intervening gaps, with the inserts being co-cured with the spar to form a unitary body
Data Source
AI summary
An airfoil assembly for a turbine engine. The airfoil assembly has an airfoil, and a spa. The airfoil has a wall bounding an interior and defining an exterior surface. The wall extends between a leading edge and a trailing edge to define a chordwise direction, and between a root and a tip to define a spanwise direction. The spar includes a centerline axis, the spar extends into the interior of the airfoil.