Compacting Injection Mold for Composite Turbine Guide Vanes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional compacting and injection molds for fabricating turbine engine guide vanes out of composite materials are complex, difficult to assemble, and unreliable in ensuring complete leaktightness and proper compaction of the fiber preform, especially for geometrically complex shapes.
Innovation Solution
A compacting and injection mold design featuring a shell with plane bottom and top covers, compacting blocks that press normally against the fiber preform surfaces, and closure blocks that hold these compacting blocks in place, allowing for efficient compaction and sealing, with thermal expansion differences facilitating mold closure and final compaction during resin polymerization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If conventional molds use multiple bolted portions to compact the fiber preform, then compaction force can be applied, but the mold becomes complex to assemble and unreliable for ensuring leaktightness
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is divided into a fixed portion and a movable portion that can be separately assembled and disassembled. The compacting blocks are integrated into the fixed portion, while the movable portion applies compaction force through a press, simplifying the overall assembly structure while maintaining effective compaction capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Compaction blocks are introduced as intermediary elements between the press and the fiber preform. These blocks distribute the compaction force uniformly across the preform surfaces and are integrated into the mold's fixed portion, eliminating the need for complex bolted assemblies while ensuring reliable force application.
2Ease of operation
If conventional molds use force deflection columns to achieve multi-directional compaction, then various compacting directions can be obtained, but the mold becomes complex and unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The compacting blocks are pre-positioned in the fixed portion of the mold to contact specific surfaces of the fiber preform before the compaction process begins. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when the press applies force, the compaction is automatically distributed in multiple directions according to the preform's geometry, without requiring complex force deflection mechanisms.
3Reliability
If the mold is closed tightly to ensure leaktightness, then resin sealing is improved, but it becomes difficult to accommodate the expanded fibers from weaving
Solution Approach 1:
The mold incorporates a movable portion that can be displaced relative to the fixed portion during the compaction process. This dynamic capability allows the mold to progressively compress the fiber preform, accommodating the expansion of woven fibers while ultimately achieving tight closure for leaktight resin sealing. The movable portion acts as a cushioning element that absorbs the volume changes during compaction.
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 mold design simplifies the assembly and ensures reliable leaktightness and proper compaction of complex shapes, improving the reliability and efficiency of the manufacturing process for turbine engine guide vanes.
Implementation Method 1
compacting blocks arranged inside the trough, each having a surface pressing normally against a surface of the fiber preform that is to be compacted
Implementation Method 2
closure blocks arranged inside the trough, each closure block having a surface pressing normally against a surface of a compacting block
Implementation Method 3
The bottom and top covers serve to close the assembly and to provide good sealing against resin
Implementation Method 4
a thermosetting resin is injected throughout the recess in order to impregnate the preform, and the assembly is heated in order to polymerize the resin
Data Source
AI summary
A compacting and injection mold for a fiber preform is for use in fabricating a turbine engine guide vane out of composite material. The mold includes a shell forming a trough that is to receive the fiber preform and that is closed in leaktight manner by bottom and top covers, compacting blocks arranged inside the trough each having a surface pressing normally against a surface of the fiber preform that is to be compacted, and closure blocks arranged inside the trough. Each closure block has a surface pressing normally against a surface of a compacting block and does not have a surface in contact with the fiber preform.