Composite Blade Foaming Agent for Internal Pressurization
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in shaping composite blades lies in achieving precise dimensional accuracy, particularly in surface shape, due to difficulties in applying pressure to the composite skin from the inside out, leading to void generation and increased manufacturing costs, and the limitations of foaming agents in maintaining pressurization during hot forming.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of prepreg with reinforcing fibers and a foaming agent that includes low-temperature and high-temperature foaming bodies to maintain internal pressurization, where the foaming agent is heated to expand and cure, ensuring appropriate pressurization and preventing shaping defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If a foaming agent is used to apply pressure from inside the composite blade during hot forming, then pressure application is improved, but the foaming agent cures and loses pressurization capability over time
Solution Approach 1:
The foaming agent is divided into multiple foaming bodies with different foaming temperatures. Low-temperature foaming bodies foam first during initial heating, providing early pressurization. High-temperature foaming bodies foam later at elevated temperatures, maintaining pressurization throughout the extended curing process. This segmentation allows the pressurization function to be sustained throughout the entire hot forming duration.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the temperature parameter of the foaming agent by incorporating multiple foaming bodies with different foaming characteristics. As temperature increases during hot forming, different foaming bodies activate sequentially, allowing the pressurization mechanism to adapt to changing temperature conditions and maintain effectiveness throughout the process.
2Temperature
If resin with heat resistance is used in the composite blade, then heat resistance is improved, but the resin enters low viscosity state for a long time requiring extended pressurization
Solution Approach 1:
The foaming agent is segmented into multiple foaming bodies that foam at different temperature stages. This ensures pressurization is maintained throughout the extended low-viscosity period of heat-resistant resin, with low-temperature foaming bodies addressing early stages and high-temperature foaming bodies addressing later stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple foaming bodies ensure continuous pressurization throughout the entire low-viscosity period of the heat-resistant resin. By coordinating the foaming temperatures of different foaming bodies with the resin's viscosity timeline, pressurization is maintained continuously from initial heating through complete curing.
3Strength
If metal part is placed inside composite skin, then structural integrity is improved, but weight reduction is offset
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the metal part from the composite blade structure, eliminating the weight penalty associated with metallic components. The foaming agent serves as an internal support structure during forming, allowing the composite skin to be formed with high precision without requiring a metal core for structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite materials throughout the blade structure, including the foaming agent which is typically made from composite materials. This maintains the weight advantages of composite construction while achieving the necessary structural integrity through proper composite skin forming and curing.
4Manufacturing precision
If metal part and composite skin are separately shaped with high precision, then dimensional accuracy is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the shaping of the composite skin with the curing process of heat-resistant resin into a single integrated operation. The foaming agent provides internal support during this combined process, allowing high-precision shaping to be achieved without requiring separate metal part fabrication and assembly, thereby reducing manufacturing cost.
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
This method effectively prevents shaping defects by maintaining pressurization within the composite blade, allowing for precise shaping and reducing manufacturing costs while avoiding separation of prepreg plies and insufficiency in pressurization.
Implementation Method 1
a foaming agent that includes low-temperature and high-temperature foaming bodies to maintain internal pressurization, where the foaming agent is heated to expand
Implementation Method 2
the foaming agent is heated to expand and cure
Implementation Method 3
heating the foaming agent to expand, and heating the suction-side laminate and the pressure-side laminate to cure
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method of shaping a composite blade made of a composite material by curing prepreg in which reinforcing fibers are impregnated with resin. A foaming agent disposed in an internal space of the composite blade contains a plurality of foaming bodies and foaming agent resin. The foaming bodies foam by being heated. The foaming agent resin cures by being heated. The foaming bodies include low-temperature side foaming bodies and high-temperature side foaming bodies. The low-temperature side foaming bodies foam in a low temperature range during a curing step. The high-temperature side foaming bodies foam in a high temperature range corresponding to temperatures higher than the low temperature range during the curing step.