Composite Propeller Blade Root With Wound 3D Woven Skins
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of propeller blades or vanes for turboprop engines with compact, axisymmetric feet that can withstand various mechanical loads, including tensile, bending, and circumferential compressive loads, is challenging due to the complexity of manufacturing in composite materials and the integration requirements for variable-pitch systems.
Innovation Solution
A method involving three-dimensional weaving of a fibrous blank with a debonding plane to separate the foot portion into two woven sections, followed by winding these sections around an insertion element to form a compact, axisymmetric foot, combined with a fibrous reinforcement densified by a matrix, ensuring mechanical strength and compatibility with rotation systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If three-dimensional weaving is used to form the fibrous reinforcement of the blade, then the mechanical strength and composite structure are improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases significantly when trying to achieve axisymmetric foot shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The foot portion of the fibrous blank is segmented into two separate woven portions by introducing a debonding plane. Each woven portion is then independently shaped and wound around the insertion element, dividing the complex manufacturing task into manageable segments that can be processed separately before final assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The two woven portions are wound around an insertion element (such as a metal shell or core), nesting the fibrous reinforcement within a supporting structure. This nesting approach allows the creation of compact axisymmetric foot shapes while maintaining the mechanical strength benefits of three-dimensional weaving.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the foot is made compact and axisymmetric to enable integration into variable-pitch systems, then the adaptability and space efficiency are improved, but the ability to withstand circumferential compressive loads decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The solution employs composite materials by combining the fibrous reinforcement (from three-dimensional weaving) with a matrix material and an insertion element (such as metal shell). This composite structure enables the compact axisymmetric foot shape needed for variable-pitch systems while the combination of materials provides the necessary circumferential compression resistance that a single material could not achieve alone.
3Strength
If the foot extends over the entire width of the lower part of the blade as in prior art, then the structural support is improved, but the overall size and integration height increase
Solution Approach 1:
The foot is designed with an axisymmetric curved shape rather than extending flat across the entire width of the blade. This curved, compact configuration reduces the overall volume and integration height of the foot while the three-dimensional woven fibrous reinforcement and composite structure maintain the necessary structural support and load-bearing capacity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a propeller blade or airfoil (10) for a turboprop engine, made from composite material and comprising a matrix-densified fibrous reinforcement, the propeller blade or airfoil comprising, in a longitudinal direction (DL), a root (12) and an aerodynamic profile (11). The fibrous reinforcement comprises a fibrous preform (200) having a three-dimensional weave with a root preform portion (121) present in the root (12) and an aerodynamic profile portion (211) present in the aerodynamic profile (11), the root (212) and aerodynamic profile (211) perform portions being joined to one another by the three-dimensional weave. The root preform portion (212) includes two woven skins (2121, 2122) wound around an insert (130).