Composite Gas Turbine Casing Retention Zone Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine fan casings made of composite materials face challenges in creating a retention zone to prevent debris from reaching other engine parts while maintaining mechanical strength and minimizing weight, as existing methods disrupt the volume ratio of warp and weft yarns, potentially reducing cracking resistance and increasing overall weight.
Innovation Solution
A method involving three-dimensional weaving of fiber texture onto a mandrel with a reinforcing band of varying width to create a thicker retention zone without altering the volume ratio of warp and weft yarns, using materials like carbon, glass, or ceramic fibers, and densifying with a matrix to form a lightweight casing with enhanced mechanical properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the thickness of the retention zone is increased by adding warp yarns or increasing their size, then the retention zone thickness is improved, but the volume ratio between warp and weft yarns is disrupted, reducing cracking resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by placing a reinforcing band only in the retention zone where additional thickness is needed, rather than uniformly increasing thickness throughout the casing. This localized reinforcement maintains the equilibrium volume ratio in non-retention zones while providing the necessary thickness enhancement in the retention zone, thus preserving cracking resistance overall.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining the base fiber texture with an additional reinforcing band made of fibrous material. This composite structure allows the retention zone to have enhanced thickness and strength properties while the rest of the casing maintains its original material composition and volume ratio equilibrium.
2Volume of moving object
If the number of turns of fiber texture around the mandrel is increased to obtain desired thickness for the retention zone, then the retention zone thickness is improved, but the thickness and weight of the entire casing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by applying the reinforcing band only to the specific retention zone area rather than increasing the thickness of the entire casing. This selective reinforcement achieves the desired retention zone thickness without proportionally increasing the weight of the whole casing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the casing into different functional zones: the retention zone with enhanced thickness provided by the reinforcing band, and the non-retention zones with standard thickness. This segmentation allows differential thickness optimization, reducing overall weight compared to a uniformly thickened casing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of fabricating a gas turbine casing out of composite material of varying thickness, the method including making a strip-shaped fiber texture by three-dimensional weaving; winding the fiber texture as a plurality of superposed layers onto a mandrel of profile corresponding to the profile of the casing that is to be fabricated, so as to obtain a fiber preform of shape corresponding to the shape of the casing that is to be fabricated; and densifying the fiber preform with a matrix; wherein, before beginning to wind the fiber texture onto the mandrel, a reinforcing band of width smaller than the width of the fiber texture is placed on the mandrel in a zone that is to form a retention zone of the casing.