Composite Fan Casing Mold with Differential Thermal Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing composite material parts, such as turbomachine casings, face challenges in achieving high dimensional precision and ease of handling due to the limitations of existing processes like infusion and RTM, which require heavy tooling and struggle with fiber expansion and geometry accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing device comprising a mold and counter-mold with a coefficient of expansion difference, allowing for low-pressure resin injection and compaction of the preform, facilitating easier handling and precise dimensioning of parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of stationary object
If infusion process is used to manufacture composite parts, then tool weight is reduced, but manufacturing time increases and dimensional precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mold system is segmented into a rigid mold and a flexible counter-mold, allowing the rigid portion to maintain dimensional precision while the flexible portion accommodates fiber expansion, thus resolving the contradiction between tool weight reduction and manufacturing precision maintenance
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the counter-mold from rigid to flexible, enabling it to adapt to fiber expansion during curing while maintaining low tool weight, thereby improving both manufacturing time and dimensional precision
2Productivity
If RTM process with rigid counter-mold is used, then manufacturing time is reduced, but tool weight increases and handling difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mold system employs local quality differentiation where the rigid mold provides structural support and dimensional accuracy, while the flexible counter-mold enables easy handling and rapid manufacturing, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing time reduction and tool weight reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite material properties by combining rigid and flexible materials in the mold system, achieving both rapid manufacturing capability and reduced tool weight while maintaining dimensional precision
3Manufacturing precision
If RTM process with rigid counter-mold is used, then dimensional precision is improved, but device complexity and handling difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the rigidity requirement from the entire mold system and applies it only to the critical molding portion, while the counter-mold remains flexible for easy handling, thus resolving the contradiction between dimensional precision improvement and device complexity reduction
4Ease of manufacture
If fiber preform is used with high expansion, then ease of manufacture is improved, but dimensional precision deteriorates due to geometry control issues
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible counter-mold provides dynamic adaptation to fiber preform expansion during curing, maintaining contact and pressure distribution to ensure dimensional precision while allowing ease of manufacture with high-expansion materials
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 solution enables the production of parts with high dimensional precision and reduced tooling weight, improving handling and cycle time efficiency while ensuring accurate geometry and compaction of the preform.
Implementation Method 1
the material forming the internal mold having a coefficient of expansion much higher than that forming at least partly the counter-mold
Data Source
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AI summary
A device for manufacturing a fan casing of a turbomachine, said fan casing being made of a composite material, in which the mould (16) has a cylindrical body (22) about a longitudinal axis and lateral end plates (24), and in which the counter-mould (18) has a cylindrical body (30) and lateral counter-flanges (32), the counter-flanges (32) being intended to be secured to the end plates (24), the body (22) of the mould (16) and the body (30) of the counter-mould (18) being concentric, the preform (P) being intended to be arranged between the body (22) of the mould (16) and the body (30) of the counter-mould (18), and in which the material of the body (22) of the mould (16) has a coefficient of expansion much higher than that of the body (30) of the counter-mould (18).