Composite Gas Turbine Platform With Internal Cavity Fillers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas turbine engine platforms face challenges in efficiently supporting composite airfoils and maintaining structural integrity while minimizing weight and fabrication complexity.
Innovation Solution
The development of a platform for a gas turbine engine that incorporates composite platforms with internal cavities filled with strategically designed fillers, which provide structural support and improve manufacturability by complementing the geometry of the adjacent composite layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If composite platforms with internal cavities are used to support airfoils, then weight is reduced, but structural integrity and support capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by placing fillers specifically within the internal cavities of the composite platform where structural support is needed. The fillers are positioned at specific locations (e.g., near the airfoil support region) rather than uniformly throughout, providing localized reinforcement exactly where the composite structure needs additional strength while maintaining weight savings in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining the base composite platform (made from composite layers) with filler materials placed within its cavities. This creates a hybrid composite structure where the platform and fillers work together to provide both weight reduction and structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between using lightweight composites and maintaining strength.
2Strength
If fillers are placed in cavities to improve structural support, then manufacturing complexity increases, but structural capability improves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating the fillers into the platform structure during the manufacturing process itself, rather than adding them separately after the platform is formed. The fillers are placed in the cavities before the final curing or consolidation steps, allowing them to be integrated into the composite structure in a single manufacturing operation, thereby reducing overall fabrication complexity despite the added structural feature.
3Strength
If fillers with complementary geometry are used, then structural support is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complementary geometry of the fillers is applied locally at the cavity interfaces rather than requiring high precision throughout the entire platform. The fillers are designed to match the specific cavity shapes where they are placed, providing targeted geometric compatibility that enhances structural support without demanding ultra-precise manufacturing across the whole component.
Data Source
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AI summary
An assembly for a gas turbine engine (20) includes an airfoil (66) that includes an airfoil section (66A) that extends from a root section (66B). The airfoil section (66A) extends between a leading edge (LE) and a trailing edge (TE) in a chordwise direction and extends between a tip portion (66C) and the root section (66B) in a radial direction. The airfoil section (66A) defines a pressure side (P) and a suction side (S) separated in a thickness direction (T). A platform (70) is dimensioned to receive a retention pin (71) to mount the platform (70) to a rotatable hub (62). The platform (70) includes a plurality of composite layers (L) that define an internal cavity (70D). A filler (74) includes a stacked composite structure (76-1, 76-2, 76-3) in the internal cavity (70D) that extends between the plurality of composite layers (L).