Composite Shroud Reinforcement for Lightweight Rotor Containment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Rotary machines in aircraft require containment structures to prevent high-speed rotor failures from causing damage, but traditional containment materials are heavy, increasing the weight of the aircraft and compromising efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A shroud reinforcement system using fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composites is implemented, with reinforcement elements extending along axial and circumferential dimensions to enhance containment while minimizing weight.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional containment materials are used, then reliable containment is achieved, but the weight of the containment structure increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainment reliabilityVSAvoidcontainment structure weight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies composite materials by combining fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composite reinforcement elements with the shroud structure. This creates a composite containment system that leverages the high strength-to-weight ratio of composite materials to achieve reliable containment while reducing overall structure weight, directly resolving the contradiction between containment reliability and weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The reinforcement elements are strategically positioned at specific locations on the shroud where containment requirements are most critical. This localized reinforcement approach ensures reliable containment at key areas without uniformly increasing the weight of the entire containment structure, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Weight of moving object

If high strength-to-weight ratio materials are used, then weight is reduced, but resistance to high-speed impact behavior may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainment structure weightVSAvoidimpact resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

Weight of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composite materials provide both low weight and high impact resistance through their inherent material properties. The composite structure combines the light weight advantage with the strength needed to resist high-speed impact events, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and impact resistance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The containment structure is divided into multiple reinforcement elements distributed across the shroud surface. This segmentation allows the structure to better absorb and distribute impact forces, maintaining impact resistance while using lightweight composite materials throughout the structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12480425B2Rotor containment structure

Publication Date: 2025.11.25 HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORP

AI summary

A shroud reinforcement is provided for a shroud that is coaxial with and partially surrounds a rotor and that includes tubular and flange sections and a transition section axially interposed between the tubular and flange sections. The shroud reinforcement includes first fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composite reinforcement elements with fibers extending along an axial dimension of the rotor and being disposed to reinforce the transition section and second fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composite reinforcement elements with fibers extending along a circumferential dimension of the rotor and being disposed to reinforce the transition section.