Composite Turbine Vane Fabrication via Segmented Weaving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for fabricating turbine engine blades from composite materials are complex and prone to yarn breakage due to high stress during the weaving process, particularly when using carbon or ceramic yarns.
Innovation Solution
A simplified method involving multilayer weaving to create a single-piece fiber blank, which is then shaped and densified with a matrix to form a composite blade with reduced yarn stress, incorporating non-interlinked zones to deploy functional elements relative to the platform, thereby reducing the number of crossings and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If multiple portions of fiber blank are woven with crossings to form preforms for blade airfoil, head, and inner platform, then the blade structure is integrated, but the yarn stress increases leading to yarn breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The fiber blank is divided into distinct portions (first portion for blade airfoil and root, second portion for head and inner platform) that are joined without requiring complex multilayer crossings. This segmentation allows each portion to be woven independently with lower stress, then assembled together to form the integrated blade structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The first and second portions of the fiber blank are merged by joining their edges together to form the complete blade preform. This merging approach achieves structural integration while avoiding the high-stress multilayer weaving process that causes yarn breakage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If complex multilayer weaving with multiple crossings is used to form integrated blade preform, then the blade incorporates all components, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into separate weaving steps for the first portion (blade airfoil and root) and second portion (head and inner platform). Each portion is woven independently with simpler patterns, reducing manufacturing complexity compared to a single complex multilayer weave.
Solution Approach 2:
The first and second portions are prepared separately as preliminary components before being joined together. This preliminary action allows each portion to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall manufacturing process by breaking down the complex integration task into manageable steps.
3Strength
If fiber blank is woven with high stress to achieve dense yarn interlinking, then the structural integrity is improved, but yarn breakage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The fiber blank construction is segmented into portions joined by edge-to-edge connection rather than multilayer crossing. This maintains adequate yarn interlinking density for structural integrity while avoiding the high-stress conditions that cause yarn breakage in carbon or ceramic yarns.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method of fabricating a turbine engine blade out of composite material comprising fiber reinforcement densified by a matrix, the blade comprising an airfoil, a platform situated at a longitudinal end of the airfoil, and at least one functional element projecting from the outside face of the platform. The method comprises:making a single-piece fiber blank by multilayer weaving;shaping the fiber blank to obtain a single-piece fiber preform having a first portion (302) forming a preform for the blade airfoil (320) and a second portion (314) forming a preform for the platform (340) and at least one preform for a functional element (352; 354); anddensifying the fiber preform with a matrix.The second preform portion comprises a set of yarn layers interlinked by weaving with at least one zone of non-interlinking being provided to make it possible to deploy the functional element preform relative to the first platform preform.