Composite Turbomachine Vane with Long and Short Fiber Resin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing turbomachine vanes are limited in producing complex shapes, cannot achieve thinnesses less than 10 mm, require separate attachment of platforms, and rely on mechanical connections for cohesion, leading to inefficiencies and increased manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A composite vane made from a combination of long and short fibers within a chemically compatible resin matrix, where the long fibers provide structural stiffness and the short fibers fill in areas not reinforced by long fibers, allowing for direct integration of the blade and platform as a single piece with a chemical bond, using a method involving pre-consolidated plates and injection-molding with thermoplastic or thermosetting resins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal materials are used for turbomachine rectifier vanes, then strength and durability are improved, but weight increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials consisting of a metallic base material reinforced with ceramic particles or fibers. This composite structure provides enhanced strength-to-weight ratio compared to conventional metal vanes, achieving both improved strength and reduced weight simultaneously. The ceramic reinforcement phase distributes stress more effectively throughout the matrix material.
2Weight of moving object
If composite materials are used for vanes, then weight is reduced, but manufacturing precision and structural integrity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes additive manufacturing parameters such as layer thickness, heating rate, and cooling rate to precisely control the microstructure and properties of the composite vane. By optimizing these process parameters, the manufacturing method achieves high dimensional accuracy and consistent material properties, resolving the precision issue associated with composite material fabrication.
3Productivity
If additive manufacturing is used for vanes, then manufacturing complexity is reduced and production time is shortened, but manufacturing precision and surface finish deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates support structures and sacrificial materials during the additive manufacturing process to maintain dimensional accuracy and prevent deformation. These preliminary structural elements are designed to be removed or integrated after manufacturing, allowing the primary vane structure to achieve high precision directly from the additive process without requiring extensive post-processing.
4Ease of manufacture
If platforms are attached separately to vane blades, then ease of manufacture is improved, but device complexity and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the platform structure directly into the vane blade using additive manufacturing, creating a monolithic component without separate attachment steps. The continuous material deposition process allows the platform and blade to be formed as a single integrated structure, eliminating joints, fasteners, and assembly operations while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
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
Enables the production of vanes with complex shapes and a wide range of thicknesses, reducing manufacturing costs and mass, while ensuring a strong chemical bond between components, allowing for efficient and cost-effective production of both fixed and mobile vanes.
Implementation Method 1
a first resin reinforced by long fibers and a second resin reinforced by short fibers, said long fibers serving to stiffen the vane
Implementation Method 2
said short fibers dispersed in the second resin serving to fill in the parts of the vane that are not reinforced by the long fibers
Implementation Method 3
said first and second resins being chemically compatible or identical
Implementation Method 4
the cohesion between the different components of the vane is ensured by the chemical bond
Data Source
AI summary
A composite material turbomachine vane comprising a blade is provided, wherein the vane comprises a first resin reinforced with long fibers and a second resin reinforced with short fibers, the first and second resins being chemically compatible or identical, the long fibers serving to stiffen the vane and the short fibers dispersed in the second resin serving to fill in the parts of the vane that are not reinforced by the long fibers and giving the vane its substantially final shape.