Contoured Shoe Abrasive Belt for High Depth Ratio Blending
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
High-performance components like those in gas turbine engines often have imperfections that reduce strength and fatigue life, requiring blending to remove these imperfections, especially on contoured surfaces, which is challenging due to the need for high depth ratios and verification complexities.
Innovation Solution
A component blending tool with a shoe having a contour matching the desired blend ratio, an abrasive belt in sliding contact, and a system of pulleys and rollers for precise material removal, including options like carbide construction and graphite tape for reduced friction, allowing for high depth ratios like 200:1.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional blending methods are used on contoured surfaces, then material removal can occur, but achieving high depth ratios greater than 100:1 becomes extremely difficult and expensive to verify
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe is given a contoured shape with a radius of curvature that matches the desired blend geometry. This curved surface allows the abrasive belt to automatically conform to contoured components, enabling high depth ratios on non-planar surfaces without complex positioning systems or multiple tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The shoe contour is designed to copy or replicate the desired final blend geometry. By pre-forming the shoe with the target contour shape, the blending process automatically produces the correct geometry, eliminating the need for complex measurement and verification systems during operation.
2Reliability
If high depth ratios greater than 100:1 are required to minimize abrupt surface changes, then surface quality improves, but the blending operation becomes more difficult and expensive to verify
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe's contoured geometry serves a dual function: it creates the desired blend while simultaneously acting as its own verification template. The pre-formed contour on the shoe provides built-in guidance and verification, eliminating the need for separate complex measurement systems to verify the blend quality.
3Productivity
If an abrasive belt is used for material removal, then blending can be achieved, but controlling the depth ratio precisely on contoured surfaces is challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The contoured shoe with its specific radius of curvature provides geometric constraint that automatically controls the depth ratio. As the abrasive belt passes over the curved shoe surface, the geometry itself limits the maximum depth, ensuring consistent high depth ratios without requiring complex control systems.
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
Effectively removes imperfections with precise control, achieving depth ratios greater than 100:1 on contoured surfaces, enhancing the strength and fatigue life of components while minimizing material removal and operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a belt having a first surface in slideable contact with the contour and a material removing surface
Implementation Method 2
the tool has a graphite tape secured to the shoe and in sliding contact with the belt
Data Source
AI summary
A component blending tool for forming a pre-determined blended area into a component utilizes a belt having a material removing surface that is contoured to mimic a predetermined depth ratio of the blended area. The tool has an interchangeable shoe that contours the belt and forces the belt upon the component until the pre-determined blended area is substantially the same as said blend ratio.