Gas Turbine Fan Blade Composite Segments Impact Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional fan blades for gas turbine engines lack sufficient impact resistance, particularly against bird strikes, leading to potential premature failure due to the weight and manufacturing costs of titanium blades and the limitations of conventional pocketed designs.
Innovation Solution
A fan blade design featuring a blade body with a pocket containing composite segments and a flexible cover, where the composite segments are adhered to the cover and blade body, providing clearance for flexibility and resistance to forces, and potentially filled with lightweight material, to enhance impact resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional titanium fan blades are used, then strength is maintained, but weight increases and manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is divided into multiple segments including a core, a pocket, and a cover, allowing different materials to be used in different regions. The pocket contains lighter composite segments that reduce overall weight while maintaining structural integrity through the segmented architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade combines titanium (in the core and cover) with lighter composite materials (in the pocket segments). This composite construction maintains the strength properties of titanium while reducing the overall weight by replacing portions of titanium with lighter materials.
2Weight of moving object
If pockets are machined from titanium blades and covers are adhered, then weight is reduced, but impact resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed with flexibility through clearance configurations that allow it to deform dynamically during impact events. This dynamic response allows the cover to absorb impact forces through controlled deformation rather than rigid failure, improving impact resistance while maintaining the weight reduction benefits of the pocketed design.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite segments within the pocket act as cushioning elements that absorb and dissipate impact energy before it can damage the blade structure. These segments are positioned in advance to provide protection during bird strikes or foreign object impacts.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the cover is made rigid to maintain shape, then structural integrity is improved, but flexibility is lost and disbonding risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed with flexibility through clearance configurations that allow it to deform dynamically during impact events. This dynamic response allows the cover to absorb impact forces through controlled deformation rather than rigid failure, improving impact resistance while maintaining the weight reduction benefits of the pocketed design.
Solution Approach 2:
The clearance parameters between the cover and blade body are specifically designed to provide optimal flexibility. By controlling the size and distribution of clearances, the cover can flex during impact to reduce disbonding forces while still maintaining adequate structural support and shape stability during normal operation.
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
The design provides improved impact resistance by allowing the cover to absorb forces without disbonding from the blade body, reducing the likelihood of premature failure and maintaining structural integrity during bird strikes or foreign object impacts.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of composite segments disposed in the pocket and adhered to a bottom surface of the pocket
Data Source
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AI summary
A fan blade includes a blade body, a composite segment and a cover. The blade body extends from a blade root to an opposed blade tip along a longitudinal axis. The blade body defines a leading edge and a trailing edge. A first airfoil surface extends from the leading edge to the trailing edge. A pocket is defined between the leading edge, the trailing edge, the blade root and the blade tip. The pocket has a bottom surface that opposes the first airfoil surface across the blade body. The composite segment is disposed in the pocket. The cover is mounted to the composite segment and to the blade body to form a second airfoil surface opposed to the first airfoil surface.