Composite Fan Blade with Integrated Titanium Edges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for integrating metal components with fibre-reinforced composite materials in gas turbine engine components, such as fan blades, are inefficient and labor-intensive, particularly in providing protective metal edges that can withstand impact from foreign objects like bird strikes.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating metal reinforcement materials, such as titanium alloys, into the composite body formation process by laying up metal tapes, bands, or wires within the composite body form, and using metal-to-metal bonding techniques like powder interlayer bonding to create a metal-containing portion, especially at edges, which can be done during the automated lay-up process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a protective metal sheath or edge guard is fixed onto the composite blade using adhesive bonding, then the impact resistance of the blade is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and time consumption increase due to the difficulty of achieving an exact fit and reliable bonding at the fitting interface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the metal protective edge and the composite blade into a single integrated component by incorporating metal reinforcement materials directly into the composite lay-up process. This eliminates the separate metal sheath and adhesive bonding step, resolving the contradiction by achieving both impact resistance and manufacturing simplicity through integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal reinforcement materials are placed into the body form during the composite lay-up process before curing, rather than attaching metal guards afterward. This preliminary action ensures precise fit and reliable bonding by establishing the metal-composite interface during the same manufacturing step, eliminating subsequent fitting and bonding operations.
2Productivity
If metal reinforcement materials are incorporated into the composite body formation process, then the integration efficiency is improved and separate metal guards are eliminated, but the manufacturing process complexity increases due to the need for metal-to-metal bonding techniques
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical assembly operations (separate metal guard attachment) with a integrated manufacturing process where metal reinforcement materials are laid up and bonded during composite formation. The metal-to-metal bonding is achieved through the curing process itself, substituting complex post-assembly operations with an integrated manufacturing approach that improves productivity.
3Strength
If traditional adhesive bonding is used to attach metal edge guards, then the impact resistance is improved, but the manufacturing time and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the metal protective edge attachment with the composite blade manufacturing into a single integrated process. Metal reinforcement materials are incorporated during the lay-up stage and bonded through the curing process, eliminating separate attachment operations and reducing manufacturing time while maintaining impact resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal reinforcement materials are positioned and bonded during the composite lay-up process before the final curing step, rather than attaching metal guards after blade manufacturing. This preliminary action consolidates multiple operations into one manufacturing cycle, significantly reducing manufacturing time and labor intensity.
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
This method allows for a more efficient and reliable integration of metal and composite materials, eliminating the need for separate metal guards and enhancing the impact resistance of composite components without increasing weight, thus improving the structural integrity and efficiency of gas turbine engine components.
Implementation Method 1
providing curable polymeric material impregnating the laid-up reinforcement material, and curing the polymeric material to form a solid matrix
Implementation Method 2
bonding adjacent metal reinforcement elements to one another directly, after the laying-up, by metal-to-metal bonding
Data Source
AI summary
The application describes methods of making composite bodies including fibre-reinforced composite material with carbon fibre reinforcement and also a metal-containing portion (4). The metal-containing portion (4) is formed by laying up metal reinforcement elements, such as tapes of titanium alloy, among the carbon fibre reinforcement tapes which make up the composite body. The proportion of metal reinforcement may increase progressively towards the surface and/or towards an edge (14) of the composite body. In an example, metal leading and trailing edges (14,15) of a fan blade (1) are integrally formed in this way.