FOD Screen Assembly with Composite Frame and Stress-Free Mesh Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Foreign Object Debris (FOD) screen assemblies for marine gas turbine engines are heavy, difficult to handle, and prone to corrosion, with challenging repair processes and high stress on the screen mesh, leading to frequent failures.
Innovation Solution
A FOD screen assembly with a circular frame and buffer members, using composite materials for reduced weight and stress on the mesh, and an attachment plate assembly for secure and stress-free attachment of the mesh to the frame, preventing corrosion and facilitating easier handling and repair.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metallic materials are used for the frame, then strength is improved, but weight increases making handling difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining a metallic frame with a polymer-coated screen mesh. The frame maintains metallic strength while the polymer coating reduces overall weight and prevents corrosion. This composite approach allows the assembly to be strong enough for structural support while significantly lighter than traditional all-metallic designs, enabling manual handling without specialized equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes material parameters by selecting specific metallic alloys with optimized strength-to-weight ratios and applying polymer coatings with specific thicknesses and compositions. These parameter changes allow the frame to maintain required structural strength while reducing weight to enable easy manual handling and installation.
2Strength
If epoxy resin is used to attach screen to frame, then bonding strength is improved, but corrosion resistance deteriorates due to galvanic coupling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a polymer coating as an intermediary layer between the metallic frame and the screen mesh. This intermediary prevents direct contact between dissimilar metals, eliminating galvanic coupling and corrosion while maintaining bonding strength through the polymer's adhesive properties. The polymer acts as a protective mediator that preserves both structural integrity and corrosion resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining metallic frame components with polymer-coated screen sections. The polymer coating serves as both a corrosion barrier and a bonding medium, creating a composite structure that resists galvanic corrosion while maintaining strong attachment between frame and screen elements.
3Ease of manufacture
If screen is bent into frame channels, then attachment is simplified, but stress on screen increases causing failures
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of bending the screen into the frame channels as in conventional designs, the patent inverts the approach by having the frame fit into or around the screen's pre-formed attachment features. This reversal eliminates the need to bend the screen, preserving its strength while achieving secure attachment through the inverted configuration where frame elements engage with screen openings or attachment points.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional attachment methods are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but repair becomes difficult requiring high heat and disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the screen into separate, modular sections that can be independently attached and detached from the frame. Each screen section is a discrete component that can be easily removed and replaced without affecting other sections or requiring disassembly of the entire assembly. This segmentation enables simple repair by replacing only the damaged screen section while maintaining the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic, reversible attachment system where screen sections can be easily attached and detached from the frame using removable fasteners or snap-fit mechanisms. This dynamic connection allows for simple maintenance and repair operations without requiring permanent bonds or high-heat processes, enabling quick screen replacement while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
Foreign object damage (FOD) screen assemblies and gas turbine engine compartments having FOD screen assemblies are provided. FOD screen assemblies provided herein are formed of materials that reduce the overall weight of the assembly such that easier handling and repair of the FOD screen assembly may be achieved. Further, the FOD screen assemblies provided herein include features that provide for a secure attachment of one or more mesh members to frame members of the assembly. The one or more mesh members are secured to the frame members in such a way that minimal stress is placed on the mesh member at the attachment points.