Gas Turbine Containment Ring With Angled Fiber Belt Structure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas turbine engine blade containment systems face challenges in efficiently managing blade failure, with hard wall designs experiencing high concentrated forces and blade interaction issues, while soft wall designs suffer from significant bulging and design complexity.
Innovation Solution
A composite containment belt with continuous fibers arranged at 45/-45 degrees in the central portion and 0 degrees at the edges, integrated with a honeycomb or foam layer, provides enhanced energy absorption and trajectory control, forming a single unitary structure for efficient blade containment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hard wall containment design is used, then blade containment is achieved, but high concentrated forces and blade interaction issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a soft wall containment design using porous or cellular materials (such as foam or honeycomb structures) instead of solid hard wall barriers. This allows the containment system to absorb blade impact energy through material deformation and cell collapse, distributing forces throughout the structure rather than concentrating them at impact points, thereby resolving the contradiction between containment reliability and force concentration
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite material structures combining multiple layers and materials (such as composite belts with fiber reinforcement over cellular cores) to achieve both energy absorption and containment functionality. The composite construction provides tailored mechanical properties that balance containment effectiveness with force distribution, eliminating the need for solid hard wall designs
2Force
If soft wall containment design is used, then concentrated forces are reduced, but significant bulging and design complexity occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes key parameters of the soft wall structure including cell size, wall thickness, material density, and layer configuration to achieve effective blade containment with minimal bulging. By carefully selecting and tuning these parameters, the design achieves force distribution without requiring overly complex structural arrangements, thus reducing design complexity while maintaining force management effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements local quality variations in the containment structure, such as varying material density, layer thickness, or cellular structure in different regions of the containment belt. This allows targeted reinforcement in areas prone to bulging while maintaining simplicity in other regions, optimizing the balance between force distribution and structural control
3Reliability
If traditional containment structures are used, then blade containment is provided, but energy absorption capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates energy-absorbing cellular or foam materials within the containment belt structure that are designed to deform and collapse in a controlled manner during blade impact. This beforehand cushioning capability allows the structure to absorb significant impact energy through material deformation before the blade reaches any hard surfaces, dramatically increasing energy absorption capacity while maintaining containment reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite material constructions combining high-strength fiber reinforcement (such as carbon fiber, aramid, or glass fiber) with energy-absorbing cellular or foam cores. This composite structure provides both the containment strength needed for reliability and the energy absorption capacity of the cellular material, resolving the contradiction between containment effectiveness and energy absorption
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 solution significantly increases energy absorption capacity by up to three times and reduces deflection, allowing for lighter engine designs with improved blade containment and trajectory management.
Implementation Method 1
The solution significantly increases energy absorption capacity by up to three times
Implementation Method 2
an intermediate layer of honeycomb and/or foam secured to a radially outward surface of the inner ring portion
Implementation Method 3
a composite containment belt secured to a radially outward surface of the outer ring portion
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A casing (72) for a gas turbine engine (10), including: an inner ring portion (74); an intermediate layer of honeycomb and/or foam (82) secured to a radially outward surface (84) of the inner ring portion (74); an outer ring portion (86) secured to a radially outward surface (88) of the layer of honeycomb and/or foam (82); and a composite containment belt (96) secured to a radially outward surface of the outer ring portion (86), the composite containment belt (96) having a central portion (98) integrally formed with a forward ring portion (100) and an aft ring portion (102), the composite containment belt (96) including at least one single woven belt wound about the outer ring portion (86), the at least one single woven belt including a plurality of continuous fibers (104), wherein a first portion of the plurality of continuous fibers (104) are at arranged at an angle of 45/-45 degrees or greater with respect to a circumferential direction (95) of the composite containment belt (96) in the central portion (98) and a second portion of the plurality of continuous fibers (104) are at arranged at an angle of less than 45/-45 degrees with respect to the circumferential direction (95) of the composite containment belt (96) in the forward ring portion (100) and the aft ring portion (102).