Additive Guide Vane with Cellular Core
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for reducing the weight of fan guide vanes in turbofan engines, such as mechanical assembly and chemical dissolution, are labor-intensive, prone to deformation, and environmentally problematic, while machining cavities in metal bodies becomes expensive with complex shapes, limiting weight reduction and mechanical quality.
Innovation Solution
The method involves additive fabrication to create a metal body with complex cavities filled with a lower-density material, using techniques like selective laser melting to form a cellular core and solid peripheral elements, optimizing material distribution and reinforcing high-stress areas, while using synthetic materials to achieve a smooth airfoil surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the diameter of the fan is increased to increase the bypass ratio, then the thrust efficiency and bypass ratio are improved, but the size and forces to which the guide vanes are subjected increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guide vane employs a cellular core structure with varying density distribution, where the peripheral elements have higher density for mechanical strength and the cellular core has lower density for weight reduction. This local quality variation allows the vane to withstand higher forces while maintaining reduced weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide vane is constructed as a composite structure combining a metal cellular core with a synthetic material airfoil covering. This composite approach allows optimization of both mechanical properties and weight, using the metal core for structural integrity and the synthetic material for aerodynamic surface quality.
2Weight of moving object
If mechanically assembling guide vanes from a plurality of parts to form a hollow structure, then the weight is reduced, but the production time and labor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guide vane is produced as a single integrated component using additive manufacturing, merging the cellular core and airfoil covering into one piece. This eliminates the need for mechanical assembly of multiple parts, significantly reducing production time and labor while maintaining the hollow weight-reducing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cellular core structure is pre-formed through additive manufacturing before the synthetic material airfoil covering is applied. This preliminary action of creating the complex internal structure through additive manufacturing rather than mechanical assembly reduces overall production time.
3Weight of moving object
If forming a cavity in the vane by means of an insert that is dissolved away chemically, then the weight is reduced, but pollution is produced
Solution Approach 1:
The chemical dissolution method is replaced with additive manufacturing technology. Instead of chemically dissolving an insert to create cavities, the cellular core is directly formed through additive manufacturing processes, eliminating chemical pollution while achieving the same weight reduction effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process transitions from chemical methods to physical additive manufacturing methods, changing the fundamental parameter of material addition. This parameter change eliminates harmful chemical emissions while achieving the desired cavity structure for weight reduction.
4Weight of moving object
If machining cavities in metal bodies to reduce weight, then the weight is reduced, but the manufacturing cost increases with complex shapes
Solution Approach 1:
Traditional mechanical machining processes are replaced with additive manufacturing. Instead of machining complex cavities that increases cost, the cellular core structure is directly fabricated through additive manufacturing, which is more cost-effective for complex geometries and reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining weight reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing approach changes from subtractive machining to additive fabrication. This parameter change in the manufacturing process allows complex cavity shapes to be created without the increased costs associated with machining, as additive manufacturing is better suited for complex geometries.
5Weight of moving object
If using additive fabrication to create complex cavity structures, then the weight reduction is maximized, but the mechanical qualities may be inferior
Solution Approach 1:
The guide vane uses a composite construction with a metal cellular core providing structural strength and a synthetic material airfoil covering providing aerodynamic properties. This composite approach compensates for any mechanical quality deficiencies in the additive-fabricated metal core, ensuring overall mechanical performance is satisfactory.
Solution Approach 2:
The cellular core structure provides distributed structural support throughout the vane, with the peripheral elements providing localized strength where needed. This local quality distribution ensures that mechanical stresses are properly managed while maintaining weight reduction through the cellular structure.
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 approach significantly reduces the weight of guide vanes while maintaining good mechanical properties, avoiding environmental issues and reducing production complexity, making it suitable for large-scale turbofan engine applications.
Implementation Method 1
additive fabrication, with at least one outside surface thereof presenting a plurality of cavities
Implementation Method 2
selective melting of a metal powder
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method of producing a guide vane, the method comprising a step of fabricating at least a portion of a metal body of the guide vane by additive fabrication, with at least one outside surface thereof presenting a plurality of cavities; and a step of filling said cavities with a material of lower density than the metal body in order to form at least one substantially smooth airfoil surface.