Tool-Free Laser Covering Device for Aircraft Engine Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for laser drilling in aircraft engine components, such as turbine blades, face challenges in preventing damage to opposing walls and are cumbersome in handling and residue removal, particularly with sodium chloride or liquid monomer-based covering devices.
Innovation Solution
A covering device with a holding device that can be fixed and removed without tools, made from laser-absorbing or reflecting plastics, featuring inserts and a masking mask for secure attachment and easy removal, reducing the need for additional components and improving bore quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sodium chloride is used as a covering device and the entire cavity is filled to ensure coverage, then the wall is protected from laser damage, but the handling becomes cumbersome and expensive washing out is required
Solution Approach 1:
The covering device is segmented into a reusable holding device and disposable inserts. The holding device remains outside the cavity and is reused, while only the inserts are disposed of after a single use. This eliminates the need to fill and wash out the entire cavity, significantly simplifying handling and removal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding device acts as an intermediary that bridges the cavity opening and the inserts. It provides a stable external mounting structure that holds the inserts in position during laser drilling, then allows easy removal without requiring access to the cavity interior for cleanup.
2Reliability
If liquid monomer is used as a covering device and chemically converted to solid polymer, then the wall is protected from laser damage, but the process becomes time consuming and awkward to remove
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function is prepared in advance by mounting the holding device externally and inserting the pre-formed inserts before laser drilling begins. This eliminates the need for time-consuming in-situ polymerization of liquid monomer, as the protective inserts are already in their final solid form when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The inserts are designed as disposable, single-use components that are inexpensive to replace. After one use, they are simply removed and discarded, eliminating the time-consuming removal process associated with cured polymer while maintaining effective wall protection throughout the drilling operation.
3Manufacturing precision
If the covering device rests flat against the back of the wall, then high quality drilling is achieved, but the device must be precisely adapted to the wall geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The solution moves the complex adaptive geometry from the covering device itself to the insert that contacts the wall. The holding device remains simple and external, while the insert is precisely shaped to match the specific wall geometry. This dimensional separation allows high drilling quality through precise insert design without making the entire covering device complex.
Solution Approach 2:
Only the insert portion that contacts the wall requires precise geometric adaptation to ensure flat resting contact during drilling. The holding device that mounts to the component exterior maintains simple, universal geometry. This localized precision approach achieves high drilling quality without requiring the entire covering device to be complex and custom-adapted.
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
Simplifies handling and assembly, reduces damage risk, and enhances bore quality by absorbing or reflecting laser energy, allowing for frequent reuse and efficient processing without residue issues.
Implementation Method 1
the covering device comprises an essentially laser-absorbing plastic, in particular nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)
Implementation Method 2
the covering device comprises a laser-reflecting plastic, in particular polyoxymethylene (POM)
Implementation Method 3
the covering device has a holding device with which it can be fixed to the workpiece and removed from it again without tools
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The covering device (2) for a workpiece (4) such as a blade of an aircraft engine to be processed by a laser, where the workpiece has a cavity (10) accessible from outside over an opening (12) and a wall to be processed with the laser in a first area, comprises a holding device (20), with which the covering device is fixable to the workpiece and is again removable from the workpiece without any tools. The wall has a front side turned towards the laser during processing, and a rear side turned away from the laser during processing. The covering device has a first insert (22). The covering device (2) for a workpiece (4) such as a blade of an aircraft engine to be processed by a laser, where the workpiece has a cavity (10) accessible from outside over an opening (12) and a wall to be processed with the laser in a first area, comprises a holding device (20), with which the covering device is fixable to the workpiece and is again removable from the workpiece without any tools. The wall has a front side turned towards the laser during processing, and a rear side turned away from the laser during processing. The covering device has a first insert (22) and/or a second insert (24), which are insertable into the cavity through the opening of the workpiece and is clampingly fixable against the rear side of the wall using a first holding unit of the holding device. During processing, the covering device is adjacently fixed to a height of the first area at the rear side of the wall in a flat manner. The covering device comprises a laser-absorbing plastic such as nitrile butadiene rubber and/or a laser-reflecting plastic such as polyoxymethylene, and is formed complementary to the rear side of the respective wall of the workpiece. The first insert and/or the second insert have a laser-reflecting material at its front end in an insertion direction. The first holding unit of the holding device is formed by allowance of the first insert related to the cavity of the workpiece, so that the first insert automatically clamps against the rear side of the wall of the workpiece during insertion into the cavity of the workpiece. The first holding device is formed by the second insert and a connector, where the second insert is formed with respect to the cavity in an undersized manner and has a longitudinally extending opening in the insertion direction. The connector is insertable into the longitudinally extending opening. The system formed from the second insert and the connector inserted into the second insert has an allowance with respect to the cavity. The second insert is clamped against the rear side of the wall of the workpiece. The covering device includes a covering mask with a second holding unit of the holding device, which is formed by a multiply bent edge of the covering mask, so that the edge, when the covering mask is fixed at the rear side of the wall of the workpiece, engages the wall and lies on the front side of the wall in an area-wise manner. The covering mask has an aperture in the area of the opening for the cavity, where the first insert and/or second insert are insertable into the cavity of the workpiece through the aperture. The connector has a stop, which lies on the covering mask and fixes the covering mask additionally to the second holding unit on the rear side of the wall when it is inserted into the second insert. The covering device has an area with a reduced material thickness or an area with a continuous recess, so that a further wall arranged behind the covering device is processible with the laser by the covering device.