Generative Engine Housing with Porous Structural Core
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional engine housings are excessively heavy due to thick walls required for containment of rotating blades, and insulation methods like fiber fabrics are ineffective in hot regions, leading to increased weight and performance issues.
Innovation Solution
A method using generative manufacturing to construct engine housings with at least two shell parts and a structural part, featuring porous or honeycomb structures for improved insulation, damping, and containment, allowing for reduced weight and effective heat management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the wall thickness of the housing is increased to prevent blade break-through, then the containment capability is improved, but the weight of the housing increases considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous materials or honeycomb structures as the structural part between the shell parts. These porous structures provide high strength-to-weight ratio, enabling the housing to maintain containment capability against blade break-through while significantly reducing the overall weight compared to solid thick walls.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is constructed as a composite structure with at least two shell parts and a structural part (porous material or honeycomb structure) between them. This composite design combines the benefits of solid shell structures for containment with lightweight porous/core materials, achieving both strength and weight reduction.
2Temperature
If fiber fabric insulation is placed on the housing in hot regions, then heat insulation is provided, but the housing wall must be made correspondingly thicker and weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The porous structural part inherently provides thermal insulation properties due to the trapped air or gas in the porous structure. This eliminates or reduces the need for additional fiber fabric insulation layers, thereby avoiding the weight penalty associated with thicker insulated walls in hot regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural part serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for containment, thermal insulation for heat management, and weight reduction. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate insulation components that would add weight.
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 provides a lighter engine housing with enhanced containment and insulation capabilities, effectively managing heat and reducing weight, while maintaining structural integrity and performance in high-temperature environments.
Implementation Method 1
the structural part has at least one porous structure and/or one honeycomb structure
Implementation Method 2
The structural part also has the advantage that the weight of the housing can be reduced and, in particular, can also be utilized in very hot regions
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing, repairing and/or exchanging a housing, in particular an engine housing of an aircraft engine, comprising at least two shells, between which a structural part is formed, wherein the method comprises the following step: layer-by-layer construction of the at least two shells jointly with the structural part by means of a generative manufacturing system, wherein the structural part comprises at least one porous structure and/or honeycomb structure. The invention relates furthermore to such a housing.