Tailored Composite Rotor Blade Core Eliminates Spar
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rotor blades require a separate spar member for structural integrity, which increases manufacturing costs and complexity due to the need for integrating load paths between the spar and the rest of the rotor blade body.
Innovation Solution
A composite rotor blade with a tailored core that reacts dynamic loads, eliminating the need for a conventional spar by varying physical and material characteristics in the chordwise, lengthwise, and out-of-plane directions, using a reticulated adhesive to bond the core with the skin members and incorporating septums for enhanced strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a conventional spar member is used to provide structural integrity, then the rotor blade can react dynamic operational loads, but manufacturing costs increase and device complexity increases due to separate curing and integration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the spar member functionality directly into the rotor blade body by creating an integrated composite structure where the spar is formed as part of the blade during the same curing cycle, eliminating separate assembly steps while maintaining load-bearing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor blade body is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides aerodynamic surface, structural support, and load-bearing spar functionality through its integrated composite construction, reducing the need for separate dedicated spar components
2Strength
If a spar member is separately cured prior to assembly, then structural integrity can be ensured, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spar structure is pre-formed within the mold as part of the blade blank before final curing, allowing the entire assembly to be cured in a single operation rather than requiring separate curing cycles for the spar and blade components
Solution Approach 2:
The curing process for the spar member and the rotor blade body are merged into a single simultaneous curing operation, eliminating the time and cost associated with separate curing cycles and subsequent assembly operations
3Strength
If considerable effort is made to integrate load paths between spar member and rotor blade body, then structural efficiency can be improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The load paths are inherently integrated through the monolithic composite construction where the spar and blade body form a continuous structural system, eliminating the need for separate integration efforts and complex joining mechanisms
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 tailored core provides improved structural efficiency, reduced manufacturing costs, and enhanced load-bearing capabilities, including redundant torsional and shear load paths, while maintaining weight efficiency and optimizing mass distribution.
Implementation Method 1
bonding the core with the skin members
Data Source
AI summary
An airfoil member can have a root end, a tip end, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. The airfoil member can include an upper skin, a lower skin, and a composite core member having a plurality of cells, an upper surface network of the cells can be bonded to the upper skin, a lower surface network of the cells can be bonded to the lower skin. The composite core can have a septum layer embedded in the cells that form the composite core, the septum layer being configured to provide tailored characteristics of the airfoil member.