Thrust Reverser Blade with Honeycomb Composite Structure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing blades in thrust reverser systems of turbojets are heavy and costly due to their high rigidity requirements, leading to high manufacturing costs and a need for optimized mass/stiffness ratio.
Innovation Solution
A composite material blade with a cellular structure and unidirectional reinforcing fibers agglomerated by a thermoplastic resin matrix is used, featuring a rigid body with upper and lower walls, and a transverse wall, allowing for reduced mass and manufacturing costs while maintaining stiffness through the use of materials like carbon, aramid, or glass fibers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional rigid blades are used to ensure sufficient stiffness in thrust reverser, then the blade can withstand air flow pressure and maintain structural integrity, but the blade mass increases and manufacturing cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials consisting of a cellular structure (honeycomb or foam) filled with a viscous composition containing reinforcing fibers (carbon, aramid, or glass). This composite structure provides high stiffness-to-weight ratio, allowing the blade to maintain adequate rigidity under air flow pressure while significantly reducing mass compared to traditional solid machined blades.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a cellular structure (honeycomb or foam) as the base matrix of the blade. This porous structure reduces material density and overall mass while maintaining structural integrity. The cellular geometry provides inherent stiffness through its geometric configuration, and when combined with the viscous fiber-reinforced composition, achieves the required rigidity with reduced weight.
2Strength
If traditional rigid blades with high mass are used, then the blade maintains sufficient stiffness, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary action by first forming the cellular structure (honeycomb or foam) as a pre-fabricated core, then impregnating it with the viscous fiber-reinforced composition. This sequential approach allows each component to be optimized separately before combination, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost compared to machining solid rigid blades.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite construction of cellular structure combined with fiber-reinforced viscous composition enables cost-effective manufacturing. The cellular material can be produced through efficient molding processes, and the fiber reinforcement provides enhanced stiffness at lower cost than traditional solid metal blades requiring extensive machining.
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 lightweight blade with optimized stiffness, reducing manufacturing costs and improving the mass/stiffness ratio, enabling efficient thrust reversal while minimizing material usage.
Implementation Method 1
assembling by pressure fusion preforms of the upper/lower walls with the body, after each of these elements has been prefabricated in the form of an elementary part
Implementation Method 2
each upper and lower wall comprising continuous and unidirectional reinforcing fibers agglomerated by a thermoplastic resin matrix ensuring the assembly and cohesion between them
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a thrust reverser blade (1) comprising: - a rigid body (C) elongated longitudinally and comprising a honeycomb structure (10) elongated longitudinally and limited laterally by a transverse wall (11) surrounding the honeycomb structure and forming a rim of the honeycomb structure (10), - a rigid upper wall (Psup) elongated longitudinally and disposed on the body (C); - a rigid lower wall (Pinf) elongated longitudinally and disposed under the body (C); each upper and lower wall comprising continuous and unidirectional reinforcing fibers agglomerated by a thermoplastic resin matrix ensuring the assembly and cohesion between the body and the upper and lower walls.