Wavy Wall Trailing Edge Cladding for Gas Turbine Fan Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas turbine engine airfoils generate undesirable noise and aeromechanical loading due to wake flow impingement, which affects engine performance and efficiency, and current composite fan blades do not adequately reduce these issues while maintaining light-weight and strength.
Innovation Solution
A gas turbine engine airfoil design featuring a composite core with a metallic trailing edge cladding that includes a wavy wall to reduce wake interaction, using a less brittle cladding material bonded to the composite core, which extends from the leading to the trailing edge and incorporates wavy pressure and suction side guards to manage stress and strain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a composite fan blade is used to reduce weight, then weight savings are achieved, but the blade generates undesirable noise and aeromechanical loading due to wake flow impingement
Solution Approach 1:
The fan blade is segmented into a composite core structure and a separate trailing edge cladding component. The cladding is bonded to the composite core at the trailing edge to form an integrated structure that maintains light weight while reducing wake flow impingement effects through its specific geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The trailing edge cladding incorporates a wavy wall geometry with curved surfaces instead of a straight trailing edge. This curved/wavy configuration disrupts the coherence of wake flow, reducing the amplitude of vortices and thereby decreasing noise and aeromechanical loading generated during operation
2Weight of moving object
If a brittle composite material is used for the fan blade, then light-weight and strength are achieved, but the material is susceptible to damage from wake flow impingement
Solution Approach 1:
The fan blade employs a composite structure combining a composite core material with a trailing edge cladding material. The cladding material is specifically selected to be less brittle than the composite core material, providing enhanced toughness and damage resistance at the trailing edge where wake flow impingement occurs most severely
Solution Approach 2:
The trailing edge cladding is applied locally at the trailing edge portion of the fan blade where wake flow impingement causes the most damage. This localized reinforcement provides improved damage resistance precisely where needed without adding significant weight to the entire blade 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
The design effectively reduces noise and aeromechanical loading by distributing stress and strain across a larger area, enhancing the robustness and weight efficiency of the airfoil while maintaining light-weight and strength.
Implementation Method 1
trailing edge cladding made of a cladding material bonded to a composite core made of a composite material
Data Source
AI summary
A gas turbine engine airfoil includes leading and trailing edges, pressure and suction sides extending from airfoil base to airfoil tip, trailing edge cladding made of cladding material bonded to composite core made of composite material, cladding material less brittle than composite material, composite core including central core portion extending downstream from leading edge portion to trailing edge portion of composite core, and trailing edge cladding including wavy wall and trailing edge. Pressure and suction side flanks of trailing edge cladding may be bonded to pressure and suction side surfaces of trailing edge portion. Waves of wavy wall may extend normal to and away from the pressure and suction side surfaces. Trailing edge cladding may include wavy pressure and suction side trailing edge guards including waves of wavy wall. Airfoil may extend outwardly from platform of a blade. Root may include integral dovetail.