3D Woven Composite Fan Blade for Bird Ingestion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current composite fan blades for gas turbine engines face challenges in achieving the necessary ductility to withstand bird ingestion and maintain operability, as they lack the structural integrity and weight efficiency of metal blades.

Innovation Solution

A composite fan blade design featuring a three-dimensional woven preform with weft and warp yarns, where weft yarns extend spanwise and warp yarns interweave chordwise, providing a layer-to-layer angle interlock weave pattern, which is woven in a chordwise direction to optimize stiffness and strength properties.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Weight of moving object

If composite materials are used to replace metal in fan blades, then weight is reduced and strength is improved, but ductility and ability to withstand bird ingestion are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblade weightVSAvoidability to withstand bird ingestion

Core Design Contradiction:

Weight of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a three-dimensional woven composite structure with interlocking yarns arranged in multiple directions (0°, 90°, and ±45° orientations) to create a material system that simultaneously achieves low weight, high strength, and improved ductility comparable to metal blades, enabling the composite blade to withstand bird ingestion events

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from traditional two-dimensional laminated composite structures to a three-dimensional woven architecture where yarns extend through the thickness of the blade in multiple directions, creating a spatial network that provides enhanced through-thickness strength and ductility while maintaining weight advantages

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Strength

If three-dimensional woven preform with spanwise weft yarns is used, then structural integrity and stiffness are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidweave pattern complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the blade structure into distinct functional regions (root, span, tip) with optimized yarn distributions in each zone, allowing the complex three-dimensional woven structure to be manufactured in manageable sections that are subsequently assembled, reducing overall manufacturing complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements region-specific yarn orientations and densities tailored to local structural requirements - for example, higher concentration of spanwise yarns in the root region for attachment strength, and optimized chordwise yarns at the tip for aerodynamic loads - allowing simplified manufacturing in each local zone while achieving high overall structural integrity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS8696319B2Three-dimensionally woven composite blade with spanwise weft yarns

Publication Date: 2014.04.15 RTX CORP

AI summary

A composite blade has a root and a tip in a spanwise direction and a leading edge and a trailing edge in a chordwise direction. The composite blade includes a three-dimensional woven preform having weft yarns and warp yarns. The weft yarns extend in the spanwise direction of the composite blade. The warp yarns interweave the weft yarns and extend in the chordwise direction of the blade.