3D-Woven Sacrificial Edges for Turbomachine Fan Platforms
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of inter-blade platforms for turbomachine fans is complex and delicate due to the need for precise machining of sacrificial lateral edges, leading to material losses and difficulty in achieving desired dimensions.
Innovation Solution
A method involving three-dimensional weaving of fibrous preforms with sacrificial edge portions of reduced thickness, followed by densification using a flexible membrane injection process to control fiber volume ratio and geometry, eliminating the need for complex machining.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If sacrificial lateral edges are produced by machining the edges of the base, then the desired reduction of thickness is achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes complex and delicate
Solution Approach 1:
The fibrous preform is designed with sacrificial edge portions of reduced thickness before densification. This preliminary shaping allows the thickness reduction to be built into the structure during weaving, eliminating the need for complex post-machining operations to achieve the desired thickness variation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical machining process is replaced by a weaving process that directly creates the thickness variation. Instead of removing material through machining, the structure is built with different thicknesses from the beginning using the weaving machine's ability to control yarn placement and layering.
2Manufacturing precision
If sacrificial lateral edges are produced by machining, then dimensional accuracy can be achieved, but material losses occur
Solution Approach 1:
The correct thickness is established during the weaving of the fibrous preform, so no material needs to be removed later. The sacrificial edge portions are created with the exact desired thickness from the beginning, preventing material loss that would occur during machining operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The approach changes from subtractive manufacturing (machining) to additive manufacturing (weaving with controlled yarn placement). By changing the manufacturing parameter from material removal to material placement, dimensional accuracy is achieved without material loss.
3Ease of manufacture
If three-dimensional weaving is used to produce the fibrous blank, then the platform can be manufactured in a single piece, but the sacrificial edges require complex machining
Solution Approach 1:
The weaving process is used not just to create a blank that needs machining, but to directly create the final geometry including the sacrificial edges. The preliminary weaving action incorporates the thickness variation, eliminating the subsequent complex machining step.
Solution Approach 2:
The functions of creating the base structure and creating the sacrificial edges are merged into a single weaving operation. Instead of separate operations for base formation and edge shaping, the weaving process simultaneously produces both features in the correct configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing an inter-blade platform of a turbomachine fan, the platform including a base including a first and a second sacrificial lateral edge having a thickness smaller than that of the central part of the base, the method including the production of a preform of the platform by three-dimensional weaving including a central part portion and two sacrificial edge portions, the thickness of which is smaller than that of the central part portion, the difference in thickness between the lateral edge portions and the central part portion being achieved by withdrawing a plurality of weft yarns located outside the central part portion and not being woven with warp yarns.