Blade and method for manufacturing blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10041354-B2
Application number	US-201113232570-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2011
Priority date	Sep 14, 2011
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a rotor blade is provided. The method includes forming a preform from a plurality of composite plies, the preform including an airfoil portion and a dovetail portion, removing a cutout portion from the dovetail portion of the preform to define a cutout in the preform, wherein the removing the cutout portion facilitates reducing residual stresses in the preform, and inserting an insert into the cutout formed by the removal of the cutout portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a rotor blade comprising:
forming a preform from a plurality of composite plies, the preform including an airfoil portion and a dovetail portion, the airfoil portion and the dovetail portion forming an airfoil and a dovetail, respectively, of the rotor blade, the rotor blade having opposed first and second surfaces;
removing a cutout portion from the dovetail portion of the preform by cutting via machining or a waterjet process to define a cutout in the preform having first and second walls extending along an axial length L of the rotor blade from a first face to a second face, the first and second walls being connected by an apex located approximately halfway between the first and second surfaces, and the cutout extending a depth D from a base of the dovetail portion to the apex, wherein the removing the cutout portion facilitates reducing residual stresses in the preform; and
inserting an insert into the cutout formed by the removal of the cutout portion;
wherein said insert and said preform are composed of substantially similar materials.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein inserting an insert comprises inserting an insert having substantially the same shape as the cutout.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising affixing the insert to the dovetail portion of the preform via bonding or adhering.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the apex forms an arcuate portion connecting the first and second walls.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein inserting an insert comprises inserting an insert including a first surface, an opposite second surface, an arcuate top, and a substantially planar bottom, the first and second surfaces extending from the substantially planar bottom to the arcuate top.

Assignees

• Kray Nicholas Joseph
• Ward Douglas Duane
• Rambo Phillip Wayne
• Gemeinhardt Gregory Carl
• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Kray Nicholas Joseph
• Ward Douglas Duane
• Rambo Phillip Wayne
• Gemeinhardt Gregory Carl

Classifications

• Y10T29/49336

  Blade making · CPC title

• Y10T156/1064

  Partial cutting [e.g., grooving or incising] · CPC title

• F05D2250/292

  tapered · CPC title

• B23P15/02

  turbine or like blades from one piece · CPC title

• F01D5/282

  Selecting composite materials, e.g. blades with reinforcing filaments · CPC title