Electroformed sheath

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10294573-B2
Application number	US-201514644954-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2015
Priority date	Feb 6, 2012
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

An electroformed sheath for protecting an airfoil includes a sheath body and a mandrel insert is provided. The sheath body includes a leading edge. The sheath body includes a pressure side wall and an opposed suction side wall, which side walls meet at the leading edge and extend away from the leading edge to define a cavity between the side walls. The sheath body includes a head section between the leading edge and the cavity. The mandrel insert is positioned between the pressure side and suction side walls, and includes a generally wedge-shaped geometry. A method for protecting an airfoil includes: 1) securing a mandrel insert to a mandrel; 2) electroplating a sheath body onto the mandrel and the mandrel insert; 3) removing the mandrel from the sheath body so that a sheath cavity is defined within the sheath body; and 4) securing the airfoil within the sheath cavity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for protecting an airfoil of a gas turbine engine, the method comprising the steps of:
securing an electrically conductive mandrel insert to a mandrel, wherein the mandrel insert includes a cross-sectional geometry that is generally wedge-shaped and is defined by a length and a width;
electroplating, in an electroplate bath, a sheath body onto the mandrel and the mandrel insert, the sheath body including a pressure side wall and an opposed suction side wall;
removing the mandrel from the sheath body so that a sheath cavity is defined within the sheath body by the position occupied by the mandrel to form an electroformed sheath that is integral with the mandrel insert; and
securing the airfoil within the sheath cavity so that the electroformed sheath and the integral mandrel insert protect the airfoil;
wherein the width of the integral mandrel insert extends in a lateral direction between the pressure side wall and the suction side wall; and
wherein a maximum value of the width of the integral mandrel insert is greater than at least one of
a maximum value of a thickness of the pressure side wall measured in the lateral direction; or
a maximum value of a thickness of the suction side wall measured in the lateral direction.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the integral mandrel insert is made of a non-metallic composite.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the integral mandrel insert is a honeycomb-like structure.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mandrel insert is integral with the electroformed sheath proximate a leading edge of the electroformed sheath.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Parkos Jr Joseph
• Hansen James O
• Hertel Christopher J
• Murphy Andrew J
• Phillips Ashley P
• Abraham Jay Thomas

Classifications

• F05D2300/603

  Composites; e.g. fibre-reinforced · CPC title

• C25D1/02

  Tubes; Rings; Hollow bodies · CPC title

• F05D2240/303

  related to the leading edge of a rotor blade · CPC title

• C25D1/00 Primary

  Electroforming · CPC title

• F04D29/324

  Blades · CPC title