Processes and tooling associated with diffusion bonding the periphery of a cavity-back airfoil

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10913133-B2
Application number	US-201816025047-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2018
Priority date	Jul 2, 2018
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

A fixture assembly includes a first fixture portion, a second fixture portion that interfaces with the first fixture portion, and a sub-fixture movably mounted to the first fixture portion. A multiple of actuators selectively move the sub-fixture toward the second fixture portion. A method of manufacturing a fan blade includes deploying the sub-fixture from the first fixture portion to effectuate a peripheral diffusion bond to join the blade body and the cover of the fan blade.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fixture assembly for manufacturing a blade for a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a first fixture portion shaped to the airfoil contour to receive a blade body;
a second fixture portion that interfaces with the first fixture portion, the second fixture portion shaped to the airfoil contour to support a cover with respect to the blade body;
a sub-fixture movably mounted to the first fixture portion, wherein the sub-fixture comprises a multiple of sub-fixture elements to define a peripheral diffusion bond for the cover to join the cover to the blade body;
a heating element within each sub-fixture element; an actuator associated with each sub-fixture element to selectively individually move each sub-fixture element of the sub-fixture toward the second fixture portion, each actuator comprises a bellows located between the first fixture portion and the sub-fixture element; and
a control system operable to individually control each sub-fixture element to adjust the peripheral diffusion bond for the cover in response to a temperature and a pressure at each sub-fixture element.

2. The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the sub-fixture is a rectilinear shaped element.

3. The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the cover and the blade body form a cavity-back fan blade for a gas turbine engine, the blade body comprises the fan blade leading and trailing edges.

4. The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein each heating element is embedded within each sub-fixture element of the sub-fixture to provide upwards of 1600 degrees F.

5. The assembly as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor in communication with the each sub-fixture element and the control system.

6. The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein each of the multiple of actuators comprise a pressure sensor in communication with the bellows and the control system.

7. The assembly as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a multiple of heater elements within the second fixture portion along a locally protruding area opposite the sub-fixture along the peripheral diffusion bond for the cover.

8. The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein each sub-fixture element is manufactured of a heatable material that distributes the heat from the heating element.

9. The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein each sub-fixture element is manufactured of a silicon nitride.

10. The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the sub-fixture is a rectilinear shaped element formed by the multiple of sub-fixture elements to define the peripheral diffusion bond for the cover.

11. A fixture assembly for manufacturing a fan blade of a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a first fixture portion shaped to the airfoil contour to receive a blade body;
a second fixture portion that interfaces with the first fixture portion, the second fixture portion shaped to the airfoil contour to support a cover with respect to the blade body;
a sub-fixture movably mounted to the first fixture portion, wherein the sub-fixture comprises a multiple of sub-fixture elements to define a peripheral diffusion bond for the cover to join the cover to the blade body;
a heating element within each sub-fixture element;
a temperature sensor within each sub-fixture element;
an actuator associated with each sub-fixture element to selectively move the sub-fixture toward the second fixture portion, each actuator comprises a bellows located between the first fixture portion and the sub-fixture element;
a pressure sensor in communication with each bellows; and
a control system in communication with the heating element, the temperature sensor, the pressure sensor and the actuator associated with each sub-fixture element, the control system operable to individually control each sub-fixture element to adjust the peripheral diffusion bond for the cover in response to the temperature and pressure at each sub-fixture element.

12. The assembly as recited in claim 11 , wherein each sub-fixture element is manufactured of a heatable material that distributes the heat from the heating element.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp
• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Bales Daniel A
• Demichael Thomas

Classifications

• B23K1/20

  Preliminary treatment of work or areas to be soldered, e.g. in respect of a galvanic coating · CPC title

• B23K20/026

  with diffusion of soldering material · CPC title

• F05D2230/236

  Diffusion bonding · CPC title

• B23K2101/001

  Turbines · CPC title

• B23K3/087

  Soldering or brazing jigs, fixtures or clamping means · CPC title