Method of fabricating a rotor blade filler body, and a rotor blade filler body comprising at least one cellular assembly having closed cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10967966-B2
Application number	US-201816044793-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2018
Priority date	Jul 28, 2017
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

A method of fabricating a filler body for a blade of a rotor. In addition, such a method comprises a succession of steps of adding material layer by layer, each step consisting in making a new layer of material on a preceding layer of material made in the preceding step, at least one of the steps consisting in making an openwork layer of material presenting a plurality of openings, the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generating openwork layers of material, each having a closed outline, the respective closed outlines of the openwork layers of material touching mutually in pairs and forming a closed envelope of the filler body for the blade.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fabrication method for fabricating a filler body of a blade for a rotor, the method comprising a succession of steps of adding material layer by layer, each step consisting in making a new layer of material on a preceding layer of material made in the preceding step, at least one of the steps consisting in making an openwork layer of material presenting a plurality of openings, the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generating openwork layers of material, each having a closed outline, the respective closed outlines of the openwork layers of material touching mutually in pairs and forming a closed envelope of the filler body for the blade,
wherein the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generates openwork layers of material, each having a plurality of geometrical shapes arranged within the closed outline and allowing to define the plurality of openings of the openwork layer of material, the pluralities of respective geometrical shapes in the openwork layers of material touching mutually in pairs and forming a cellular lattice of closed cells arranged inside the closed envelope of the filler body of the blade, wherein the cells have the form of a polyhedra selected from the group consisting of tetrahedra, hexahedra, octahedra, dodecahedra and icosahedra.

2. The fabrication method according to claim 1 , wherein the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generates openwork layers of material made out of the same substance.

3. The fabrication method according to claim 1 , wherein the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generates openwork layers of material made of at least two substances distinct from each other.

4. The fabrication method according to claim 3 , wherein the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generates at least two openwork layers of material distinct from each other, a first layer being formed out of a first substance and a second layer being formed out of a second substance distinct from the first substance.

5. The fabrication method according to claim 3 , wherein the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generates at least one openwork layer of material made out of the at least two substances that are distinct from each other.

6. A filler body for a blade of a rotor, the filler body comprising at least one cellular lattice of closed cells made by a fabrication method according to claim 1 , wherein the closed envelope totally covers the cellular lattice.

7. The filler body according to claim 6 , wherein the cellular lattice is made up of cells each having at least four faces each face of the cells being formed by a respective polygon having at least three sides.

8. The filler body according to claim 7 , wherein the cellular lattice includes at least two groups of cells that are distinct from each other.

9. The filler body according to claim 8 , wherein the cellular lattice comprises a first group of cells for which each of the at least three sides presents a respective first length L 1 , and a second group of cells for which each of the at least three sides presents a respective second length L 2 distinct from the first length L 1 .

10. The filler body according to claim 8 , wherein the cellular lattice includes a third group of cells for which each of the at least three sides presents a respective first thickness e 1 , and a fourth group of cells for which each of the at least three sides presents a respective second thickness e 2 distinct from the first thickness e 1 .

11. The filler body according to claim 8 , wherein the cellular lattice includes a fifth group of cells for which each of the polygons forming the at least four faces presents a respective first shape and a sixth group of cells for which each of the polygons forming the at least four faces presents a respective second shape distinct from the first shape.

12. The filler body according to claim 8 , wherein the cellular lattice includes a seventh group of cells made of a first substance, and an eighth group of cells made of a second substance distinct from the first substance.

13. A fabrication method for fabricating a filler body of a blade for a rotor, the method comprising a succession of steps of adding material layer by layer, each step comprising making a new layer of material on a preceding layer of material, at least one of the steps comprising making an openwork layer of material presenting a plurality of openings, the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generating openwork layers of material, each having a closed outline, the respective closed outlines of the openwork layers of material touching mutually in pairs and forming a closed envelope of the filler body for the blade,
wherein the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generates openwork layers of material, each having a plurality of geometrical shapes arranged within the closed outline and allowing to define the plurality of openings of the openwork layer of material, the pluralities of respective geometrical shapes in the openwork layers of material touching mutually in pairs and forming a cellular lattice of closed cells arranged inside the closed envelope of the filler body of the blade, the closed cells having the form of a polyhedra selected from the group consisting of tetrahedra, hexahedra, octahedra, dodecahedra and icosahedra.

14. The fabrication method according to claim 13 , wherein the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generates openwork layers of material made out of the same substance.

15. The fabrication method according to claim 13 , wherein the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generates openwork layers of material made of at least two substances distinct from each other.

16. The fabrication method according to claim 15 , wherein the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generates at least two openwork layers of material distinct from each other, a first layer being formed out of a first substance and a second layer being formed out of a second substance distinct from the first substance.

17. The fabrication method according to claim 15 , wherein the succession of steps of adding material layer by layer generates at least one openwork layer of material made out of the at least two substances that are distinct from each other.

18. A filler body for a blade of a rotor, the filler body comprising at least one cellular lattice of closed cells made by a fabrication method according to claim 13 , wherein the closed envelope totally covers the cellular lattice.

19. The filler body according to claim 18 , wherein the cellular lattice is made up of cells each having at least four faces each face of the cells being formed by a respective polygon having at least three sides, wherein the cellular lattice includes at least two groups of cells that are distinct from each other, and wherein the cellular lattice comprises a first group of cells for which each of the at least three sides presents a respective first length L 1 , and a second group of cells for which each of the at least three sides presents a respective second length L 2 distinct from the first length L 1 .

20. A fabrication method for fabricating a filler body of a blade for a rotor, the method comprising a succession of steps of adding material layer by layer, each step comprising making a new layer of material on a preceding layer of material made in the preceding step, at least one of the steps comprising mak

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters

Inventors

• Amari Andre
• Gaffiero Jacques
• Piccone Jean-Francois

Classifications

• B64C11/00 Primary

  Propellers, e.g. of ducted type; Features common to propellers and rotors for rotorcraft · CPC title

• B29C64/10 Primary

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B64C11/26

  Fabricated blades · CPC title

• B29D99/0089

  Producing honeycomb structures (consisting of porous ceramic ware C04B38/0006) · CPC title

• B64C2027/4736

  from composite materials · CPC title