Frangible Sheath for a Fan Blade of a Gas Turbine Engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016010470-A1
Application number	US-201314768387-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 13, 2013
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a rotor for a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The rotor may include a rotor disk and a blade extending radially outward from the rotor disk. The blade may have a leading edge and a sheath may extend along the leading edge of the blade. The sheath may be formed from a brittle material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A rotor for a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a rotor disk; and a blade extending radially outward from the rotor disk, the blade having a leading edge; and a sheath extending along the leading edge of the blade, the sheath being formed from a brittle material.

2 . The rotor of claim 1 , wherein an adhesive joins the sheath to the leading edge of the blade.

3 . The rotor of claim 1 , wherein the brittle material is an aluminum alloy.

4 . The rotor of claim 1 , wherein the brittle material is a fiber-reinforced composite.

5 . The rotor of claim 1 , wherein the rotor is a fan of the gas turbine engine.

6 . The rotor of claim 1 , where the blade is made of aluminum.

7 . A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a fan section having a disk and a plurality of blades extending radially outward from the disk, each blade having a leading edge and a sheath extending along the leading edge of the blade, the sheath being formed from a brittle material; a compressor section downstream of the fan section; a combustor downstream of the compressor section; and a turbine section downstream of the combustor.

8 . The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein an adhesive joins the sheath to the leading edge of the blade.

9 . The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the brittle material is an aluminum alloy.

10 . The gas turbine engine of claim 7 , wherein the brittle material is a fiber-reinforced composite.

11 . The gas turbine engine of claim 6 , wherein the blade is made of aluminum.

12 . A method of protecting a rotor of a gas turbine engine, comprising:
providing a rotor having a rotor disk and a plurality of blades extending radially outward from the rotor disk, each blade having a leading edge and a sheath extending along the leading edge of the blade, the sheath being formed from a brittle material; rotating the rotor; and impacting the sheath with an object at an impact site, the sheath absorbing energy from the object at the impact site.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein a piece of the sheath at the impact site is liberated in response to absorbing energy from the object.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the sheath cracks at the impact site in response to absorbing energy from the object.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the rotor remains rotating after being impacted by the object.

16 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising deflecting the object away from the rotor with the sheath when the object impacts the sheath.

17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the rotor is provided as a fan of the gas turbine engine.

18 . The method of claim 12 , further including adhesively bonding the sheath to the blade.

19 . The method of claim 12 , further including forming the sheath from an aluminum alloy.

20 . The method of claim 12 , further including forming the blade from aluminum.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Moffitt James H

Classifications

• F05D2240/303

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

• F05D2260/311

  of the frangible or shear type · CPC title

• F01D5/288

  Protective coatings for blades · CPC title

• F01D21/045

  special arrangements in stators or in rotors dealing with breaking-off of part of rotor · CPC title

• F05D2300/173

  Aluminium alloys, e.g. AlCuMgPb · CPC title