Method for immobilising a preform in a mould

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016101575-A1
Application number	US-201514880006-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 9, 2015
Priority date	Oct 10, 2014
Publication date	Apr 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a turbine-engine blade from a preform made from polymerized composite material in a mold comprising a bottom part and a top part, comprising at least one closure step during which the top part of said mold is attached to the bottom part of the mold containing the preform, wherein it comprises, prior to said closure step, at least one insertion substep during which a first end of an immobilization element is inserted in a bottom part of the preform in a substantially transverse direction, and a positioning substep during which a second, opposite end of said element is disposed in a complementary reception cavity emerging in the bottom part of the mold.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1 . Method for manufacturing a turbine-engine blade made from composite material, the method comprising:
producing a preform of general axial orientation, by weaving threads in three dimensions, said preform comprising a blade root part and a blade vane part; placing the preform in a bottom part of a mold, a recess of which is substantially complementary to bottom parts of the blade root part and of the blade vane part of the preform; closing the mold, consisting of attaching a top part of said mold, a recess of which is complementary to top parts of the blade root part and of the blade vane part of the preform, on the bottom part of the mold containing the preform; compacting the preform in said mold: and injecting a resin into the mold under vacuum in order to impregnate the compacted preform and to form a rigid blade after polymerization of the resin, wherein, prior to closing the mold, the method further comprises
inserting a first end of an immobilization element in a bottom part of the preform in a substantially transverse direction; and
positioning a second, opposite end of said element in a complementary reception cavity emerging in the bottom part of the mold.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, after said injecting a resin, eliminating the second end of said element.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said inserting a first end of an immobilization element in a bottom part of the preform occurs prior to placing the preform in a bottom part of a mold, and wherein said positioning a second, opposite end of said element in a complementary reception cavity occurs during the second step.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said positioning a second, opposite end of said element in a complementary reception cavity occurs during said placing the preform in a bottom part of a mold, and wherein said inserting a first end of an immobilization element in a bottom part of the preform occurs during said placing the preform in a bottom part of a mold and subsequent to said positioning a second, opposite end of said element in a complementary reception cavity.

5 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein:
during said inserting a first end of an immobilization element in a bottom part of the preform, the immobilization element is inserted in a zone of the bottom part of the blade root intended to form part of a subsequently eliminated trimming; the method further comprising removing the polymerized rough preform from the mold and then cutting in order to separate trimmings from it, in order to obtain the final blade, wherein said eliminating the second end of said element being performed concomitantly with said cutting.

6 . Immobilization element able to cooperate firstly with a preform of general axial orientation, obtained by three-dimensional weaving of threads made from composite materials, of a turbine-engine blade, and secondly with a mold for impregnating said preform, wherein the immobilization element comprises a first end able to be inserted in the weaving of the preform and a second, opposite end able to project out of the preform and to cooperate with the mold, said immobilization element being configured so as to cooperate with said preform and with said mold for placing said preform in said mold and during the impregnation of said preform in the mold.

7 . Immobilization element according to claim 6 , wherein the first end is configured in one of a peak and a point.

8 . Immobilization element according to claim 6 , wherein the second end is formed as a pin able to cooperate with a cavity with a complementary shape of the mold.

9 . Impregnation mold for manufacturing a turbine-engine blade made from composite material, comprising a bottom mold part, a recess of which is substantially complementary to a bottom part of a blade preform, and a top part, a recess of which is substantially complementary to a top part of the blade preform, said top part being able to be attached to said bottom part, wherein the bottom part comprises at least one cavity emerging inside the recess, which is complementary to an immobilization element secured to the blade preform, and which is able to provide reception thereof.

10 . Impregnation mold according to claim 9 , wherein the cavity emerges in a part of the recess in the bottom part of the mold that does not delimit a functional surface of the final blade.

Assignees

• Snecma

Inventors

• Ashtari Nicolas
• Techer Marc-Emmanuel

Classifications

• B29K2101/10

  Thermosetting resins · CPC title

• B29L2031/08

  Blades for rotors, stators, fans, turbines or the like, e.g. screw propellers · CPC title

• B29K2307/04

  Carbon · CPC title

• B29C70/543 Primary

  Fixing the position or configuration of fibrous reinforcements before or during moulding (for non-woven fabrics D04H3/08) · CPC title

• B29C70/24

  oriented in at least three directions forming a three-dimensional [3D] structure · CPC title