Composite article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016101591-A1
Application number	US-201514848624-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 9, 2015
Priority date	Oct 8, 2014
Publication date	Apr 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention provides an article comprising a core of a core composite material sandwiched between opposing skins formed of a skin composite material. The opposing skins are separated by said core in a through-thickness (z) direction of the article. The skin composite material comprises skin fibres aligned in a plane, the plane being orthogonal to the through-thickness direction. The core composite material comprises core fibres having an extension in a direction extending between said opposing skins. The core composite material may be a 3D composite material or may comprise a laminated stack of Pre-cured Profile Cut flat Laminate (PPCL) sheets.

First claim

1 . An article comprising a core of a core composite material sandwiched between opposing skins formed of a skin composite material, wherein:
the opposing skins are separated by said core in a through-thickness direction of said article; the skin composite material comprises skin fibres aligned in a plane, the plane being orthogonal to said through-thickness direction; and the core composite material comprises core fibres having an extension in a direction extending between said opposing skins.

2 . An article according to claim 1 wherein one or both of the opposing skins comprises at least one respective layer in which the skin fibres extend in two orthogonal directions.

3 . An article according to claim 1 wherein one or both of the opposing skins contains at least one layer proximal a respective outer surface of the skin with skin fibres that are formed into braided tapes.

4 . An article according to claim 1 wherein the core fibres extend in a direction that is between 30 and 90 degrees to the opposing skins.

5 . An article according to claim 1 wherein the core composite material is a 3D composite material containing core fibres extending in three orthogonal directions.

6 . An article according to claim 5 wherein the 3D core composite material contains binder warp core fibres which extend in a zig-zagged direction between the opposing skins.

7 . An article according to claim 1 comprising angular tufting fibres extending in a zig-zagged path through both opposing skins and the core.

8 . An article according to claim 1 wherein the core composite material comprises a laminated stack of core sheets, each core sheet containing core fibres extending in the through-thickness (z) direction.

9 . An article according to claim 8 wherein each of the stacked core sheets contains unidirectional fibres extending in the through-thickness (z) direction.

10 . An article according to claim 8 wherein the laminated stack of core sheets is bound at its outer surface with one or more wrapping fibres.

11 . An article according to claim 8 wherein the core comprises a plurality of laminated stacks of core sheets.

12 . An article according to claim 11 wherein the core comprises a respective adhesive ( 14 ) or damping layer between adjacent laminated stacks of core sheets.

13 . An article according to claim 1 wherein the article is a component of a gas turbine engine.

14 . A method of manufacturing an article according to claim 1 , said method comprising sandwiching a core of a core composite material between opposing skins formed of a skin composite material, such that the opposing skins are separated by said core in a through-thickness direction of said article, wherein:
the skin composite material comprises skin fibres aligned in a plane, the plane being orthogonal to said through-thickness direction; and the core composite material comprises core fibres having an extension in a direction extending between said opposing skins.

15 . A gas turbine engine comprising an article according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Khan Bijoysri

Classifications

• B29C70/24

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

• B32B37/142

  Laminating of sheets, panels or inserts, e.g. stiffeners, by wrapping in at least one outer layer, or inserting into a preformed pocket · CPC title

• B32B2262/10

  Inorganic fibres · CPC title

• F01D5/282

  Selecting composite materials, e.g. blades with reinforcing filaments · CPC title

• B32B2262/106

  Carbon fibres, e.g. graphite fibres · CPC title