Braided blades and vanes having dovetail roots

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016201478-A1
Application number	US-201514860132-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 21, 2015
Priority date	Sep 23, 2014
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A gas turbine engine composite article having a composite article airfoil extending outwardly to an article root to an article airfoil tip. Within the article airfoil is a core including a core airfoil attached to a core root including a core dovetail. A continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer including braided composite material tows are braided on the core and the braided layer covers the entire core airfoil and the core root. The core may be an inflatable mandrel or a composite core made of a composite material. The core may include stiffeners such as an I beam or hollow rectangular cross-section box beams. A method for making such an article includes braiding a continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer including braided composite material tows on the core including covering the entire core airfoil and the core root with the continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer.

First claim

Accordingly, what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is the invention as defined and differentiated in the following claims:

1 . A gas turbine engine composite article comprising:
a composite article airfoil attached to an article root, the composite article airfoil including article blade pressure and suction sides extending outwardly in a spanwise direction from an article airfoil base or the article root to an article airfoil tip, the composite article airfoil extending between chordwise spaced apart article leading and trailing edges, the article root including an integral article dovetail, a core including a core airfoil attached to a core root including a core dovetail, the core airfoil including core pressure and suction sides extending outwardly in the spanwise direction from a core airfoil base or core root to a core tip and located within the composite article airfoil, a continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer including braided composite material tows braided on the core, and the continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer covering the entire core airfoil and the core root.

2 . The article as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the core including an inflatable mandrel.

3 . The article as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the core being a composite core made of a composite material.

4 . The article as claimed in claim 3 further comprising pad-up or insert plies are disposed inboard of the braided layer.

5 . The article as claimed in claim 3 further comprising the core including stiffeners.

6 . The article as claimed in claim 5 further comprising stiffeners including an I beam or hollow rectangular cross-section box beams.

7 . The article as claimed in claim 6 further comprising a hollow space between the beams and a shell of the blade composite core filled with a filler or foam.

8 . The article as claimed in claim 6 further comprising:
the composite article airfoil attached to article inner and outer roots wherein the article inner root is the article root,
the composite article airfoil extending outwardly in a spanwise direction from the article inner root to the article outer root at the article airfoil tip,
the core including core inner and outer roots integrally formed with the core airfoil wherein the core inner root is the core root, and
the continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer covering the entire core airfoil and the inner and outer roots.

9 . The article as claimed in claim 8 further comprising:
the core being a composite core made of a composite material,
the core including stiffeners, and
the stiffeners including an I beam or hollow rectangular cross-section box beams.

10 . The article as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a hollow space between the beams and a shell of the blade composite core filled with a filler or foam.

11 . A method for making a gas turbine engine composite article, the method comprising:
braiding a continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer including braided composite material tows on a core, the core including a core airfoil attached to a core root and the core root including a core dovetail, the core airfoil including core pressure and suction sides extending outwardly in the spanwise direction from a core airfoil base or core root to a core tip and located within the composite article airfoil, and the braiding including covering the entire core airfoil and the core root with the continuous outer three-dimensional braided layer.

12 . The method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising the braiding including over-braiding for making top and bottom over-braid portions of the continuous outer braided layer.

13 . The method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising trimming away the top and bottom over-braid portions, then injecting resin in the braided layer, and then curing the composite article.

14 . The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising removing the core before or after the curing.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Kray Nicholas Joseph
• Fang Xiaomei
• Madsen Christopher
• Prentice Ian Francis
• Shair Sultan
• Shim Dong-Jin
• Ward Douglas Duane

Classifications

• B29B11/16

  comprising fillers or reinforcement {(non-woven fabrics per se D04H1/00, D04H3/00)} · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title

• B29C70/44

  using isostatic pressure, e.g. pressure difference-moulding, vacuum bag-moulding, autoclave-moulding or expanding rubber-moulding · CPC title

• F05D2300/603

  Composites; e.g. fibre-reinforced · CPC title

• F01D5/26 Primary

  Antivibration means not restricted to blade form or construction or to blade-to-blade connections {or to the use of particular materials} · CPC title