Method and compaction assembly for manufacturing a composite turbomachine blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016288380-A1
Application number	US-201415026918-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 3, 2014
Priority date	Oct 4, 2013
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to a compaction assembly comprising a shaping mold ( 24 ) delimiting an upwardly open housing, capable of receiving a woven preform cut out beforehand ( 10 a ), and a vertically moveable compaction tool ( 128 ) and forming, with the shaping mold, ( 24 ), a compaction assembly for said preform placed beforehand in the housing. The compaction tool ( 128 ) includes at least one foot portion ( 128 A). The compaction tool ( 128 ) comprises at least three separate compaction blocks ( 1281 - 1287 ). Application to the manufacturing of composite fan blades for a turbomachine.

First claim

1 . A compaction assembly for a woven preform obtained by three-dimensional weaving of yarns and intended to form a composite turbomachine blade with an airfoil, a foot and a root, said preform comprising parts predefining the airfoil, the foot of the blade and, between the airfoil and the foot, the root of the blade, the compaction assembly comprising a shaping mold delimiting an upwardly open housing, suitable for receiving a woven preform, and a vertically moveable compaction tool and cooperating with the shaping mold for forming a compaction assembly allowing compaction of said preform when placed in the housing, wherein the compaction tool comprises at least one foot portion and wherein said compaction assembly defines a longitudinal direction and a vertical middle plane parallel to the longitudinal direction, the compaction tool comprising at least three separate compaction blocks, among which are a central compaction block passing through said middle plane and two side compaction blocks located at the side edges of said compaction tool, said compaction blocks being adapted to move downwards one by one towards the shaping mold in an independent way, starting with the central compaction block.

2 . The compaction assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the compaction blocks are configured to move downwards one by one towards the shaping mold, starting with said central compaction block and then with each compaction block adjacent to the one having moved downward previously, and this until the side compaction block so as to compact a whole width of said preform.

3 . The compaction assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the compaction tool has at least one window configured to give the possibility of viewing the position of at least one tracer yarn when the preform is placed in the housing.

4 . A method for manufacturing a composite turbomachine blade with an airfoil, a foot and a root, comprising the following steps:
a) a preform is made by three-dimensional weaving of yarns, said preform comprising parts defining the airfoil, the foot of the blade and, between the airfoil and the foot, the root of the blade, the yarns comprising visually identifiable tracer yarns positioned at least at the surface of the preform; b) the preform is cut out while leaving intact a series of tracer yarns located along a reference face of the preform, whereby a cut-out preform configured to predefine the shape and the dimensions of the constitutive portions of the blade is provided; c) the cut-out preform is pre-deformed, whereby a pre-deformed preform is provided; d) pre-compaction of said pre-deformed preform is achieved, whereby a pre-compacted preform is provided; e) wetting and drying the pre-compacted preform are performed, whereby a stiffened preform is provided; f) an injection mold is provided in which said stiffened preform is placed; g) a binder comprising a thermosetting resin is injected into said injection mold in order to impregnate the whole stiffened preform and to maintain the relative arrangement between the yarns of the stiffened preform; h) said injection mold is heated; and i) a composite molded part is extracted from the mold, substantially having the shape and the dimensions of said blade, wherein, during step c), said pre-deformation is achieved by placing the cut-out preform in a housing delimited by a shaping mold and in that, during step d), the pre-compaction is achieved by using a moveable compaction tool cooperating with the shaping mold, wherein, during step d), at least the foot part of the preform defining the foot of the blade is pre-compacted, and wherein the preform is pre-compacted starting with the middle and gradually advancing until the edge of the preform.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the compaction tool comprises at least three separate compaction blocks and, during step d), the compaction tool is moved downwards towards the shaping mold in such a way that said compaction blocks move downwards one by one towards the shaping mold in an order starting with a central portion of the preform and then each portion adjacent to the previous one, so that a whole width of the preform is compacted.

6 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein, during steps c) and d), a compaction assembly according to claim 1 is used.

Assignees

• Snecma

Inventors

• Marchal Yann
• Engel Jeremy
• Gimat Matthieu

Classifications

• B29K2021/006

  Thermosetting elastomers · CPC title

• B29L2031/082

  Blades, e.g. for helicopters · CPC title

• B29C70/48

  and impregnating the reinforcements in the closed mould, e.g. resin transfer moulding [RTM] {, e.g. by vacuum} · CPC title

• B29B13/06

  by drying (B29B13/08 takes precedence {; drying moulded articles or half products B29C37/0092}) · CPC title

• B29L2031/08

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