Panels and processes therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9421703-B2
Application number	US-201113334616-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2011
Priority date	Aug 16, 2011
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

Polymer-based materials and processes suitable for producing panels, for example, panels for use in a fan shroud abradable seal of a turbofan engine. Such a process includes introducing constituents of an expandable foam material into a continuous forming apparatus that continuously compounds the constituents into a partially-cured compounded polymeric material, which is then continuously formed with the continuous forming apparatus to produce a continuous form having a constant cross-sectional shape transverse to a continuous forming direction of the continuous forming apparatus. A portion of the continuous form is then deformed to produce a preform, and the preform is cured within a restricted volume to cause the preform to expand and produce the panel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for producing a panel, the process comprising:
introducing constituents of an expandable foam material into a continuous forming apparatus that continuously compounds the constituents into a partially-cured compounded polymeric material;
continuously forming the compounded polymeric material with the continuous forming apparatus to produce a continuous form having a constant cross-sectional shape transverse to a continuous forming direction of the continuous forming apparatus;
deforming a portion of the continuous form to produce a preform; and then
curing the preform within a restricted volume to cause the preform to expand and produce the panel.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the preform has a different cross-sectional shape than the continuous form.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the restricted volume causes zones of the panel to have different densities.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the restricted volume causes zones of the panel to have different densities and thicknesses.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the continuous forming apparatus is an extrusion apparatus.

6. The process according to claim 5 , wherein the constituents of the expandable foam material comprise liquid and solid constituents that are combined within the extrusion apparatus.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the deforming step is performed in a mold.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the curing step is performed in a mold and the restricted volume is a mold cavity within the mold.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the panel is an abradable panel.

10. The process according to claim 9 , further comprising installing the abradable panel as part of a shroud assembly in a fan section of a turbofan engine.

11. A process for producing abradable panels adapted to be assembled together to form an abradable seal in a fan section of a turbofan engine, the process comprising:
introducing constituents of an expandable foam material into an extrusion apparatus that continuously compounds the constituents into a partially-cured compounded polymeric material;
continuously forming the compounded polymeric material with the extrusion apparatus to produce a continuous form having a constant cross-sectional shape transverse to a continuous forming direction of the extrusion apparatus;
deforming a portion of the continuous form to produce a preform that has a different cross-sectional shape than the continuous form; and then
curing the preform within a restricted volume to cause the preform to expand and produce the panel, the restricted volume causing at least two zones of the panel to have different densities.

12. The process according to claim 11 , wherein the restricted volume causes zones of the panel to have different densities and thicknesses.

13. The process according to claim 11 , wherein the constituents of the expandable foam material comprise liquid and solid constituents that are combined within the extrusion apparatus.

14. The process according to claim 11 , wherein the deforming step is performed in a mold.

15. The process according to claim 11 , wherein the curing step is performed in a mold and the restricted volume is a mold cavity within the mold.

16. The process according to claim 11 , wherein the constituents of the expandable foam material comprise an epoxy resin system, polybutadiene, at least one fiber material, and at least one foaming agent.

17. The process according to claim 11 , further comprising installing the abradable panel as part of a shroud assembly in a fan section of a turbofan engine.

18. A process for producing abradable panels adapted to be assembled together to form an abradable seal in a fan section of a turbofan engine, the process comprising:
introducing constituents of an expandable foam material into an extrusion apparatus that continuously compounds the constituents into a partially-cured compounded polymeric material;
continuously forming the compounded polymeric material with the extrusion apparatus to produce a continuous form having a constant cross-sectional shape transverse to a continuous forming direction of the extrusion apparatus;
deforming a portion of the continuous form to produce a preform that has a different cross-sectional shape than the continuous form; and then
curing the preform within a restricted volume to cause the preform to expand and produce the panel, the restricted volume causing at least two zones of the panel to have different densities;
wherein the curing step is performed in a mold and the restricted volume is a mold cavity within the mold; and
wherein the mold cavity is sized such that a thinner section of the preform expands more than a thicker section of the preform, with the result that a first zone of the panel is produced from the thinner section to have a lower density than a second zone of the panel produced from the thicker section.

Assignees

• Schulte Michael Dominic
• Aho Eric Joseph
• Davis Peter Kennedy
• Lin Wendy Wen-Ling
• O'Brien Michael Joseph
• Stephens Brian Dominic
• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Schulte Michael Dominic
• Aho Eric Joseph
• Davis Peter Kennedy
• Lin Wendy Wen-Ling
• O'Brien Michael Joseph
• Stephens Brian Dominic

Classifications

• B29C48/07

  Flat, e.g. panels · CPC title

• B29C44/3484

  Stopping the foaming reaction until the material is heated or re-heated · CPC title

• F05B2280/4007

  Thermoplastics · CPC title

• B29C44/08

  using several expanding {or moulding} steps · CPC title

• B29C44/50

  using pressure difference, e.g. by extrusion or by spraying {(B29C44/468 takes precedence)} · CPC title