Method for producing a propeller blade from a composite material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9457435-B2
Application number	US-201314374670-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2013
Priority date	Jan 25, 2012
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

A propeller blade, which can belong to a fan without covering by an external casing, includes two portions fitted into one another and of different materials, generally composite, to resist various stresses, heating coming from a rotor or impacts of solid bodies. An internal portion includes a blade core, a blade shank and possibly a foam lining, and a preform of an outside portion is assembled to it by surrounding it closely before being completely formed by receiving its resin, which is placed into polymerization. A method for producing the propeller blade guarantees good assembly of the portions without defects of form, damage or deformation of a fiber weave.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade, comprising:
forming a longeron comprising a blade core;
forming a blade preform comprising a fiber weave, the weave including a separating area wherein it is divided into two superimposed skins, the separating area comprising a location configured to receive the blade core;
positioning the blade preform into an equipment comprising an indentation of the preform;
opening the separating area by separating the skins;
installing the longeron by inserting the blade core into the separating area;
closing the separating area by bringing the skins closer together;
injecting resin into the blade preform;
polymerisation of the resin and machining of the blade preform;
creating trackers which are reference marks at determined positions on the blade preform, during the forming the blade preform;
forming the blade preform at a determined position in the indentation after the positioning, by coinciding the trackers with target positions set in the equipment;
tightening the blade preform in the indentation outside the separating area before the opening of the separating area and until the longeron is installed.

2. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 1 , wherein the forming the blade preform, the tightening the blade preform, and the opening of the separating area of the blade preform are respectively accomplished by a device for creating the target positions, the device having a position set with respect to the equipment, a device implanted on the equipment, and a device standing on the equipment.

3. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 1 , further comprising gluing a foam lining around the blade core to form the longeron.

4. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 1 , wherein the longeron further comprises a blade shank.

5. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 4 , wherein the equipment indentation comprises an appendage for receiving the blade shank.

6. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 1 , wherein the longeron is formed by creating a fiber weave, by injecting a second resin into the weave, by polymerising the second resin, and by machine tooling the longeron, the second resin being different from the resin injected in the blade preform.

7. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 1 , wherein the trackers are tracking fibers of the blade preform, which have a particular appearance.

8. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 1 , wherein the target positions set in the equipment are created by a laser mobile in front of the blade preform and having a beam directed onto the blade preform.

9. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 8 , further comprising locating patterns established on the equipment by the laser, to calibrate a position of the laser before it creates the target positions.

10. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 8 , wherein the positioning of the blade preform is repeated after the installing the longeron and before the injecting the resin.

11. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 1 , wherein the tightening of the blade preform comprising placing a shoe on the blade preform and clamping the shoe to the blade preform to cause the shoe to penetrate into the indentation, the shoe comprising an inner edge extending at a generally constant distance from an outline of the separating area and extending around the outline outside of the area.

12. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 11 , wherein the shoe comprises an outer edge, a portion of which follows an outline of the indentation in an adjusted manner, and the inner edge does not overlap portions of a vertical edge and of an inner edge of the blade preform, the indentation comprising an appendage in front of the inner edge of the blade preform for accommodating a blade root which is a part of the longeron.

13. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 11 , wherein the clamping of the shoe to the blade preform comprises providing supports secured to the equipment and movably pressing the shoe towards a main part of the equipment.

14. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 1 , wherein the opening of the separating area comprises introducing a separator plate into the separating area without extending to an internal outline of the separating area in the preform, and lifting the plate to enable raising the plate to adjustable heights.

15. A method for manufacturing a propeller blade according to claim 14 , wherein the lifting of the plate comprises clipping the plate with a clip; supporting the clip with a support installed on a main part of the equipment, and lifting the clip with a mobile lifter on the support.

Assignees

• Snecma
• Safran

Inventors

• Mathon Richard
• Foussard Olivier
• Marchal Yann
• Varin Franck Bernard Leon

Classifications

• B64C11/26

  Fabricated blades · CPC title

• B29C31/08

  of preforms {to be moulded, e.g. tablets, fibre reinforced preforms, extruded ribbons, tubes or profiles; Manipulating means specially adapted for feeding preforms, e.g. supports conveyors (B29C31/066, B29C37/001, B29C43/085 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B29C31/085

  combined with positioning the preforms according to predetermined patterns, e.g. positioning extruded preforms on conveyors (B29C70/30 takes precedence; for building tyres B29D30/08) · CPC title

• B29L2031/08

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

• B29C70/48 Primary

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