Method of fabricating hollow composite airfoils
US4594761A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 13, 1984 |
| Grant date | Jun 17, 1986 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 13, 2004 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/49893
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A hollow composite airfoil with an integral internal support rib of fluoroelastomer rubber is formed by bracketing the rib between two silicone rubber mandrels to form a core assembly having a desired aerodynamic shape, then building up on opposite sides of the core assembly separate stacks of laminae of a composite material of graphite (or carbon) and glass fibers impregnated with an epoxy resin, with the two stacks overlapping adjacent to the leading and trailing edges of the core assembly. Heat and pressure are then applied to the core assembly with the laminae thereon to bond together the laminae of each stack, then to bond the two stacks together along the overlapping portions thereof and to bond the two stacks to the rib to form a continuous shell around the core assembly. The mandrels are then removed. One open end of the resulting hollow airfoil is plugged and that end is inserted into a recess in a mounting platform with a predetermined clearance space therebetween. An elastomeric material is then injected into the clearance space for filling it, the elastomer then being cured to bond the platform to the airfoil. A polyurethane sheath is wrapped around the airfoil and cure…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.