LIP SKIN SECTOR AND A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING A LIP SKIN SECTOR

• US 20150367395A1
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROHR Incorporated (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Globally Local Solutions Limited
• Inventors: LUDLOW, MICHAEL, MCCRACKEN, DAVID
• Granted Patent: US 9,975,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 22/02 Stamping using rigid devices or tools
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 25/02 by pulling over a die
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 25/04 Clamping arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 53/92 other parts for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2033/0273 for jet engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2033/0286 for turbofan engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 29/00 Power-plant nacelles, fairings, or cowlings nacelles not otherwise provided for B64C
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/00 Designing, manufacturing, assembling, cleaning, maintaining or repairing aircraft, not otherwise provided for; Handling, transporting, testing or inspecting aircraft components, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/085 using radiant means, e.g. acoustic, radioactive or electromagnetic
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/04 Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2230/00 Manufacture

Abstract

An apparatus for forming a sector of an annular component having an arrangement for securely retaining at least a portion of a blank mountable thereon. The retaining arrangement is adapted for leaving a portion of the retainable blank accessible. A punch is provided having an external surface contour shaped to correspond to the shape of all or a part of the profile of the sector of the annular component from a trailing edge to a leading edge and/or from a leading edge to an inlet edge. The apparatus has a cooperating forming arrangement for forming the profile of the sector of the annular component from the leading edge to the inlet edge. The retaining arrangement is adapted for forming a clamping boundary enclosing the accessible part of the blank to be formed by the punch.

Claims

1-33. -33. (canceled)

34. An apparatus for forming a sector of an annular component, comprising:

means for securely retaining at least a portion of a blank mountable thereon;

wherein the retaining means is adapted for leaving a portion of the retainable blank accessible;

a punch having an external surface contour shaped to correspond to the shape of all or a part of the profile of the sector of the annular component from a trailing edge to a leading edge or from a leading edge to an inlet edge;

wherein the punch or the retaining means is capable of radial movement so that the punch is capable of coming into contact with the accessible portion of the blank for forming the blank from the trailing edge to the leading edge;

wherein the retaining means is adapted for allowing controlled flow of the blank material through the retaining means as the punch comes into contact with the blank for draw forming the blank across the punch;

cooperating forming means for forming the profile of the sector of the annular component from the leading edge to the inlet edge;

wherein the retaining means is adapted for forming a clamping boundary enclosing the accessible part of the blank to be formed by the punch;

wherein the retaining means is adapted to define a gap for facilitating location of the punch;

wherein the retaining means comprises a blank holder and a die; and

wherein the die is a die plate which has a cut out and the blank holder has a cutout defining the gap and being formed for alignment with the cutout of the die plate in use.

35. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the retaining means is adapted to create a continuous clamping boundary enclosing the accessible part of the blank to be formed by the punch.

36. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the retaining means forms a frame enclosing the accessible part of the blank to be formed by the punch.

37. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the cooperating forming means are adjustable in an axial direction.

38. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein at least part of the retaining means is capable of operating as at least part of the cooperating forming means for draw forming the sector of the annular component from the leading edge to the inlet edge.

39. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the punch has an outer surface contour and a forming end shaped to correspond to the shape of the profile of the formed sector of the annular component from the trailing edge to the inlet edge.

40. The apparatus as claimed claim 34, wherein the external surface of the punch is optimized for springback or the external surface of the punch has a high surface finish for reducing friction during forming or the trailing edge of the punch has a radius.

41. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the external surface contour of the blank holder and the internal surface contour of the die for engaging the blank correspond to the surface contour of a formed sector of an annular component.

42. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the shape of the cut out is designed to match the shape of the punch with a small clearance for the blank material thickness.

43. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the corners of the cut out of the die plate or blank holder are rounded or the boundary between the internal surface of the die plate and at least part of an internal peripheral surface of the cutout proximal to the blank is rounded by a radius for providing controlled material flow during the draw forming operation.

44. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the die has a movable portion capable of being moved relative to the remainder of the die when the blank is clamped between the die and blank holder.

45. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the die comprises a die plate and a support means around all or part of the perimeter of the die plate.

46. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the punch comprises an internal grip, the internal grip having a profile for matching an internal profile of the forming punch.

47. The apparatus as claimed in claim 46, wherein the internal grip is movable in the axial direction with a resisting force provided by an integrated actuation system or biasing means.

48. The apparatus as claimed in claim 46, wherein the internal grip provides the second part of the cooperating forming means working together with the movable portion of the die.

49. The apparatus as claimed in claim 46, wherein the internal grip is alignable with the movable portion of the die as the punch forms the trailing edge to the leading edge of the lipskin sector.

50. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the apparatus comprises two separate draw forming tools.

51. The apparatus as claimed in claim 50, wherein a first tool has a blank holder and die for retaining a blank there between with alignable cutouts formed for receiving a punch.

52. The apparatus as claimed in claim 51, wherein a second tool comprises:

a sector of a punch formed for receiving the partially formed lip skin sector, the form of the punch sector corresponding closely to the form of the leading edge of the punch of the first tool or being that punch so as to neatly accommodate the partially formed lip skin sector and a clamping ring sector formed for nesting engagement with the punch with clearance for the thickness of the blank; and

a cooperating forming arrangement in the form of a pair of cooperating gripping ring sectors provided for draw forming the blank from the leading edge to the inlet edge of the lip skin sector.

53. The apparatus as claimed in claim 44, wherein actuation of the movable portions is provided by an actuation means, wherein the actuation means includes a hydraulic or electromechanical actuation system capable of causing radial motion of the punch or retaining means and is capable of causing axial motion of the cooperating forming means.

54. A method of forming a sector of an annular component, the method comprising the steps of:

clamping at least part of a blank along a clamping boundary in a retaining means so as to leave a portion of the blank exposed within the clamping boundary;

moving a punch or retaining means radially so that the punch comes in to contact with the exposed portion of the blank and through the main body of the exposed blank thereby drawing the blank onto an external surface of the punch forming the sector from the leading edge to the trailing edge;

activating cooperating forming means for engaging the blank;

drawing the blank over the punch forming the sector of the annular component from the leading edge to the inlet edge; and

aligning a cut out of a die and a cutout of a blank holder defining a gap for facilitating location of the punch.

55. The method as claimed in claim 54, further comprising the step of:

clamping at least part of a blank along a continuous clamping boundary in a retaining means so as to leave a portion of the blank exposed within the clamping boundary.