FAN BLADE WITH INTEGRATED COMPOSITE FAN BLADE COVER
First Claim
1. A fan blade comprising:
- a body including a pressure side and a suction side, the pressure and suction sides being disposed between and connected to a leading edge and a trailing edge, the pressure side and suction side also being disposed between and connected to a base and a tip;
the suction side including at least one cavity that extends through the suction side and towards the pressure side, the cavity being surrounded by a slot that extends outwardly away from the cavity and into the body, the body further including a lip that extends inwardly towards the cavity and that at least partially defines the slot;
a cover that overlays the cavity and that includes a peripheral edge that is received in the slot and that is at least partially covered by the lip.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A fan blade for a turbofan gas turbine engine is disclosed. The fan blade includes a body having a pressure side and a suction side. The body also includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a distal tip and a base that is coupled to a hub. The suction side of the body includes at least one cavity for purposes of reducing the weight of the fan blade. The at least one body is surrounded by a slot that extends outwardly away from the cavity. A lip that extends inwardly towards the body further defines the slot. A cover is provided that overlays the cavity and includes a peripheral edge that is received in the slot and that is at least partially covered by the lip for a robust connection between the fan blade body and the cavity cover.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A fan blade comprising:
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a body including a pressure side and a suction side, the pressure and suction sides being disposed between and connected to a leading edge and a trailing edge, the pressure side and suction side also being disposed between and connected to a base and a tip; the suction side including at least one cavity that extends through the suction side and towards the pressure side, the cavity being surrounded by a slot that extends outwardly away from the cavity and into the body, the body further including a lip that extends inwardly towards the cavity and that at least partially defines the slot; a cover that overlays the cavity and that includes a peripheral edge that is received in the slot and that is at least partially covered by the lip. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A fan blade assembly comprising:
a hub coupled to a plurality of radially outwardly extending fan blades, each fan blade including a body including a pressure side and a suction side, the pressure and suction sides being disposed between and connected to a leading edge and a trailing edge, the pressure side and suction side also being disposed between and connected to a base and a tip; the suction side including at least one cavity that extends through the suction side and towards the pressure side, the cavity being surrounded by a slot that extends outwardly away from the cavity and into the body, the body further including a lip that extends inwardly towards the cavity and that at least partially defines the slot; a cover that overlays the cavity and that includes a peripheral edge that is received in the slot and that is at least partially covered by the lip; a coating disposed over the cover; wherein the coating is flush with the lip. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for fabricating a fan blade of a turbofan gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
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manufacturing a body including a pressure side and a suction side, the pressure and suction sides being disposed between and connected to a leading edge and a trailing edge, the pressure side and suction side also being disposed between and connected to a base and a tip, the suction side including a plurality of cavities that extend through the suction side and towards the pressure side, the cavities being surrounded by a slot that extends outwardly away from the cavities and into the body, the body further including a lip that extends inwardly towards the cavities and that at least partially defines the slot; providing a cover that includes a peripheral edge, the cover being sized so that the peripheral edge is received in the slot; covering the cavities with the cover by inserting the peripheral edge of the cover into the slot of the body so that the lip at least partially covers the cover; and coating the cover with a coating layer sufficiently thick so that the coating layer is flush with the lip. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification