HOLLOW FAN BLADE WITH STRUCTURAL RIBS

• US 20180347582A1
• Filed: 05/31/2017
• Published: 12/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Malmborg, Eric W.
• Granted Patent: US 10,443,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 15/04 turbine or like blades from several pieces
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/147 Construction, i.e. structural features, e.g. of weight-saving hollow blades F01D5/148, F01D5/16 and F01D5/20 take precedence; blade shape F01D5/141; blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities F01D5/18; heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades F01D5/18
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/18 Hollow blades, i.e. blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities structure of hollow blades in general F01D5/147; Heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 9/041 using blades F01D5/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/325 for axial flow fans blade mountings F04D29/34, blades F04D29/38
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/388 characterised by construction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

Disclosed is a fan blade for a gas turbine engine, including: a first member and a second member; the first member having a first surface and the second member having a second surface, each of the first surface and the second surface extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge of the fan blade and from a tip edge to or proximate to a root of the fan blade; the first surface being externally facing and being one of concave or convex between the leading edge and the trailing edge and the second surface being externally facing and being another of convex or concave between the leading edge and the trailing edge; the second member including structural ribs extending to the first member, and the first member being bonded to the second member at free edges of the structural ribs and about a perimeter of the fan blade.

Claims

1. A fan blade for a gas turbine engine, comprising:

a first member and a second member;

the first member having a first surface and the second member having a second surface, each of the first surface and the second surface extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge of the fan blade and from a tip edge to or proximate to a root of the fan blade;

the first surface being externally facing and being one of concave or convex between the leading edge and the trailing edge and the second surface being externally facing and being another of convex or concave between the leading edge and the trailing edge; and

wherein the second member includes structural ribs extending to the first member, and wherein the first member is bonded to the second member at free edges of the structural ribs and about a perimeter of the fan blade.

2. The fan blade of claim 1, wherein the first surface is concave between the leading edge and the trailing edge.

3. The fan blade of claim 1, wherein the first member has a constant or variable thickness.

4. The fan blade of claim 1, wherein the first member and second member are both unitary members.

5. The fan blade of claim 1, wherein the structural ribs include a plurality of spaced apart span-wise ribs and a plurality of spaced apart chord-wise ribs.

6. The fan blade of claim 1, wherein the second member comprises a root core and the first member comprises a root edge radially spaced from the root core.

7. The fan blade of claim 1, wherein the first member comprises a first portion of a root core, the second member comprises a second portion of the root core and a third member bonded to the first member comprises a third portion of the root core.

8. A gas turbine engine comprising a fan blade, the fan blade comprising:

a first member and a second member;

the first member having a first surface and the second member having a second surface, each of the first surface and the second surface extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge of the fan blade and from a tip edge to or proximate to a root of the fan blade;

the first surface being externally facing and being one of concave or convex between the leading edge and the trailing edge and the second surface being externally facing and being another of convex or concave between the leading edge and the trailing edge; and

wherein the second member includes structural ribs extending to the first member, and wherein the first member is bonded to the second member at free edges of the structural ribs and about a perimeter of the fan blade.

9. The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the first surface is concave between the leading edge and the trailing edge.

10. The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the first member has a constant or variable thickness.

11. The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the first member and second member are both unitary members.

12. The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the structural ribs include a plurality of spaced apart span-wise ribs and a plurality of spaced apart chord-wise ribs.

13. The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the second member comprises a root core and the first member comprises a root edge radially spaced from the root core.

14. The gas turbine engine of claim 8, wherein the first member comprises a first portion of a root core, the second member comprises a second portion of the root core and a third member bonded to the first member comprises a third portion of the root core.

15. A method of manufacturing a fan blade for a gas turbine engine, comprising:

positioning a first member against a second member, the first member having a first surface and the second member having a second surface, each of the first surface and the second surface extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge of the fan blade and from a tip edge to or proximate to a root of the fan blade, wherein the second member includes structural ribs extending to the first member; and

bonding the second member to the first member at free edges of the structural ribs and about a perimeter of the fain blade.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein when the first member is positioned against the second member, the first surface is externally facing and is one of concave or convex between the leading edge and the trailing edge and the second surface is externally facing and is another of convex or concave between the leading edge and the trailing edge.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein when the first member is positioned against the second member, the first member is planar and the second surface is externally facing and is one of convex or concave between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and the method further includes bending the first member so that the first surface forms another of convex or concave between the leading edge and the trailing edge.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the second member comprises a root core and the first member comprises a root edge radially spaced from the root core.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the first member comprises a first portion of a root core, the second member comprises a second portion of the root core and the method includes bonding a third member against the first face of the first member, wherein the third member comprises a third portion of the root core.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein following the bonding step, the method further comprises removing portions of the first member that extend past the second member at the leading edge, the trailing edge, the tip and the root.