Hollow fan blade fabrication

• US 5,419,040 A
• Filed: 04/29/1994
• Issued: 05/30/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company), Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.), United Technologies Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Weisse, Michael A., Carter, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSENBAUM, IRENE CUDA
• Application Number:
  US08/237,436
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 29/889.72, 29/889.7, 29/889, 29/463, 29/889.721
• US Class Current: 29/889.72
• 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: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49336 Blade making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49339 Hollow blade
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49893 Peripheral joining of opposed mirror image parts to form a hollow body

Abstract

Purge flow openings through chordwise ribs in hollow fan blades are formed by making partial circular cuts at the rib edges before diffusion bonding the blade halves. A full semi-circular section is used on the pressure side, but only a segment of a semicircular section is used on the suction side.

Claims

1. A method of forming a hollow fan blade having both longitudinal and cordial internal ribs connecting the pressure side and the suction side comprising:

forming a suction side blade half with internal longitudinal ribs and cordwise rib sections between adjacent longitudinal fibs;

forming a pressure side blade half with internal longitudinal ribs and cordwise rib sections between adjacent longitudinal ribs;

forming connecting openings through said longitudinal ribs at a location to enable a sinuous flowpath through the channels between said longitudinal ribs;

forming at the edges of each cordwise rib section of said pressure side a semi-circular hole of radius r and depth r;

forming at the edge of each cordwise rib section of said suction side a segment of radius r and a depth of between 0.2 r and 0.5 r;

diffusion bonding said blade halves together with said semi-circular holes and said segments in registrations; and

forming said bonded blade into an airfoil shape.

2. A method of forming a hollow fan blade having both longitudinal and cordial internal ribs connecting the pressure side and the suction side comprising:

forming a suction side blade half with internal longitudinal ribs and cordwise rib sections between adjacent longitudinal ribs;

forming a pressure side blade half with internal longitudinal ribs and cordwise rib sections between adjacent longitudinal ribs;

forming connecting openings through said longitudinal ribs at a location to enable a sinuous flowpath through the channels between said longitudinal ribs;

forming at the edges of each cordwise rib section of said pressure side a semi-circular hole of radius r and depth r;

forming at the edge of each cordwise rib section of said suction side a segment of radius r and a depth of between 0.3r and 0.4 r;

diffusion bonding said blade halves together with said semi-circular holes and said segments in registrations; and

forming said bonded blade into an airfoil shape.