Penetration resistant fan casing for a turbine engine
First Claim
1. A turbine engine fan casing for containing a separated blade fragment, comprising:
- a support case having an axially extending impact zone;
a substantially structurally continuous penetrable covering circumscribing the impact zone; and
a containment covering circumscribing the penetrable covering.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention is a penetration resistant turbine engine fan casing (12) for containing separated fragments of a fan blade (16). The casing includes a penetration susceptible support case (14), a penetrable covering (32) circumscribing an impact zone (I) of the support case and an optional, but highly recommended collapsible support covering (34) circumscribing the case but axially offset from the impact zone. A containment covering (36) circumscribes both the penetrable covering (32) and the support covering (34). In a preferred embodiment, the coverings are aromatic polyamide fiber fabrics and the support covering is a collapsible cellular array. In operation, a detached fragment of a fan blade penetrates through the case (14) and the penetrable covering (32), and is plastically deformed by the penetrable covering to reduce the fragment'"'"'s potential for damaging the containment covering (36). The containment covering intercepts the deformed fragment, confining it to a predetermined radial envelope bounded by the inner surface (58) of a nacelle (52). The impact forces arising from a separated blade fragment cause the containment fabric to collapse the cellular array (32) and momentarily detension the containment fabric to maximize its penetration resistance.
65 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A turbine engine fan casing for containing a separated blade fragment, comprising:
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a support case having an axially extending impact zone; a substantially structurally continuous penetrable covering circumscribing the impact zone; and a containment covering circumscribing the penetrable covering. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A turbine engine fan casing for containing a separated blade fragment that strikes the fan casing, comprising:
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a support case having an axially extending impact zone; an aromatic polyamide penetrable fabric circumscribing the impact zone with substantially no tension; a collapsible cellular array circumscribing the support case and axially offset from the impact zone; an aromatic polyamide, penetration resistant containment fabric circumscribing the penetrable fabric and the cellular array with a predefined tension, the containment fabric having forward and aft ends situated axially beyond the penetrable fabric and the cellular array, the forward and aft ends each being anchored to the support case by respective adhesively bonded joints; and a circumferentially extending filler wedge nested in a corner of the support case and trapped radially between the support case and the containment fabric; wherein the penetrable covering deforms the separated blade fragment to reduce its potential for inflicting damage and the containment covering resists penetration by the deformed fragment thereby confining the fragment to a predetermined radial envelope. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A method of containing a separated fan blade fragment in a turbine engine, comprising:
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preconditioning the separated blade fragment to reduce its potential for inflicting damage; and intercepting the preconditioned fragment with a tensioned material capable of resisting penetration by the deformed fragment and of confining the fragment to a predetermined radial envelope. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification