Braided spar for a rotor blade and method of manufacture thereof
First Claim
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1. A rotor blade assembly, comprising:
- a composite rotor blade spar having a tri-axial braid having a multiple of braided bias angled fibers and a multiple of zero degree fibers interwoven with said multiple of braided bias angled fibers which form a braided sleeve with an elongated cross-sectional profile which surrounds a longitudinal axis, said braided bias angled fibers oriented non-parallel to said longitudinal axis to provide two axes of said tri-axial braid,said zero degree fibers substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis to provide one axis of said tri-axial braid.
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Abstract
A braided rotor blade spar includes a tri-axle braid in which braided bias angled fibers are located non-parallel to a longitudinal axis of the spar. Zero degree fibers are located parallel to the axis and are positioned to be on the upper and lower surfaces of the spar. The bias angle fibers are braided around the zero degree fibers. In a method of manufacture of the braided spar, a braided sleeve is formed dry over a mandrel by a multi-axial braiding machine. Once the braided sleeve is formed upon the mandrel, the mandrel is located within a matched metal mold, resin impregnated, and cured. The mandrel is then removed from the finished braided spar.
64 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A rotor blade assembly, comprising:
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a composite rotor blade spar having a tri-axial braid having a multiple of braided bias angled fibers and a multiple of zero degree fibers interwoven with said multiple of braided bias angled fibers which form a braided sleeve with an elongated cross-sectional profile which surrounds a longitudinal axis, said braided bias angled fibers oriented non-parallel to said longitudinal axis to provide two axes of said tri-axial braid, said zero degree fibers substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis to provide one axis of said tri-axial braid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A rotor blade assembly, comprising:
a composite rotor blade spar having a multiple of braided bias angled fibers and a multiple of zero degree fibers interwoven with said multiple of braided bias angled fibers which form a braided sleeve with an elongated cross-sectional profile which surrounds a longitudinal axis, said braided bias angled fibers oriented non-parallel to said longitudinal axis, said zero degree fibers substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A rotor blade assembly, comprising:
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a composite rotor blade spar including a multiple of braided bias angled fibers and a multiple of zero degree fibers interwoven with said multiple of braided bias angled fibers which form a braided sleeve which surrounds a longitudinal axis, said multiple of braided bias angled fibers oriented non-parallel to said longitudinal axis, said multiple of zero degree fibers substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis; an upper skin which defines an upper aerodynamic surface; and a lower skin which defines a lower aerodynamic surface. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification