Method for repairing an airfoil surface having an elastomeric protective coating
First Claim
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1. A method of field repairing an airfoil surface having an elastomeric protective coating adhered to a portion of said airfoil surface having a plurality of irregular damage cavities caused by sand and water erosion or impact damage comprising:
- filling said plurality of irregular damage cavities in said elastomeric protective coating with a liquid repair material having viscosity between a brushable coating and a flowable caulking compound using a flexible planar applicator having no handle capable of being manually conformed to a sharply curved, forward facing leading edge and contour surfaces directly adjacent to the leading edge of said airfoil surface while being drawn lengthwise along the airfoil surface, wherein said filling step comprises applying an elastomeric polyurethane, polyurea or fluoroelastomer to fill said plurality of irregular damage cavities to form filled cavities, restoring said airfoil surface to a smooth aerodynamic surface contour and providing protection against sand and water erosion; and
applying an optional topcoat layer over the filled cavities, wherein the airfoil surface is a part of a rotor blade of a helicopter or a windmill and the repair method is performed in a field environment.
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Abstract
This invention relates to the repair and removal of erosion or impact damage with a liquid repair material using a flexible applicator capable of conforming to the surface of the leading edge of the airfoil while being drawn lengthwise along the airfoil surface of a helicopter or wind turbine rotor blade thereby restoring the aerodynamic contour with or without the addition of an optional topcoat layer.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A method of field repairing an airfoil surface having an elastomeric protective coating adhered to a portion of said airfoil surface having a plurality of irregular damage cavities caused by sand and water erosion or impact damage comprising:
filling said plurality of irregular damage cavities in said elastomeric protective coating with a liquid repair material having viscosity between a brushable coating and a flowable caulking compound using a flexible planar applicator having no handle capable of being manually conformed to a sharply curved, forward facing leading edge and contour surfaces directly adjacent to the leading edge of said airfoil surface while being drawn lengthwise along the airfoil surface, wherein said filling step comprises applying an elastomeric polyurethane, polyurea or fluoroelastomer to fill said plurality of irregular damage cavities to form filled cavities, restoring said airfoil surface to a smooth aerodynamic surface contour and providing protection against sand and water erosion; and
applying an optional topcoat layer over the filled cavities, wherein the airfoil surface is a part of a rotor blade of a helicopter or a windmill and the repair method is performed in a field environment.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Specification