Gas turbine engine spinner

A gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a compressor section;
• a combustor section downstream of the compressor section;
• and
• a fan section upstream of the compressor section, the fan section including a spinner, the spinner including:
• a body extending between a first end and a second end,
• the body having a conical shape formed from a nonwoven mat of short segments of chopped unidirectional fiber pre-impregnated material randomly oriented with respect to each other such that the mat is transversely isotropic, and
• the body having a plurality of surfaces including an inner surface and an outer surface,
• the plurality of surfaces being plated with a metal or a metal alloy plating layer.

A method for manufacturing a spinner for a gas turbine engine from chopped unidirectional fiber pre-impregnated material;

• the spinner comprising:
• a body having a first end and a second end,
• the body being a multi-piece body having a fairing at the first end, a cap at the second end, wherein the fairing and the cap are fastened intermediate the first end and the second end,
• the body having a conical shape wherein each of the fairing and the cap;
• is formed from a nonwoven mat of short segments of chopped unidirectional fiber pre-impregnated material randomly oriented with respect to each other such that the mat is transversely isotropic, and
• has a plurality of surfaces including an inner surface and an outer surface,
• the plurality of surfaces being plated with a metal or a metal alloy plating layer, the method comprising the steps:
• inserting the nonwoven mat of short segments of chopped unidirectional fiber pre-impregnated material into a first mold cavity having a generally conical shape;
• closing the first mold with a second preheated mold cavity having generally conical shape;
• and
• applying pressure to force the nonwoven mat of short segments of chopped unidirectional fiber pre-impregnated material into contact with a mold cavity area.