# US 10,502,064 B2 · Power beam welded cavity-back titanium hollow fan blade > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,502,064 B2 - Document ID: US10502064B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/670,654 - Filed: 2017-08-07 - Published: 2019-02-07 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-07 - Assignees: United Technologies Corporation - Applicants: United Technologies Corporation - Inventors: Daniel A. Bales; Dmitri Novikov; Robert C. Dolan; Kenneth A. Frisk; Steven T. Gordon; William R. Graves; Eric W. Malmborg; Francis B. Parisi; Randy P. Salva; Michael A. Weisse; Russell A. Beers; Xuedong Zhou; Christopher Treese; Tri Nguyen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502064B2 ## CPC - 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)} - B23K 1/0018: {Brazing of turbine parts} - B23K 15/0006: {specially adapted for particular articles or work} - B23K 15/0053: {Seam welding} - B23K 26/244: Overlap seam welding - B23K 26/28: of curved planar seams - B23P 15/04: turbine or like blades from several pieces - F01D 5/18: Hollow blades, {i.e. blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities (structure of hollow blades in general F01D5/147)}; Heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades - F01D 5/3061: {by welding, brazing} - F04D 29/023: {especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps} - F04D 29/26: Rotors specially for elastic fluids - F04D 29/324: {Blades} - B23K 2101/001: {Turbines} - F01D 9/044: {permanently, e.g. by welding, brazing, casting or the like} - F05D 2220/323: for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines - F05D 2220/36: specially adapted for the fan of turbofan engines - F05D 2230/10: by removing material - F05D 2230/233: Electron beam welding - F05D 2230/234: Laser welding - F05D 2240/30: Characteristics of rotor blades, i.e. of any element transforming dynamic fluid energy to or from rotational energy and being attached to a rotor - F05D 2250/185: serpentine-like - F05D 2300/133: Titanium - Y02T 50/60: Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft - F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D) - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM - B23P: METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS (arrangements for copying or controlling B23Q) - F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02) - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An airfoil including an airfoil body, a recessed portion of a first depth in a first side of the airfoil body, the recessed portion including a plurality of pockets of a second depth located within the recessed portion and ribs of the first depth located between the pockets, a cover configured to fit into the recessed portion such that an interior surface of the cover engages the ribs and an exterior surface of the cover is about flush with an exterior surface of the first side of the airfoil body, and a high energy beam weld configuration extending through the cover and into the ribs and positioned to attach the cover to the ribs. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An airfoil comprising: an airfoil body having a twist from a root of the airfoil to a tip of the airfoil; a recessed portion of a first depth in a first side of the airfoil body, the recessed portion including: a plurality of pockets of a second depth located within the recessed portion; and ribs of the first depth located between the pockets; a cover configured to fit into the recessed portion such that an interior surface of the cover engages the ribs and an exterior surface of the cover is about flush with an exterior surface of the first side of the airfoil body; and a high energy beam weld configuration extending through the cover and into the ribs and positioned to attach the cover to the ribs. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein a braze material is positioned on an interior surface of the cover or a rib. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the high energy beam weld configuration includes a single weld extending down a center of a rib. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the high energy beam weld configuration includes two welds spaced along a top and between edges of a rib. ### Claim 5 An airfoil comprising: an airfoil body; a recessed portion of a first depth in a first side of the airfoil body, the recessed portion including: a plurality of pockets of a second depth located within the recessed portion; and ribs of the first depth located between the pockets; a cover configured to fit into the recessed portion such that an interior surface of the cover engages the ribs and an exterior surface of the cover is about flush with an exterior surface of the first side of the airfoil body; and a high energy beam weld configuration extending through the cover and into the ribs and positioned to attach the cover to the ribs wherein the high energy beam weld configuration includes two welds positioned at edges of a rib. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the high energy beam weld configuration includes a serpentine weld positioned between two welds. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein a rib includes a groove between edges of the rib. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The airfoil of claim 7 wherein the rib includes tabs on either side of the groove, the tabs being configured to be consumed by welds such that the groove is in contact with the cover after high energy beam welding the cover to the rib. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein a rib includes a plurality of grooves between edges of the rib. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The airfoil of claim 9 wherein the rib includes tabs on either side of the grooves. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the cover includes a hole and a rib includes a tab that extends through the hole. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the cover includes a rectangular-shaped hole and a rib includes a section having an increased width, the section also having a tab that extends through the rectangular-shaped hole in the cover. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the cover includes a circular-shaped hole and a rib includes a section having an increased width, the section also having a tab that extends through the circular-shaped hole in the cover. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the high energy beam weld configuration varies along the ribs. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the recessed portion includes a cavity adjacent the exterior surface of the airfoil body. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The airfoil of claim 15 wherein the weld between the cover and the exterior surface of the airfoil body extends to the cavity adjacent the exterior surface of the airfoil body. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The airfoil of claim 15 wherein the high energy beam weld configuration is selected from a group consisting of: a laser weld configuration and an electron beam weld configuration. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the plurality of pockets includes an annular pocket within a cylindrical portion of a rib and wherein the high energy beam weld configuration extends through the cover and into the cylindrical portion of the rib. ### Claim 19 A method of manufacturing an airfoil comprising: machining a recessed portion of a first depth into a first side of a titanium airfoil body having a twist from a root of the airfoil to a tip of the airfoil; milling pockets of a second depth into the recessed portion in the first side of the titanium forging of the airfoil body; placing a cover into the recessed portion of the airfoil body such that the exterior surface of the cover is about flush with a first surface of the first side of the airfoil body; and high energy beam welding through the cover and into ribs between the pockets in the airfoil body such that the cover attaches and seals to the airfoil body. ### Claim 20 An airfoil comprising: an airfoil body; a recessed portion of a first depth in a first side of the airfoil body, the recessed portion including: a plurality of pockets of a second depth located within the recessed portion; ribs of the first depth located between the pockets; and a cover configured to fit into the recessed portion such that an interior surface of the cover engages the ribs and an exterior surface of the cover is about flush with the exterior surface of the first side of the airfoil body; a first high energy beam weld configuration extending through the cover and into the ribs and positioned to attach the cover to the ribs; and a second high energy beam weld configuration extending into the cover and a portion of the airfoil body adjacent the cover, wherein the second high energy beam weld configuration extends into a cavity in the recessed portion that extends around a periphery of the recessed portion. ### Claim 21 An airfoil comprising: an airfoil body; a recessed portion of a first depth in a first side of the airfoil body, the recessed portion including: a plurality of pockets of a second depth located within the recessed portion; ribs of the first depth located between the pockets; and ribs of a third depth connected to the ribs of the first depth, the third depth being deeper than the first depth but not as deep as the second depth; a cover configured to fit into the recessed portion such that an interior surface of the cover engages the ribs and an exterior surface of the cover is about flush with an exterior surface of the first side of the airfoil body; and a high energy beam weld configuration extending through the cover and into the ribs and positioned to attach the cover to the ribs.