Processes and tooling associated with diffusion bonding the periphery of a cavity-back airfoil

A fixture assembly for manufacturing a fan blade of a gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a first fixture portion shaped to the airfoil contour to receive a blade body;
• a second fixture portion that interfaces with the first fixture portion, the second fixture portion shaped to the airfoil contour to support a cover with respect to the blade body;
• a sub-fixture movably mounted to the first fixture portion, wherein the sub-fixture comprises a multiple of sub-fixture elements to define a peripheral diffusion bond for the cover to join the cover to the blade body;
• a heating element within each sub-fixture element;
• a temperature sensor within each sub-fixture element;
• an actuator associated with each sub-fixture element to selectively move the sub-fixture toward the second fixture portion, each actuator comprises a bellows located between the first fixture portion and the sub-fixture element;
• a pressure sensor in communication with each bellows;
• and
• a control system in communication with the heating element, the temperature sensor, the pressure sensor and the actuator associated with each sub-fixture element, the control system operable to individually control each sub-fixture element to adjust the peripheral diffusion bond for the cover in response to the temperature and pressure at each sub-fixture element.