Gas turbine engine with composite airfoil and preform core
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsElzbieta Kryj-Kos, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Arthur William Sibbach, Michael John Franks
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Abstract
A gas turbine engine includes a fan section, a compressor section, combustion section, and turbine section in serial flow arrangement, that defining an engine centerline extending between a forward direction and an aft direction. A composite component, such as an airfoil, extends between a root and a tip, defining a span-wise direction therebetween, and between a leading edge and a trailing edge, defining a chord-wise direction therebetween. The composite component includes a preform core including a first set of fibers as a first set of warp fibers and a first set of weft fibers.
Claims18
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a fan section, a compressor section, combustion section, and turbine section in serial flow arrangement, and defining an engine centerline extending between a forward direction and an aft direction;
- and
- a composite airfoil provided in one of the fan section, the compressor section, or the turbine section, the composite airfoil extending between a root and a tip, defining a span-wise direction therebetween, and extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, defining a chord-wise direction therebetween, the composite airfoil comprising:
- a preform core including a first set of fibers comprising a first set of warp fibers interwoven with a first set of weft fibers, and the first set of fibers comprising a second set of warp fibers interwoven with a second set of weft fibers;
- and
- a region of the preform core having an increased local thickness defined by the second set of warp fibers and the second set of weft fibers being interwoven with the first set of warp fibers and the first set of weft fibers;
- wherein at least 40% of a volume of the first set of fibers is arranged at a first angle relative to the span-wise direction, and wherein the first angle varies among thirty-five degrees to sixty-five degrees (35° to) 65° or varies among negative thirty-five degrees to negative sixty-five degrees (−35° to)−65°.
A preform for a component in a turbine engine, the preform comprising:
- a preform core extending in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the preform core comprising:
- a first set of warp fibers aligned with the first direction;
- a first set of weft fibers aligned with the second direction;
- a second set of warp fibers interwoven with the first set of warp fibers and the first set of weft fibers;
- a second set of weft fibers interwoven with the first set of warp fibers and the first set of weft fibers;
- and
- a region of the preform core having an increased local thickness, the increased local thickness defined by the second set of warp fibers and the second set of weft fibers interwoven with the first set of warp fibers and the first set of weft fibers;
- wherein the second set of warp fibers are arranged at a first angle that varies among thirty-five degrees to sixty-five degrees (35° to) 65° relative to the first direction and wherein the second set of weft fibers are arranged at a second angle that varies among negative thirty-five degrees to negative sixty-five degrees (−35° to)−65° relative to the first direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.