Method of manufacturing a composite component for a gas turbine engine

A method of manufacturing a composite component for a gas turbine engine, the composite component including an outer shell extending circumferentially about a centerline axis, an inner hub extending circumferentially about the centerline axis, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart struts connecting the outer shell and the inner hub, the method comprising:

• weaving a three-dimensional fabric outer shell preform, the outer shell preform including, in a first outer shell direction of the woven outer shell preform, a first outer shell preform end and a second outer shell preform end;
• weaving a three-dimensional fabric inner hub preform, the inner hub preform including, in a first inner hub direction of the woven inner hub preform, a first inner hub preform end and a second inner hub preform end;
• installing the woven outer shell preform onto a mold tooling structure, and connecting the first outer shell preform end to the second outer shell preform end to form an outer shell hoop preform;
• installing the woven inner hub preform onto the mold tooling structure, and connecting the first inner hub preform end to the second inner hub preform end to form an inner hub hoop preform;
• integrally weaving a plurality of outer shell pi-joint members to the outer shell hoop preform, each of the outer shell pi-joint members extending radially inward from the outer shell hoop preform and including a first outer shell pi-joint preform portion and a second outer shell pi-joint preform portion;
• integrally weaving a plurality of inner hub pi-joint members to the inner hub hoop preform, each of the inner hub pi-joint members extending radially outward from the inner hub hoop preform and including a first inner hub pi-joint preform portion and a second inner hub pi-joint preform portion;
• connecting a plurality of strut preforms between the outer shell hoop preform and the inner hub hoop preform, respective ones of the plurality of strut preforms being connected to a respective one of the plurality of outer shell pi-joint members and to a respective one of the plurality of inner hub pi-joint members;
• injecting a matrix material into the mold tooling structure;
• and
• applying a curing process to the mold tooling structure to obtain a molded composite component,
• wherein, for each of the plurality of inner hub pi-joint members, the first inner hub pi-joint preform portion includes a plurality of first connecting fiber tows that are each woven to extend through a thickness of the inner hub hoop preform, and are woven to extend in a first direction, with respect to the inner hub pi-joint member, within the inner hub hoop preform, and the second inner hub pi-joint preform portion includes a plurality of second connecting fiber tows that are each woven to extend through the thickness of the inner hub hoop preform, and are woven to extend in a second direction opposite the first direction, with respect to the inner hub pi-joint member, within the inner hub hoop preform, a portion of the first connecting fiber tows of the first inner hub pi-joint preform portion and a portion of the second connecting fiber tows of the second inner hub pi-joint preform portion overlapping with each other, and
• wherein each of the plurality of first connecting fiber tows of the first inner hub pi-joint preform portion are woven in a respective layer within the inner hub hoop preform, and each of the plurality of second connecting fiber tows of the second inner hub pi-joint preform portion are woven in a respective layer within the inner hub hoop preform.