Composite rotor and vane assemblies with integral airfoils

A composite gas turbine engine structure comprising:

• an annular retention ring radially spaced apart and inwardly of an annular composite shroud,
• the retention ring and the shroud circumscribed about a centerline axis,
• composite airfoils integral with and extending radially between the retention ring and the shroud,
• the retention ring and the shroud including annular composite plies,
• a circumferentially segmented composite airfoil ring including airfoil ring segments disposed around an outer circumference of the retention ring,
• each of airfoil ring segments including an annular base and radially extending clockwise and counter-clockwise airfoil segments at clockwise and counter-clockwise ends of the annular base,
• each of the composite airfoils including circumferentially adjacent ones of the clockwise and counter-clockwise airfoil segments,
• an inner flowpath shell circumferentially disposed around the segmented airfoil ring and trapping the annular bases between the inner flowpath shell and the retention ring, and
• the composite airfoils and the clockwise and counter-clockwise airfoil segments extending through inner slots in the inner flowpath shell.

A method for making a gas turbine engine component composite structure, the method comprising:

• forming an integral preform having airfoil panels extend radially outwardly from and integral with a ring section,
• forming the ring section by wrapping a composite tape made of carbon fiber woven material,
• providing airfoil coupons made from the carbon fiber woven material and including a middle section and clockwise and counter-clockwise sections extending away from the middle section,
• positioning the airfoil coupons around the ring section with the middle sections on the ring section,
• positioning a sock made from the carbon fiber woven material radially outwardly of and covering the middle sections of the airfoil coupons with the clockwise and counter-clockwise sections extending through sock slots in the sock,
• positioning the clockwise and counter-clockwise sections to extend radially away from the middle sections to form the airfoil panels, and
• introducing resin into the preform and molding the preform and the resin to form the composite structure.

A method for making a gas turbine engine component composite structure, the method comprising:

• forming a preform integrally with airfoil panels extending radially between inner and outer ring sections,
• forming the integral stator preform with carbon fiber woven material,
• forming the inner and outer ring sections by wrapping composite tape made of the carbon fiber woven material,
• providing airfoil coupons made from the carbon fiber woven material and including a middle section and clockwise and counter-clockwise sections extending away from the middle section,
• each of the clockwise and counter-clockwise sections including a panel section attached to the middle section and a shroud section attached to the panel section,
• positioning the airfoil coupons around the inner ring sections,
• providing inner and outer socks made from the carbon fiber woven material,
• positioning the inner sock radially outwardly of and covering the middle sections of the airfoil coupons with the clockwise and counter-clockwise sections extending through inner sock slots in the inner sock,
• positioning the clockwise and counter-clockwise sections to extend radially away from the middle sections to form the airfoil panels,
• drawing or passing the shroud sections through outer sock slots in the outer sock,
• positioning the shroud sections of the clockwise and counter-clockwise sections extending circumferentially away from the panel sections in the clockwise and counter-clockwise directions respectively around an inner circumferences or inner diameter of the outer ring section, and
• introducing resin into the preform and molding the preform and the resin to form the composite structure.