Multiple Material Combinations for Printed Reinforcement Structures of Rotor Blades
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJames Robert Tobin, Stephen Bertram Johnson, Todd Alan Anderson, Krishnan Balaji Parthasarathy Thattai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Rotor blade panels, along with methods of their formation, are provided. The rotor blade panel may include one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins having an inner surface; and, a plurality of reinforcement structures on the inner surface of the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins, where the reinforcement structure bonds to the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins as the reinforcement structure is being deposited. The reinforcement structure includes, at least, a first composition and a second composition, with the first composition being different than the second composition.
Claims20
A rotor blade panel, comprising:
- one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins having an inner surface;
- and,
- a plurality of reinforcement structures on the inner surface of the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins, the reinforcement structure bonding to the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins as the reinforcement structure is being deposited,
- wherein the reinforcement structure comprises, at least, a first composition and a second composition, and wherein the first composition is different than the second composition.
A method for manufacturing a rotor blade panel, the method comprising:
- forming one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins on a mold of the rotor blade panel;
- and,
- forming a plurality of rib members that intersect at a plurality of nodes to form at least one three-dimensional (3-D) reinforcement grid structure onto an inner surface of the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins, the grid structure bonding to the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins as the grid structure is being deposited,
- wherein the plurality of rib structures comprise, at least, a first composition and a second composition, with the first composition being different than the second composition.
A rotor blade panel, comprising:
- one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins having an inner surface;
- and,
- a plurality of reinforcement structures on the inner surface of the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins, the reinforcement structure bonding to the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins as the reinforcement structure is being deposited,
- wherein the reinforcement structure comprise, at least, a rib structure having a first composition in a first portion of its cross-section and a different, second composition in a second portion of its cross-section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.