Airfoil having a structural cell and method of forming
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsDouglas Lorrimer Armstrong, Devin R. Dilley, Elzbieta Kryj-Kos
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An airfoil for a turbine engine, the airfoil having an outer wall defining an interior and a camber line extending through the airfoil, and at least one cell located within the interior. The at least one cell can include a forward portion and an aft portion with respect to the camber line. The forward portion and the aft portions can be connected by side portions. A braided fabric can be provided on at least one of the forward or aft portions, while a braided fiber can be provided on at least one of the side portions.
Claims24
(canceled)
The turbine engine of claim 21, wherein the airfoil further comprises a braided fiber that is braided into the braided fabric.
The turbine engine of claim 21, wherein the forward portion of the shell is defined by a first thickness, the aft portion is defined by a second thickness, and at least one of the side portions is defined by a third thickness, smaller or larger than the first thickness and the second thickness, when viewed along a plane intersecting the shell and parallel to the camber line.
The turbine engine of claim 21, wherein at least one of the forward portion or the aft portion is defined by a contour in the span-wise direction, the contour having at last one of a linear, non-linear, or wave contour.
(canceled)
The turbine engine of claim 21, wherein each cell of the set of cells includes a contour in the span-wise direction that follows a contour of the outer wall in the span-wise direction.
The turbine engine of claim 21, wherein the at least one of the forward portion or the aft portion includes a contour in the chord-wise direction that is defined by a linear, non-linear, or chevron contour.
(canceled)
The airfoil of claim 24, wherein the cell web forms:
- at least one of a linear, non-linear, or chevron contour in the chord-wise direction;
- and
- at least one of a linear, non-linear, or wave contour in the span-wise direction;
- wherein each cell of the set of cells follows a contour of a portion of the outer wall that it confronts, and wherein each cell of the set of cells extends between the root and the tip of the outer wall.
The turbine engine of claim 21, wherein the airfoil is a vane provided within the fan section.
(canceled)
The airfoil of claim 22, further comprising a plurality of spaced cells having the at least one cell, wherein each cell of the plurality of spaced cells are spaced axially from one another with respect to the camber line.
A method of forming an airfoil, the method comprising:
- providing an outer wall of the airfoil, the outer wall extending between a leading edge to a trailing edge to define a chord-wise direction, and between a root and a tip to define a span-wise direction, the outer wall defining an interior, a pressure side, a suction side, and a camber line extending through the interior between the leading edge and the trailing edge equidistant between the suction side and the pressure side, and
- providing a shell by:
- braiding a first braided fabric having a first fiber extending along a first bias and a second fiber extending along a second bias, different form the first bias, over an entirety of a first core;
- providing, at least partially by the first braided fabric, a first portion, a second portion, and opposing walls, with the first portion and the second portion interconnecting respective portions of the opposing walls;
- providing at least one of the first portion or the second portion with a contour extending in the chord-wise direction, the contour forming at least one of a non-linear or chevron contour;
- and
- braiding a first braided fiber along a third bias, different from the first bias and the second bias, over a portion of the first core;
- and
- encasing at least a portion of a cell defined by the core, the first braided fabric and the first braided fiber within the interior.
A turbine engine, comprising:
- a fan section, a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial flow arrangement;
- and
- an airfoil provided within at least one of the fan section, the compressor section, or the turbine section, the airfoil comprising:
- an outer wall extending between a leading edge to a trailing edge to define a chord-wise direction, and between a root and a tip to define a span-wise direction, the outer wall defining an interior, a pressure side, a suction side, and a camber line extending through the interior between the leading edge and the trailing edge equidistant between the suction side and the pressure side, the interior extending a first distance along the camber line;
- and
- a set of cells located within the interior, the set of cells extending a distance along the camber line a second distance, the second distance being less than the first distance, each cell of the set of cells having a shell comprising:
- a forward portion and an aft portion provided aft of the forward portion with respect to the camber line, the forward and the aft portion being connected by side portions;
- and
- a braided fabric having a first fiber extending along a first bias and a second fiber extending along a second bias, different from the first bias, provided along the forward portion, the aft portion, and the side portions.
An airfoil comprising:
- an outer wall extending between a leading edge to a trailing edge to define a chord-wise direction, and between a root and a tip to define a span-wise direction, the outer wall defining an interior, a pressure side, a suction side, and a camber line extending through the interior between the leading edge and the trailing edge equidistant between the suction side and the pressure side;
- and
- at least one cell, located within the interior, and having a shell, the shell comprising:
- a forward portion and an aft portion provided aft of the forward portion with respect to the camber line, the forward and the aft portion being connected by side portions, with at least a portion of at least one of the forward portion or the aft portion being defined by a contour extending in the span-wise direction, the contour having at least one of a linear, non-linear, or wave contour;
- and
- a braided fabric having a first fiber extending along a first bias and a second fiber extending along a second bias, different from the first bias, provided along the forward portion, the aft portion, and the side portions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.