A method of forming an airfoil assembly having a composite spar
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsBenjamin Thomas Van Oflen, Gary Willard Bryant, JR., Tod Winton Davis, Li Zheng, Tomas Muchenik, Daryl John Burford, Pawel Pres
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Abstract
An airfoil assembly for a turbine engine having a composite spar, a sleeve, and a set of lobes. The composite spar includes an exterior spar portion, where at least part of the exterior spar portion of the composite spar is received at a sleeve inner surface of the sleeve. The set of lobes extends from the composite spar and is received by a set of recesses at the sleeve inner surface.
Claims20
A method of forming an airfoil assembly for a turbine engine, the airfoil assembly defining a spanwise direction, the method comprising:
- forming a sleeve having a sleeve outer surface, a sleeve inner surface, a top portion, and a bottom portion, the sleeve inner surface including a set of recesses spaced from the bottom portion;
- and
- forming a composite spar and a set of lobes, including:
- receiving, in the sleeve, a composite material, and
- curing the composite material received by the sleeve,
- such that the set of lobes are formed within the set of recesses,
- wherein the set of lobes include a lobe length measured in the spanwise direction from a first lobe end to a second lobe end, and
- wherein the lobe length is at least 10% of a sleeve length measured from the top portion of the sleeve to the bottom portion of the sleeve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.