Segmented composite impeller/propeller arrangement and manufacturing method
AssigneeElectric Boat Corporation
InventorsPieter Van Dine, Catherine Van Dine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In the embodiments described in the specification, an impeller is manufactured by providing a mold for one angular segment containing one vane of an impeller and corresponding hub and rim portions, injection-molding fiber-reinforced polymer composite resin material into the mold to produce a plurality of substantially identical segments, and assembling the segments into an impeller by bonding corresponding mating end surfaces of the hub and rim portions of the segments. A veil cloth is applied to the outer surface of the rim portion and impregnated with resin material to complete the impeller structure.
Claims20
An impeller arrangement comprising:
- a plurality of substantially identical integrally molded angular segments, each segment including a rim portion, a vane portion and a hub portion, the rim portions and hub portions having end surfaces on opposite angular ends of the segments and the segments being assembled with the end surfaces of the rim and hub portions bonded to corresponding surfaces of adjacent segments, wherein an upper part of each hub portion is angularly displaced with a respective lower part.
A method for manufacturing an impeller arrangement comprising:
- providing a mold for molding an integral impeller segment containing a rim portion and a hub portion and a vane joining the rim portion and the hub portion, the rim and hub portions each having angularly opposite end surfaces, wherein an upper part of the hub portion is angularly displaced with a respective lower part;
- molding a plurality of substantially identical segments using fiber-reinforced resin material;
- and
- assembling the plurality of segments into an impeller by bonding the end surfaces of the rim and hub portions of each segment to corresponding end surfaces of rim and hub portions of adjacent segments.
A method for manufacturing an impeller arrangement comprising:
- providing a mold for molding an integral impeller segment containing a rim portion and a hub portion and a vane joining the rim portion and the hub portion, the rim and hub portions each having angularly opposite end surfaces;
- molding a plurality of substantially identical segment using fiber-reinforced resin material;
- assembling the plurality of segments into an impeller by bonding the end surfaces of the rim and hub portions of each segment to corresponding end surfaces of rim and hub portions of adjacent segments;
- machining the outer surface of the rim portion;
- and
- applying a resin-impregnated veil cloth around the outer surface.
An impeller arrangement, comprising:
- a plurality of substantially identically integrally molded angular segments, each segment further comprising:
- a rim portion having end surfaces on opposite angular ends of the segment;
- a hub portion having end surfaces on opposite angular ends of the segment, wherein an upper part of the hub portion is angular displaced from a lower part of the hub portion;
- and
- a vane portion, wherein said end surfaces of the rim and hub portion are bonded with a corresponding surface of adjacent segments to form the impeller arrangement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.