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AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJames Thomas Hawkins, Gerald Alexander Pauley
Estimating the term…
A composite article, for example a blading member of a gas turbine engine, comprising a plurality of stacked layers of in-plane reinforcing fibers bonded together with a matrix resin is provided with enhanced resistance to impact cracking, material loss and/or delamination through use of a plurality of spaced apart reinforcing pins disposed into the article at an angle to the stacked layers, in one form disposed in a selected article region generally to resist strain energy generated during operation of the region. In another form, enhanced resistance is provided through the combination of a matrix resin including properties comprising a tensile strain property of at least 5% and a K1c toughness of at least about 850 psi·inch1/2, and a plurality of spaced apart reinforcing pins disposed into the article at an angle to the stacked layers. A method for making such a composite article with such resin comprises stacking the layers of in-plane reinforcing fibers into a shape and then inserting the reinforcing pins shape. The shape is cured with a matrix resin about the in-plane fibers of the stacked layers and about the reinforcing pins.
A pin reinforced composite article comprising a plurality of stacked layers of in-plane reinforcing fibers, the layers bonded together with a matrix resin and defining a thickness of the article, and a plurality of spaced apart reinforcing pins are in the article in at least one selected article region at an angle to the stacked layers, wherein:
A pin reinforced composite article in the form of a turbine engine blading member including an airfoil in which at least the airfoil comprises a plurality of shaped, stacked layers of in-plane reinforcing fibers impregnated and bonded together with the matrix resin and a plurality of the spaced apart reinforcing pins are in the stacked layers of the airfoil in at least one selected article region at an angle to the stacked layers, wherein:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.