# US 8,782,887 B2 · Method for producing a metal insert to protect a leading edge made of a composite material

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- Number: US 8,782,887 B2
- Document ID: US8782887B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/635,502
- Filed: 2011-03-18
- Published: 2013-01-10
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2010-03-19
- Assignees: Snecma
- Applicants: Jean-Michel Patrick Maurice Franchet; Gilles Charles Casimir Klein
- Inventors: Jean-Michel Patrick Maurice Franchet; Gilles Charles Casimir Klein
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8782887B2

## CPC

- B23P 15/04: turbine or like blades from several pieces
- B21D 53/78: propeller blades; turbine blades
- B23K 20/021: {Isostatic pressure welding}
- F01D 5/147: {Construction, i.e. structural features, e.g. of weight-saving hollow blades (F01D5/148, F01D5/16 and F01D5/20 take precedence; blade shape F01D5/141; blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities F01D5/18; heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades F01D5/18)}
- F01D 5/282: {Selecting composite materials, e.g. blades with reinforcing filaments}
- F04D 29/324: {Blades}
- B23K 2101/001: {Turbines}
- F05D 2230/236: Diffusion bonding
- F05D 2230/50: Building or constructing in particular ways
- F05D 2230/60: Assembly methods
- F05D 2240/121: related to the leading edge of a stator vane
- F05D 2240/122: related to the trailing edge of a stator vane
- F05D 2240/303: related to the leading edge of a rotor blade
- F05D 2240/304: related to the trailing edge of a rotor blade
- Y02T 50/60: Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft
- Y10T 29/49336: Blade making
- Y10T 29/49337: Composite blade
- B23P: METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS (arrangements for copying or controlling B23Q)
- B21D: WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL (working or processing of wire B21F)
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D)
- F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02)
- F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A method for producing a metal insert for protecting a leading or trailing edge of a compressor vane of an aeronautical machine made of a composite material, by stamping sheets and diffusion bonding between the sheets. The method includes: initially shaping the sheets by stamping to approximate the sheets to a shape of a suction side and pressure side of the insert; producing a core shaped inner cavity of the metal insert to be manufactured, one of the surfaces thereof reproducing an inner shape of the suction side of the insert and the other surface reproducing an inner shape of the pressure side of the insert; positioning the sheets around the core and securing the assembly; applying a vacuum and sealing the assembly by bonding; assembling the assembly by hot isostatic compression; cutting the assembly to extract the core and separate the insert; producing an outer profile of the insert by a final machining.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for producing a metal insert, for protecting a leading or trailing edge of a composite compressor blade of an aerospace machine, by die forging sheets and diffusion welding the sheets together, the method comprising:
initially forming the sheets by die forging so the sheets resemble a shape of a suction side and a pressure side of the insert;
producing a core taking a form of an internal cavity of the metal insert to be produced, a first side reproducing an internal shape of the suction side of the insert and a second side reproducing an internal shape of the pressure side of the insert, the two sides meeting at a tip reproducing an internal shape of the leading or trailing edge;
positioning the sheets around the core, the sheets meeting at the tip of the core to lie parallel, and securely fastening an assembly of the sheets positioned around the core;
placing the assembly under vacuum and welding the assembly shut;
joining the assembly through solid state diffusion;
cutting the assembly so as to extract the core and separate the insert; and
producing an external profile of the insert using a final machining operation;
wherein the two sides of the core meet at a tip reproducing the internal shape of the leading or trailing edge, and
wherein the two sheets meet at the tip of the core to lie parallel and the solid state diffusion takes place through hot isostatic pressing.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, in which half of each side of the core has a shape to be given to the suction side of the sheets, and the other half has a shape to be given to the pressure side of the sheets, so as to produce two inserts with each operation.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The process as claimed in claim 2, in which the core has a longitudinal midpoint indentation on each of the sides, to produce, after the hot isostatic pressing, visible scribe lines separating the two inserts.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, in which the initial die forging of the sheets creates a housing at the tip of the leading or trailing edge.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The process as claimed in claim 4, in which a reinforcement made of composite fibers is placed in the housing when the sheets are positioned around the core.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, in which the core is made of a refractory material.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, in which the core is made of a metal with an expansion coefficient different from that of the sheets.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The process as claimed in claim 7, in which the core is covered with an antidiffusion barrier that will not contaminate the metal of the sheets.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The process as claimed in claim 8, in which the metal of the core is a titanium or nickel alloy and the barrier is yttrium oxide.