CN-121989469-A - Preform for composite airfoil of turbine engine

CN121989469ACN 121989469 ACN121989469 ACN 121989469ACN-121989469-A

Abstract

A preform for a composite airfoil of a gas turbine engine includes a first woven fabric and a second woven fabric. The second woven fabric is positioned opposite the first woven fabric, wherein a second inner surface of the second woven fabric is opposite the first inner surface of the first woven fabric to form a preform gap therebetween. The first cross-machine direction woven fabric portion extends from the first interior surface toward the second interior surface, and the second cross-machine direction woven fabric portion extends from the second interior surface toward the first interior surface. The second cross-machine direction woven fabric portion is joined with the first cross-machine direction woven fabric portion to form a joint. Each of the first woven fabric, the second woven fabric, the first cross-machine direction woven fabric portion, and the second cross-machine direction woven fabric portion is a three-dimensional woven fabric comprising a plurality of bundles of reinforcing fibers.

Inventors

Wei .wu
Aaron M. Gilbert
XIE MING
Bruce. Kurs

Assignees

通用电气公司

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20251031
Priority Date: 20241101

Claims (10)

1. A preform for a composite airfoil of a gas turbine engine, the preform comprising: A first woven fabric positioned in a chordwise direction to form at least a portion of a first wall of the composite airfoil, the first woven fabric having a first inner surface; A second woven fabric positioned in the chordwise direction to form at least a portion of a second wall of the composite airfoil, the second woven fabric having a second inner surface positioned opposite the first woven fabric, wherein the second inner surface is opposite the first inner surface to form a preform gap therebetween; A first cross-woven fabric portion abutting or abutting the first woven fabric and extending from the first inner surface toward the second inner surface in a direction transverse to the chordwise direction, and A second cross-machine direction woven fabric portion abutting or abutting the second woven fabric and extending from the second inner surface toward the first inner surface in a direction transverse to the chordwise direction, the second cross-machine direction woven fabric portion being joined with the first cross-machine direction woven fabric portion to form a joint, Wherein each of the first woven fabric, the second woven fabric, the first cross-machine direction woven fabric portion, and the second cross-machine direction woven fabric portion is a three-dimensional woven fabric comprising a plurality of bundles of reinforcing fibers.
2. The preform of claim 1, wherein the first cross-woven fabric portion is one of a plurality of first cross-woven fabric portions and the second cross-woven fabric portion is one of a plurality of second cross-woven fabric portions, and Wherein each of the first plurality of cross-woven fabric portions is joined with a corresponding second plurality of cross-woven fabric portions of the second plurality of cross-woven fabric portions to form a plurality of joints.
3. The preform of claim 2, wherein the plurality of joints are aligned in a spanwise direction of the preform.
4. The preform of claim 1, wherein the first woven fabric comprises a first base portion having the first inner surface, and the first cross-woven fabric portion interfaces with the first base portion, and Wherein the second woven fabric includes a second base portion having the second inner surface, and the second cross machine direction woven fabric portion interfaces with the second base portion.
5. The preform of claim 4, wherein the first woven fabric comprises a first pi-joint receiver having a first front leg and a first rear leg, one of the first front leg and the first rear leg being the first cross-woven fabric portion, and Wherein the second woven fabric comprises a second pi-shaped joint receiver having a second front leg and a second rear leg, one of the second front leg and the second rear leg being the second cross-machine direction woven fabric portion.
6. The preform of claim 5, wherein the first pi joint receiver is joined to the first base portion at a first connection region where the plurality of bundles of reinforcing fibers of the first pi joint receiver are interwoven with the plurality of bundles of reinforcing fibers of the first base portion, and Wherein the second pi-joint receiver is joined to the second base portion at a second connection region where the plurality of bundles of reinforcing fibers of the second pi-joint receiver are interwoven with the plurality of bundles of reinforcing fibers of the second base portion.
7. The preform of claim 5, wherein the second pi joint receiver comprises a second pi joint gap formed between the second front leg and the second rear leg, the first front leg and the first rear leg being located in the second pi joint gap.
8. The preform of claim 5, wherein the first pi joint receiver comprises a first pi joint gap formed between the first front leg and the first rear leg, one of the second front leg or the second rear leg being located in the first pi joint gap, and Wherein the second pi-joint receiver includes a second pi-joint gap formed between the second front leg and the second rear leg, one of the first front leg or the first rear leg being located in the second pi-joint gap.
9. The preform of claim 5, wherein the first and second front legs are spaced apart from the first and second rear legs to form a rib cavity therebetween.
10. The preform of claim 9, wherein a foam insert is located in the rib cavity.

Description

Preform for composite airfoil of turbine engine Cross Reference to Related Applications The present application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/715,153, filed on 1 month 11 of 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to composite airfoils, preforms thereof, and methods of manufacturing composite airfoils, particularly composite airfoils for aircraft engines. Background Turbine engines used in aircraft typically include a fan, a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section. The combustor of the combustion section generates combustion gases for driving one or more turbines of the turbine section, and the turbines may be used to drive fans. A portion of the air flowing into the fan flows through the compressor section, the combustion section, and the turbine section as core air, while another portion of the air flowing into the fan bypasses these sections and flows through the turbine engine as bypass air. The compressor section may include one or more compressors, also driven by the turbine, to compress the core air before it flows into the combustor. The composite materials may be used to manufacture various components of a turbine engine, particularly when the turbine engine is a turbine engine for an aircraft. Drawings Features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of various exemplary embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numbers generally indicate identical elements or structurally or functionally similar elements. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a turbine engine for an aircraft. Fig. 2A is a schematic illustration of a three-dimensional fiber weave pattern. FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fiber weave pattern shown in FIG. 2A, taken along line 2B-2B in FIG. 2A. Fig. 2C is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fiber weave pattern shown similar to the fiber weave pattern shown in fig. 2A but with a different interlocking fiber pattern. Fig. 2D is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fiber weave pattern similar to that shown in fig. 2A but having another interlocking fiber pattern. FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a general process for manufacturing a composite component that may be used in the turbine engine of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a composite airfoil that may be used in the turbine engine shown in FIG. 1, taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the composite airfoil taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4. FIG. 6A is a schematic view of a portion of a preform that may be used to form the composite airfoil shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 6B is a schematic view of a portion of a preform that may be used to form the composite airfoil shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a composite airfoil that may be used in the turbine engine shown in FIG. 1, taken from a perspective similar to FIG. 4. FIG. 8A is a schematic view of a portion of a preform that may be used to form the composite airfoil shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 8B is a schematic view of a portion of a preform that may be used to form the composite airfoil shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a portion of a preform that may be used to form the composite airfoil shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a portion of a preform that may be used to form a composite airfoil similar to the composite airfoil shown in FIG. 7. Detailed Description The features, advantages, and embodiments of the present disclosure are set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, the following detailed description is exemplary and is intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the disclosure as claimed. Various embodiments are discussed in detail below. Although specific embodiments are discussed, this is for illustrative purposes only. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without departing from the disclosure. As used herein, the terms "first," "second," and "third" may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to represent the location or importance of the respective components. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" refer to relative directions with respect to fluid flow in a fluid path. For example, "upstream" refers to the direction from which fluid flows and "downstream" refers to the direction in which fluid flows. As used herein, the terms "axial" and "axially" refer to directions and orientations extending substantially parallel to a centerline of a turbine engine. Furthermore, the terms "radial" and "radially" refer to directions and orientations extending substantially perpendicular to a centerline of the turbine engine. In addition, a