CN-121989477-A - Method of manufacturing a composite component for a gas turbine engine

CN121989477ACN 121989477 ACN121989477 ACN 121989477ACN-121989477-A

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a composite component having an outer shell, an inner hub, and a plurality of struts connecting the outer shell and the inner hub. A plurality of outer shell preform portions having bifurcated strut portions are joined together to form an outer shell ring preform, and a plurality of inner hub preform portions having bifurcated strut portions are joined together to form an inner hub ring preform. The bifurcated strut portions are arranged to extend between the outer and inner hub ring preforms and are arranged adjacent one another to form a strut preform. Injecting a matrix material into the mold-tool structure and applying a curing process to the mold-tool structure to obtain a composite part.

Inventors

Aaron M. Gilbert
XIE MING
Wei .wu
WANG MINGCHAO

Assignees

通用电气公司

Dates

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

Claims (10)

1. A method of manufacturing a composite component for a gas turbine engine, the composite component comprising an outer shell, an inner hub, and a plurality of struts connecting the outer shell and the inner hub, the method comprising: Weaving a plurality of shell preform portions, each of the plurality of shell preform portions comprising (i) a shell frame portion, and (ii) a plurality of bifurcated shell post portions bifurcated from the shell frame portion; Weaving a plurality of inner hub preform portions, each of the plurality of inner hub preform portions comprising (i) an inner hub frame portion, and (ii) a plurality of bifurcated inner hub strut portions bifurcated from the inner hub frame portion; connecting each of the plurality of shell preform portions together via a plurality of shell frame preform connections to form a shell ring preform; connecting each of the plurality of inner hub preform portions together via a plurality of inner hub frame preform connections to form an inner hub ring preform; mounting the outer shell ring preform and the inner hub ring preform to a mold tool structure; Arranging each of the plurality of bifurcated outer shell strut portions to extend toward the inner hub ring preform and each of the plurality of bifurcated inner hub strut portions to extend toward the outer shell ring preform and to be arranged adjacent a respective one of the plurality of bifurcated outer shell strut portions, a strut preform portion being defined by at least one of the plurality of bifurcated outer shell strut portions and at least one of the plurality of bifurcated inner hub strut portions being arranged adjacent one another to be joined together; Injecting a matrix material into the mold-tool structure, and A curing process is applied to the mold-tool structure to obtain a molded composite part.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) each shell frame portion has a first shell frame connection end and a second shell frame connection end opposite the first shell frame connection end, (b) each inner hub frame portion has a first inner hub frame connection end and a second inner hub frame connection end opposite the first inner hub frame connection end, (c) for a respective shell preform portion of the plurality of shell preform portions, the first shell frame connection end is connected with the second shell frame connection end of an adjacent connected shell preform portion and the second shell frame connection end is connected with the first shell frame connection end of another adjacent connected shell preform portion, and (d) for a respective inner hub preform portion of the plurality of inner hub preform portions, the first inner hub frame connection end is connected with the second inner hub frame connection end of an adjacent connected inner hub preform portion and the second inner hub frame connection end is connected with the first hub frame connection end of another adjacent connected inner hub preform portion.
3. The method of claim 1 further including adding at least one additional preform layer to the strut preform portion to form an airfoil shaped structure.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first housing frame connection end comprises a plurality of first end furcation layers and the second housing frame connection end comprises a plurality of second end furcation layers.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein, when each of the plurality of shell preform portions is joined together to form the shell ring preform, for a respective shell preform portion of the plurality of shell preform portions, the plurality of first end furcation layers are joined in an overlapping manner with the plurality of second end furcation layers of the adjacently joined shell preform portions, and the plurality of second end furcation layers are joined in an overlapping manner with the plurality of first end furcation layers of the other adjacently joined shell preform portion.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein the first inner hub frame attachment end comprises a plurality of first end furcation layers and the second inner hub frame attachment end comprises a plurality of second end furcation layers.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein, when each of the plurality of inner hub preform portions is joined together to form the inner hub ring preform, the plurality of first end bifurcation layers are joined in overlapping fashion with the plurality of second end bifurcation layers of the adjacent joined inner hub preform portion and the plurality of second end bifurcation layers are joined in overlapping fashion with the plurality of first end bifurcation layers of the other adjacent joined inner hub preform portion for the respective inner hub preform portion of the plurality of inner hub preform portions.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of adding at least one additional preform layer to the outer shell ring preform to increase the thickness of the outer shell ring preform or adding at least one additional preform layer to the inner hub ring preform to increase the thickness of the inner hub ring preform.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one additional preform layer is added to at least one of an outside of the outer shell ring preform or an inside of the inner hub ring preform.
10. The method of claim 2, wherein the first housing frame connection end comprises a first housing miter joint connection portion and the second housing frame connection end comprises a second housing miter joint connection portion.

Description

Method of manufacturing a composite component for a gas turbine engine Cross Reference to Related Applications The present application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/715,144, filed on 1 month 11 of 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to composite components and methods of forming composite components, particularly aircraft composite components for aircraft engines. Background Turbine engines used in aircraft typically include a fan and a turbo-engine (turbo-engine) section disposed in flow communication with each other. The combustor is arranged in the turbocharged engine to generate combustion gases for driving a turbine in the turbocharged engine of the turbine engine, and the turbine is operable to drive a fan. A portion of the air flowing into the fan flows through the turbocharged engine as core air, while another portion of the air flowing into the fan bypasses the core section and flows through the turbine engine as bypass air. The turbocharged engine section may include one or more compressors 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, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a turbine engine for an aircraft in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 2A is a schematic illustration of a three-dimensional fiber weave pattern according to aspects of the present disclosure. 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, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 2C is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fiber weave pattern similar to that shown in fig. 2A but with a different interlocking fiber pattern, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. 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, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a general process of manufacturing a composite component that may be used in the turbine engine of FIG. 1, according to aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic front-rear view of a bucket structure taken at plane 4-4 of FIG. 1, according to aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a schematic top rear perspective view of the vane structure of FIG. 4 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view through the vane structure of FIG. 4 taken at plane 6-6 of FIG. 4 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 7 is a schematic rear view layout of a preform assembly for manufacturing a composite component according to aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 8 is a schematic rear view of a shell preform portion that may be implemented in the preform assembly of fig. 7, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a first housing frame connection end according to aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of a second housing frame connection end according to aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail view of the enclosure frame preform connection taken at detail view 330 of fig. 7, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail view of the enclosure frame preform connection taken at detail view 332 of fig. 7, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 13 depicts an alternative enclosure frame preform connection to that shown in fig. 11, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 14 depicts an alternative enclosure frame preform connection to that shown in fig. 13, in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a schematic rear view of an inner hub preform portion that may be implemented in the preform assembly of FIG. 7, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a first inner hub frame attachment end in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of a second inner hub frame attachment end in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 18 is an enlarged detail view of the inner hub frame preform connection taken at detail view 380 of FIG. 7 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 19 is an enlarged detail view of the inner hub frame preform connection taken at detail 382 of FIG.