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EP-4497569-B1 - METAL PLATED ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED PLASTIC ACM HOUSINGS WITH INTERNAL THERMALLY ADAPTIVE STRUCTURE

EP4497569B1EP 4497569 B1EP4497569 B1EP 4497569B1EP-4497569-B1

Inventors

  • MERRITT, BRENT J.
  • KILCHYK, Viktor

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240715

Claims (15)

  1. A method of forming a housing for an air cycle machine, ACM, (10), the method comprising: forming a housing base (80) having a plurality of discrete sections (90) including: a first section (100) that is adjacent to a seal (23) of a compressor rotor (22) when installed in the ACM (10); a second section (100) that is fixed to a forward frame member (25) when installed in the ACM (10); a third section (100) that is adjacent to a bearing and sleeve (58) disposed around a compressor rotor shaft (54) when installed in the ACM (10), wherein forming the housing base (80) includes: printing, layer by layer, the housing base (80), by printing first and second thermoplastic polymer surfaces (200, 210), respectively from first and second thermoplastic polymers, that are disposed against each other, the first thermoplastic polymer surface (200) having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and the second thermoplastic polymer surface (210) having a second CTE; forming a lower support section (82) on the housing base (80) by printing, layer by layer, along the plurality of discrete sections (90) of the housing base (80) a mixture of a third thermoplastic polymer and a catalyst (240) formed with metal; and forming an upper support section (84) on the housing (46) by depositing on the lower support section (82), along each of the discrete sections, via electrolysis deposition, a metallic coating, to thereby control thermal expansion and contraction of the housing (46) along the discrete sections, to thereby make the housing (46).
  2. The method of claim 1, wherein: forming the housing base (80) includes printing, layer by layer, a lattice of beads (245), wherein each of the beads (245) has an outer surface (202) formed by the first thermoplastic polymer surface (200) and an inner surface (212) formed by the second thermoplastic polymer surface (210), and wherein a void (220) is formed in a center of each of the beads (245).
  3. The method of claim 2, wherein: the outer surface (202) has first thickness (TH1) and the inner surface (212) has a second thickness (TH2) that is greater than the first thickness (TH1).
  4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein: forming the housing base (80) includes printing the outer surface (202) or the inner surface (212) of each bead (245) to include a first fiber (300) having a fourth CTE that differs from the first and second CTEs.
  5. The method of claim 4, wherein: forming the housing base (80) includes printing the outer surface (202) to include the first fiber (300) having the fourth CTE and the inner surface (212) to include a second fiber (310) that that has a fifth CTE that differs from each of the other CTEs.
  6. The method of claim 5, wherein the CTEs, other than the fourth and fifth CTEs, are the same as each other.
  7. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first and second CTEs differ from each other.
  8. The method of claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein the first fiber (300) and the second fiber (310) differ from each other, each being one of metallic, carbon or Kevlar fibers.
  9. The method of any of claims 2 to 8, wherein: forming the housing base (80) includes printing, layer by layer, a reinforcing fibrous string on each bead (245), wherein the string extends linearly across the bead (245), over the void (220) of the bead (245).
  10. The method of any of claims 2 to 9, wherein forming the housing base (80) includes: printing the first thermoplastic polymer surface (200) to provide a first CTE gradient; and printing the second thermoplastic polymer surface (210) to provide a second CTE gradient.
  11. The method of claim 10, wherein: the first and second gradients change in a thickness direction of the housing base (80), and at an interface between the first and second thermoplastic polymer surfaces (200, 210), the CTEs are the same as each other; or the first and second gradients change in a circumferential direction, and at the interface between the first and second thermoplastic polymer surfaces (200, 210), the CTEs differ from each other.
  12. The method of claim 1, wherein: forming the housing base (80) includes printing, layer by layer, a continuous structure having voids (220), where the continuous structure is formed by the first thermoplastic polymer surface (200), and each of the voids (220) is lined with the second thermoplastic polymer surface (210).
  13. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the first and second thermoplastic polymer surfaces (200, 210) are the same as each other.
  14. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the first thermoplastic polymer surface (200) is Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and/or wherein the catalyst (240) is palladium(II) chloride (PdCl 2 ), and/or wherein the method further includes utilizing stereolithography (SLA) or fused deposition modeling (FDM).
  15. An air cycle machine (10) of an aircraft (5), comprising: a housing (46) manufactured from the method of any preceding claim; the compressor rotor (22) having a seal (23) that is adjacent to the first section (100) of the housing (46); the forward frame member (25) that is fixed to the second section (100) of the housing (46); and the bearing and sleeve (58), disposed around the compressor rotor shaft (54), that is adjacent to the third section (100) of the housing (46).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The embodiments are directed to housings for an air cycle machine (ACM) and more specifically to metal plated additively manufactured plastic ACM housings with internal thermally adaptive structure. BACKGROUND Housings manufactured using exotic materials may be expensive and heavy. Housings may be additively manufactured from plastic and coated with strengthening materials. However due to different coefficients of expansion, the different materials may separate or fail. EP2025777A2 describes a turbine vane that includes a platform; and at least one airfoil mounted to the platform and having a trailing edge and a leading edge, wherein the vane is composed of a functionally graded material having a first material and a second material, wherein the trailing edge includes a greater amount of the first material than the second material, and the leading edge includes a greater amount of the second material than the first material. US 20150239046 A1 describes a system that includes a layered structure. The layered structure includes first and second coalesced layers and an intermediate layer disposed between the first and second coalesced layers. The first and second coalesced layers have a higher degree of coalescence than the intermediate layer. US 11655346 B2 describes a polymer composition capable of being additively manufactured includes a polymer matrix and an NTE additive. The NTE additive enables tailoring of the CTE of the polymer composition and the additively manufactured structure made using the composition. SUMMARY Disclosed is a method of forming a housing for an air cycle machine (ACM), the method including: forming a housing base having a plurality of discrete sections including: a first section that is adjacent to a seal of a compressor rotor when installed in the ACM; a second section that is fixed to a forward frame member when installed in the ACM; a third section that is adjacent to a bearing and sleeve disposed around a compressor rotor shaft when installed in the ACM, wherein forming the housing base includes: printing, layer by layer, the housing base, by printing first and second thermoplastic polymer surfaces, respectively from first and second thermoplastic polymers, that are disposed against each other, the first thermoplastic polymer surface having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and the second thermoplastic polymer surface having a second CTE; forming a lower support section on the housing base by printing, layer by layer, along the plurality of discrete sections of the housing base a mixture of a third thermoplastic polymer and a catalyst formed with metal; and forming an upper support section on the housing by depositing on the lower support section, along each of the discrete sections, via electrolysis deposition, a metallic coating, to thereby control thermal expansion and contraction of the housing along the discrete sections, to thereby make the housing. In addition to one or more aspects of the method, or as an alternate, the first and second CTEs differ from each other. In addition to one or more aspects of the method, or as an alternate, forming the housing base includes printing, layer by layer, a lattice of beads, wherein the each of the beads has an outer surface formed by the first thermoplastic polymer surface and an inner surface formed by the second thermoplastic polymer surface, and wherein a void is formed in a center of each of the beads. In addition to one or more aspects of the method, or as an alternate, the outer surface has first thickness and the inner surface has a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness. In addition to one or more aspects of the method, or as an alternate, forming the housing base includes printing the outer surface or the inner surface of each bead to include a first fiber having a fourth CTE that differs from the first and second CTEs. In addition to one or more aspects of the method, or as an alternate, forming the housing base includes printing the outer surface to include the first fiber having the fourth CTE and the inner surface to include a second fiber that that has a fifth CTE that differs from each of the other CTEs. In addition to one or more aspects of the method, or as an alternate, the CTEs, other than the fourth and fifth CTEs, are the same as each other. In addition to one or more aspects of the method, or as an alternate, the first fiber and the second fiber differ from each other, each being one of metallic, carbon or Kevlar fibers. In addition to one or more aspects of the method, or as an alternate, forming the housing base includes printing, layer by layer, a reinforcing fibrous string on each bead, wherein the string extends linearly across the bead, over the void of the bead. In addition to one or more aspects of the method, or as an alternate, forming the housing base includes: printing the first thermoplastic polymer surface to provide a first CTE gradient; and print