Airfoil and method for protecting airfoil leading edge

1. An airfoil of an engine, comprising:

an airfoil body including a concave pressure side and a convex suction side defining a chord length, a leading edge and a trailing edge;

a leading edge protective strip adhered by a bond layer to and protectively covering the leading edge and respective predetermined portions of the pressure side and suction side of the airfoil body from the leading edge downstream towards the trailing edge;

the leading edge protective strip including a multiplicity of inwardly-facing grooves into which the bond layer is embedded, and defining adjacent segments of a predetermined size sufficiently small to minimize damage to the engine if individual ones of the segments were to become detached from the airfoil during engine operation.

2. An airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein the airfoil is selected from the group consisting of a turbine engine fan blade, turbine engine compressor blade and a turbine engine stator vane.

3. An airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein the grooves intersect to define discrete geometrical shapes.

4. An airfoil according to claim 3 , wherein the grooves are spaced to define segments that have sides between about 2.5 and 6.3 mm long.

5. An airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined portion of the suction side of the airfoil covered by the leading edge protective strip is a portion extending about 0.25 mm from the leading edge downstream towards the trailing edge.

6. An airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein the bond layer is between about 0.05 mm and 0.15 mm thick and the leading edge protective strip is between about 0.13 and 0.2 mm thick.

7. An airfoil according to claim 6 , wherein the airfoil is selected from the group consisting of a turbine engine fan blade, turbine engine compressor blade, and a turbine engine stator vane.

8. An airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined portion of the suction side covered by the leading edge protective strip is between about 1 and 3 percent of the chord length of the airfoil, the predetermined portion of the suction side covered of the airfoil covered by the leading edge protective strip is about 2.5 mm from the leading edge downstream towards the trailing edge, and the leading edge protective strip comprises the multiplicity of inwardly-facing grooves that intersect to define adjacent segments of a predetermined size sufficiently small that, if detached from the airfoil during engine operation, impact with downstream engine components would cause minimal damage to the downstream engine components, wherein the grooves are less than about 0.13 mm wide and are about one-third the thickness of the leading edge protective strip, the bond layer is between about 0.05 mm and 0.15 mm thick, segments that have sides between about 2.5 mm and 6.3 mm long and the leading edge protective strip is between about 0.13 mm and 0.2 mm thick, and wherein the inwardly-facing grooves provide increased surface area for attachment of the leading edge protective strip to the airfoil.

9. A method of protecting the leading edge of an airfoil of an engine, comprising the steps of:

providing an airfoil body including a concave pressure side and a convex suction side defining a chord length, and a leading edge and a trailing edge;

forming in a leading edge protective strip a multiplicity of grooves defining adjacent segments of a predetermined size sufficiently small to minimize damage to the engine if individual ones of the segments were to become detached from the airfoil during engine operation; and

adhering the leading edge protective strip to and protectively covering the leading edge and respective predetermined portions of the pressure side and suction side of the airfoil body from the leading edge downstream towards the trailing edge.

10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein the grooves intersect to define discrete geometrical shapes.

11. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the grooves are less than about 0.13 mm wide and are about one-third the thickness of the leading edge protective strip.

12. A method according to claim 9 , wherein the bond layer is between about 0.05 mm and 0.15 mm thick and the leading edge protective strip is between about 0.13 and 0.2 mm thick.

13. A method according to claim 9 , wherein the airfoil is selected from the group consisting of a turbine engine fan blade, a turbine engine compressor blade and a turbine engine stator vane.

14. A turbine engine, comprising a low pressure compressor, a high pressure compressor, a high pressure turbine, a low pressure turbine and a combustor, and a plurality of radially-extending stator vanes, at least one of the stator vanes comprising:

a vane body including a concave pressure side and a convex suction side defining a chord length, and a leading edge and a trailing edge; and

a leading edge protective strip adhered by a bond layer to and protectively covering the leading edge and respective predetermined portions of the pressure side and suction side of the vane body from the leading edge downstream towards the trailing edge;

the leading edge protective strip including a multiplicity of inwardly-facing grooves in which the bond layer is embedded, and defines adjacent segments of a predetermined size sufficiently small to minimize damage to the engine if individual ones of the segments were to become detached from the airfoil during engine operation.

15. A turbine engine according to claim 14 , wherein the predetermined portion of the suction side of the vane covered by the leading edge protective strip is between about 1 and 3 percent of the chord length of the airfoil.

16. A turbine engine according to claim 14 , wherein the predetermined portion of the suction side of the vane covered by the leading edge protective strip is about 2.5 mm from the leading edge downstream towards the trailing edge.

17. A turbine engine according to claim 14 , wherein the leading edge protective strip is provided with a plurality of axially-extending adjustment slits radially spaced along the vane body.

18. A turbine engine according to claim 17 , wherein the grooves are less than about 0.13 mm wide and are about one-third the thickness of the leading edge protective strip.