Granted Patent B2

US 12,196,107 · App. 18/172,723 · Granted Jan 14, 2025

Inventors: Arthur William Sibbach (Boxford, MA); Nicholas Joseph Kray (Mason, OH); Gregory Carl Gemeinhardt (Park Hills, KY)

Assignee: General Electric Company

F01D5/28

Abstract

Claims (27)

1. A turbine engine comprising:

a compressor section, combustor section, and turbine section in serial flow arrangement, and defining an engine centerline; and

an airfoil, including an outer wall having a pressure side and a suction side, the outer wall extending between a root and a tip in a span-wise direction, and the outer wall extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge in a chord-wise direction, the airfoil rotatable about the engine centerline, the airfoil comprising:

a woven core,

a first bonding layer located exteriorly of the woven core, the first bonding layer having a mechanical property defining a first toughness, and the first bonding layer having a toughened region, with the toughened region having a mechanical property defining a second toughness that is tougher than the first toughness, and

a laminate skin located exteriorly of the first bonding layer, and bonded to the woven core by the first bonding layer, wherein the woven core is uncured and wherein the toughening region is provided on an exterior of the first bonding layer.

2. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein the toughened region includes a toughening material.

3. The turbine engine of claim 2 wherein the toughening material includes rubber particles, thermoplastics, nano fibers, or nano particles.

4. The turbine engine of claim 2 wherein the toughening material includes a polymer.

5. The turbine engine of claim 2 wherein the toughening material comprises between 3% and 20% of a total weight of the first bonding layer.

6. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein the first bonding layer is located on both of the pressure side and the suction side.

7. The turbine engine of claim 1 further comprising a second bonding layer located exteriorly of the first bonding layer.

8. The turbine engine of claim 7 wherein the second bonding layer includes a second toughened region including a second toughening material.

9. The turbine engine of claim 8 wherein the toughened region includes a first toughening material, and wherein the second toughening material is different than the first toughening material.

10. The turbine engine of claim 8 wherein the second toughening material is located only on the suction side.

11. The turbine engine of claim 7 wherein the second bonding layer is located interiorly of the laminate skin.

12. The turbine engine of claim 7 further comprising a laminate layer located between the first bonding layer and the second bonding layer.

13. The turbine engine of claim 12 wherein the laminate layer is formed as a single laminate ply.

14. The turbine engine of claim 7 wherein the first bonding layer is adapted to bond to the woven core and the second bonding layer is adapted to bond to the laminate skin.

15. The turbine engine of claim 1 wherein the mechanical property is one of strength stiffness, hardness, elasticity, shear strength, fracture toughness, or tensile strength.

16. A fan blade for a turbine engine comprising:

a three-dimensional woven core;

a first bonding layer located exteriorly of the three-dimensional woven core; and

a laminate skin located exteriorly of the first bonding layer; and

a toughened region either located exterior of the first bonding layer or formed into the first bonding layer, wherein the woven core is uncured and wherein the toughened region is provided on an exterior of the first bonding layer.

17. The fan blade of claim 16 wherein the toughened region is formed into the first bonding layer as rubber particles, thermoplastics, nano fibers, or nano particles.

18. The fan blade of claim 16 wherein the toughened region is provided as a spray on the exterior of the first bonding layer.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (22)