Airfoil and method for protecting airfoil leading edge

1. An airfoil, 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; 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 airfoil body from the leading edge downstream towards the trailing edge, wherein the predetermined portion of the suction side covered by the leading edge protective strip is no greater than one-third of the predetermined portion of the pressure side covered by the leading edge protective strip; and

wherein the leading edge protective strip comprises a multiplicity of intersecting grooves defining adjacent segments of a predetermined size.

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 predetermined portion of the suction side of the airfoil covered by the leading edge protective strip is between about 1 and 3 percent of the chord length of the airfoil.

4. 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 0.100 inch from the leading edge downstream towards the trailing edge.

5. An airfoil according to claim 1 , wherein the grooves are spaced to define segments that have sides between about 2.5 and 6.3 mm long.

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 of the airfoil 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, 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, 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 intersecting grooves defining adjacent segments of a predetermined size; 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, wherein the predetermined portion of the suction side covered by the leading edge protective strip is no greater than one-third of the predetermined portion of the pressure side covered by the leading edge protective strip.

10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein the predetermined portion of the suction side covered of the airfoil covered by the leading edge protective strip is between about 1 and 3 percent of the chord length of the airfoil.

11. A method according to claim 9 , 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, wherein the area of the predetermined portion of the suction side covered by the leading edge protective strip is no greater than one-third of the area of the predetermined portion of the pressure side covered by the leading edge protective strip; and

wherein the leading edge protective strip comprises a multiplicity of inwardly-facing, intersecting grooves defining adjacent segments of a predetermined size.

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 grooves are less than about 0.13 mm wide and are about one-third the thickness of the leading edge protective strip.