Attachment of structures having different physical characteristics

Abstract

Methods of bonding first structures to second structures are disclosed wherein the first and second structures are fabricated materials having different physical characteristics. For example, the first structure may be a composite fan blade and the second structure may be a composite or metallic rotor, both for use in gas turbine engines. The method includes providing the first and second structures and plating or otherwise coating a portion of the first structure with a metal to provide a metal-coated portion. The method includes applying at least one intermediate material onto the metal-coated portion of the first structure. The method further includes bonding the metal-coated portion of the first structure and the intermediate material to the second structure. The bonding is carried out using a relatively low-temperature process, such as liquid phase bonding, including TLP and PTLP bonding. Brazing is also a suitable technique, depending on the materials chosen for the first and second structures.

Claims

1. A method of bonding a first structure to a second structure, the first structure being non-metallic, the method comprising: providing the first and second structures wherein the first structure is a composite comprising a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of polyetherimide (PEI), polyimide, polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyether ketone ketone (PEKK), polysulfone, nylon, polyphenylsulfide, polyester, condensation polyimides, addition polyimides, epoxy cured with aliphatic and/or aromatic amines and/or anhydrides, cyanate esters, phenolics, polyesters, polybenzoxazine, polyurethanes, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, and thermoset silicones; coating a portion of the first structure with a metal to provide a metal-coated portion; applying at least one intermediate material on the metal-coated portion; and bonding the metal-coated portion of the first structure and the intermediate material to the second structure, wherein the first and second structures have different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) and the intermediate material has a CTE that falls between the CTEs of the first and second structures; wherein the bonding is a process selected from the group consisting of transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding and partial transient liquid phase (PTLP) bonding.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second structure is metallic.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the bonding includes diffusing the intermediate material into the second structure and reacting the intermediate material with the metal-coated portion of the first structure.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second structure is a composite, and the method further includes coating a portion of the second structure to provide a metal-coated portion on the second structure.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the bonding includes reacting the intermediate material with the metal-coated portions of the first and second structures.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the composite material further includes fiber reinforcements.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the composite material of the second structure comprises a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of polyetherimide (PEI), polyimide, polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyether ketone ketone (PEKK), polysulfone, nylon, polyphenylsulfide, polyester, condensation polyimides, addition polyimides, epoxy cured with aliphatic and/or aromatic amines and/or anhydrides, cyanate esters, phenolics, polyesters, polybenzoxazine, polyurethanes, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, and thermoset silicones.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the intermediate material includes a metal foil.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first structure is a fan blade and the second structure is a rotor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For a more complete understanding of the disclosed methods and apparatuses, reference should be made to the embodiments illustrated in greater detail in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a gas turbine engine;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rotor and fan blade that forms part of the fan assembly of the gas turbine engine illustrated in FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 3 is an end view of a fan blade root.

(5) FIG. 4 is an end view of the fan blade root shown in FIG. 3 after being coated with metal.

(6) FIG. 5 is an end view of the fan blade root shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 after an intermediate material has been applied to the metal-coated portion of the fan blade root.

(7) FIG. 6 is a partial end of the fan blade root shown in FIG. 5 installed in a slot of a rotor and bonded to the rotor using one of the techniques disclosed herein.

(8) FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of a fan blade installed on a rotor.

(9) FIG. 8 is a flow chart depicting a sample sequence of steps which may be practiced in accordance with the present disclosure.

(10) It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the disclosed embodiments are sometimes illustrated diagrammatically and in partial views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the disclosed methods and apparatuses or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that this disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(11) FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a gas turbine engine 10. The gas turbine engine 10 may include a fan section 11 that, in turn, may include a fan blade assembly 12. The fan blade assembly 12 may be mounted immediately aft of a nose 13 and immediately fore of a low-pressure compressor (LPC) 14. The LPC 14 may be part of a compressor section 15 and may be disposed between the fan blade assembly 12 and a high-pressure compressor (HPC) 16. The LPC 14 and HPC 16 may be disposed fore of a combustor 17, which may be disposed between the HPC 16 and a high-pressure turbine (HPT) 18 that is part of a turbine section 19. The HPT 18 is typically disposed between the combustor 17 and a low-pressure turbine (LPT) 21. The LPT 21 may be disposed fore of a nozzle 22. The LPC 14 may be coupled to the LPT 21 via a shaft 23, which may extend through an annular shaft 24 that may couple the EIPC 16 to the HPT 18. An engine case 25 may be disposed within an outer nacelle 26 that surrounds the fan section 11.

(12) Turning to FIG. 2, the fan blade assembly 12 may include a plurality of fan blades 30 mounted to a rotor 31. More specifically, the rotor 31 may include an outer periphery 32 through which a plurality of dovetail shaped slots 33 extend. The slots 33 may include inner base surfaces 34. The base surfaces 34 may each be disposed between inwardly slanted sidewalls 36, 37 that extend inwardly towards each other as they extend radially outwardly from their respective base surfaces 34. As also shown in FIG. 2, the slots 33 may each accommodate a correspondingly shaped root 38 of a fan blade 30. The dovetail shaped root 38 may be connected to a blade or airfoil 39 that includes a leading edge 41 and a trailing edge 42. The leading and trailing edges 41, 42 are disposed on either side of the blade tip 43.

(13) Still referring to FIG. 2, the root 38 may include an inner face 44 that may be disposed between and connected to inwardly slanted pressure faces 45, 46. The pressure faces 45, 46 may each engage the inwardly slanted sidewalls 36, 37 respectively of their respective slot 33 in the rotor 31. The pressure faces 45, 46 can wear due to their engagement with the slanted sidewalls 36, 37 of the rotor 31. The application of a metal layer 51 (FIG. 4) and an intermediate layer 52 (FIG. 5) to the pressure faces 45, 46 may enhance the wear resistance properties of the pressure faces 45, 46.

(14) While dovetail shaped slots 33 and roots 38 are shown herein, the reader will note that other types of slots and roots, including but not limited to fir tree shaped slots and correspondingly shaped roots are also clearly applicable to this disclosure and are considered within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

(15) An exemplary substrate for use in fabricating all or part of the fan blades 30 includes an injection-molded, compression-molded, blow-molded, additively manufactured or a composite-layup piece formed of at least one of the following: polyetherimide (PEI), polyimide, polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyether ketone ketone (PEKK), polysulfone, nylon, polyphenylsulfide, polyester, condensation polyimides, addition polyimides, epoxy cured with aliphatic and/or aromatic amines and/or anhydrides, cyanate esters, phenolics, polyesters, polybenzoxazine, polyurethanes, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, silicones (thermoset), or any of the foregoing with fiber reinforcement of carbon, glass, metal, or other suitable fiber material.

(16) Turning to FIGS. 3-7, FIG. 3 is an end view of a fan blade 30 that includes a root 38 with an inner face 44 and pressure faces 45, 46. In FIG. 4, the root 38 has been coated with a metal layer 51. If the fan blade 30 is fabricated from a composite material, plating or coating the composite root 38 with a metal enables another metal or metallic material to be bonded to the metal layer 51. Thus, in FIG. 5, the root 38 has not only been coated with the metal layer material 51 but a layer of intermediate material 52 has been applied to the metal layer 51. The intermediate material 52 may be provided in the form of foil, a powder or a braze paste. Foil may be preferred due to the ease of consistent application. Further, the intermediate material 52 may be a metallic material applied by PVD, electroplating or another process that will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

(17) An exemplary substrate for use in fabricating all or part of the fan blades 30 includes an injection-molded, compression-molded, blow-molded, additively manufactured or a composite-layup piece formed of at least one of the following: polyetherimide (PEI), polyimide, polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyether ketone ketone (PEKK), polysulfone, nylon, polyphenylsulfide, polyester, condensation polyimides, addition polyimides, epoxy cured with aliphatic and/or aromatic amines and/or anhydrides, cyanate esters, phenolics, polyesters, polybenzoxazine, polyurethanes, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, thermoset silicones, or any of the foregoing with fiber reinforcement of carbon, glass, metal, or other suitable fiber material.

(18) Turning to FIGS. 6 and 7, the fan blade 30 as illustrated in FIG. 5 has been inserted into the slot 33 and the rotor 31 and a bonding process has been carried out. The bonding process may be transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding, partial transient liquid phase (PTLP) bonding, brazing or another process that will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Because composite materials are less refractory than other non-metallic materials, such as ceramic materials, the bonding process illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 may need to be performed at lower temperatures. Thus, TLP and PTLP bonding may be preferred methods because they produced bonds that can be used at or above the actual bonding temperature.

(19) In TLP and PTLP bonding, the intermediate material 52 diffuses into a metallic material and reacts with the metal coating on a composite material. Therefore, in an example where the fan blade 30 is fabricated from a composite material and the rotor 31 is metallic, the intermediate material 52 may react with the metal coating 51 on the composite root 38 and diffuse into the metallic rotor 31. Similarly, if the rotor 31 is fabricated from a composite material, the rotor 31 may be coated with a metal and the intermediate material 52 may react with the metal coating on the rotor 31 as opposed to diffusion. The application of a foil intermediate material 52, a powder intermediate material 52 or a braze paste intermediate material 52 to the root 38 is straightforward. Other intermediate materials may be applied by PVD, electroplating or other techniques that will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

(20) Thus, the disclosed attachment methods can be used to join composite fan blades, airfoils or vanes to metallic or composite rotors or hubs while accounting for mismatches in the various CTEs of the two structures to be joined. Further, the disclosed methods enable an optimal selection of the material used to fabricate the first structure (fan blade, vane) independent of the optimal selection of the material used to fabricate the second structure (rotor, hub, etc.).

(21) Turning to FIG. 8, a method of fabricating a fan assembly is illustrated. First, one or more fan blades 30 or vane may be formed from a composite material. The root 38 or the element that couples the fan blade 30 to a hub or rotor 31 may be coated or plated to form a metal-coated portion 51. A selected intermediate material 52 is applied to the metal-coated portion 51 on the fan blade or vane 30. Then, the fan blade or vane 30, with its metal-coated portion 51 and intermediate material 52 applied to the metal-coated portion 51 is then coupled to the rotor 31, typically by sliding the root 38, metal-coated portion 51 and intermediate material 52 into a slot provided in the rotor 31 for each fan blade or vane 30. Bonding is then carried out using TLP or PTLP bonding or brazing.

(22) While only certain embodiments have been set forth, alternative embodiments and various modifications will be apparent from the above description to those skilled on the art. These and other alternatives are considered equivalents within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.