CMC blade with integral 3D woven platform

Abstract

A method of forming a component for use in a gas turbine engine includes the steps of forming an airfoil/root assembly; creating a platform assembly structure having an opening; inserting the airfoil/root assembly into the opening; and bonding the platform assembly structure to the airfoil/root assembly to form the component.

Claims

1. A component for use in a gas turbine engine comprising an airfoil and a root portion formed from a ceramic matrix composite and a platform assembly comprising a ceramic matrix composite three dimensional woven material bonded to said airfoil and root portion; wherein said airfoil and root portion is formed from a plurality of layers of a uni-directional tape material; wherein said platform assembly includes integral chord-wise buttress structures located spaced apart in the chord-wise direction along the length of said platform assembly structure; and an interfacial layer between the airfoil/root portion and the platform assembly structure.

2. The component of claim 1, wherein said platform assembly overlays the root portion so that contact between the blade and a disk occurs on an exterior surface of the platform assembly.

3. The component of claim 1, wherein said component is turbine blade.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a component which can be used in a gas turbine engine;

(2) FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the blade of FIG. 1; and

(3) FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the assembly method for forming the blade of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a ceramic matrix composite blade 10 for use in a gas turbine engine (not shown). The blade 10 may be a turbine blade used in the hot section of the engine.

(5) The blade 10 has an airfoil portion 12 and a root portion 14. The airfoil portion 12 and the root portion 14 may be an integral structure formed from a plurality of plies 18 of a ceramic matrix composite material as shown in FIG. 2.

(6) As can be seen from FIG. 1, the blade 10 also has a platform 20 and one or more optional buttresses 22 formed from a platform assembly structure 24. The platform assembly structure 24 is formed from a ceramic matrix composite material. The platform assembly 24 process begins with a fibrous pre-form which is in turn infiltrated with ceramic matrix to form a rigid ceramic matrix composite. The fibrous pre-form consists of a combination of three dimensional woven structures and/or portions made from chopped fibers and/or two dimensional woven cloth 26. Two dimensional woven cloth typically has fiber/tow bundles interwoven such that a large flat sheet is created with a thickness of the sheet being approximately twice the thickness of the fiber/tow bundles. Three-dimensional woven preforms consists of fiber/tow bundles that are woven in such a manner as to have additional fiber/tow bundles such that the thickness can be increased, and complex shapes created where local thick sections can be added and still retain connectivity to the thin sections with continuous fiber/tow connectivity. As will be discussed hereinafter, the platform assembly structure 24 is bonded to the airfoil portion 12 and root assembly 14 so as to form an integral structure.

(7) Referring now to FIG. 3, the method of forming the blade 10 includes the step 100 of forming the airfoil/root assembly by laying up plies 18 of a ceramic matrix composite material in a mold and infiltrating the plies with a matrix material. The plies 18 may be formed from a uni-directional tape and/or a fabric or woven material such that a strong primary structure is created that can transmit the radial pull of the blade airfoil 12 into the root attachment region 14. A fabric may be made from fibers called tows. Individual tows are woven together to create the fabric. Unidirectional-Tape can be made from a collection of individual fibers or a collection of tows, bonded together to form a continuous sheet of uniform thickness. The Unidirectional tape can be cut, like fabric and stacked together with plies. After the plies 18 have been laid up, they may be joined together to form the airfoil/root assembly using low temperature polymerization, high temperature polymerization and/or pyrolosis techniques, or bonding with a Silicon interfacial layer.

(8) As shown in step 102, the platform assembly structure 24 is formed separately from the airfoil/root assembly. The platform assembly structure 24 may be formed from a ceramic matrix composite. For example, the structure 24 may be formed using a plurality of three dimensional or chopped fibers which have been infiltrated by a matrix material. Here again, bonding may be accomplished using low temperature polymerization, high temperature polymerization, and/or pyrolosis, or bonding with a Silicon interfacial layer. The structure 24 may be formed in a mold. Further, the structure 24 is formed to have a central opening 30 which extends from the top to the bottom of the structure 24. In other words, the structure 24 has a hollow core. The structure 24 may be fabricated with one or more chord-wise spaced apart buttresses 22. If desired, the buttresses 22 may be omitted.

(9) The fibers used to form the platform assembly structure 24 may include fibers such as silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, silicone nitride, carbon, and combinations thereof.

(10) The matrix used to form the platform assembly structure and/or the airfoil/root assembly may include magnesium aluminum silicate, magnesium barium aluminum silicate, lithium aluminum silicate, barium strontium aluminum silicate, bariums aluminum silicate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, silicon aluminum oxynitride, aluminum nitride, zirconium oxide, zirconium nitride, and/or hafnium oxide.

(11) In step 104, the airfoil/root assembly is inserted into the opening 30 in the structure 24 so that the outer edge 32 of the root portion is abutted by an inner edge 34 of the structure 24.

(12) In step 106, the platform assembly structure 24 is bonded to the airfoil/root assembly to form the blade 10. The bonding step may be carried out by introducing the matrix material and heating to densify the ceramic matrix composite material and bond the airfoil/root assembly to the platform assembly. The platform assembly 24 may be formed so that a portion of the platform assembly 24 may extend radially inward and cover a root region of the airfoil root assembly. Alternatively the bonding step may be carried out by introducing a bonding agent such as silicon, which after bonding creates a interfacial layer between the airfoil/root assembly and the platform assembly. Silicon, deposited in a layer on the blade/attachment assembly and/or the platform assembly, would then disperse into the resulting assembly when heated and constrained appropriately, forming a continuous bond between the airfoil/attachment assembly and the platform assembly.

(13) In step 108, any protruding portion, such as fibers, may be ground off.

(14) As shown in FIG. 2, the platform root section 40 is integrated onto the blade root section 14 such that the contact between the final blade 10 and a disk 42 occurs on the exterior surface 44 created by the three dimensional woven platform root section.

(15) While the present disclosure has been described in the context of forming a turbine blade, the method could also apply to the manufacture of other components for use in a gas turbine engine.

(16) There has been described herein a ceramic matrix composite blade with integral platform using complex weave perform. While the ceramic matrix composite blade has been described in the context of specific embodiments thereof, other unforeseen alternatives, modifications, and variations may become apparent to those skilled in the art having read the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace those alternatives, modifications and variations which fall within the broad scope of the appended claims.