Production of a composite casing for an aircraft turbine engine

Abstract

Method for producing a casing made of a composite material for an aircraft turbine engine, the casing having an annular shape and including an annular fibrous preform formed by winding a fibrous cloth soaked in a polymer matrix, the method including the steps of: a) positioning an edge of the cloth on a molding drum, this cloth having a generally elongate shape and the edge being located at a first longitudinal end of the cloth, b) winding the cloth on the drum, over at least one rotation, so as to obtain the preform wound around the drum, c) molding of the preform and hardening of the resin which is injected into the preform or pre-impregnated on the preform, wherein the method includes, before step a), a step i) of mounting a removable stop on the drum, and in that step a) includes abutting the edge against this stop.

Claims

1. A method for producing a casing made of a composite material for an aircraft turbine engine, this casing having an annular shape and comprising an annular fibrous preform formed by winding a fibrous cloth and embedded in a polymer matrix, the method comprising the steps of: a) positioning an edge of the fibrous cloth on a moulding drum, the fibrous cloth having a generally elongate shape and said edge being located at a first longitudinal end of the fibrous cloth, b) winding the fibrous cloth on the moulding drum over at least one turn so as to obtain the annular fibrous preform wound around the moulding drum, c) moulding the annular fibrous preform and hardening a resin which is injected into the annular fibrous preform or pre-impregnated on the annular fibrous preform, wherein the method comprises, before step a), a step i) of mounting a removable abutment on the moulding drum, and step a) comprises abutting said edge against this removable abutment, wherein the removable abutment extends between an annular flanges of the moulding drum and around a cylindrical wall of the moulding drum.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises, during step b), a step ii) of dismounting and removing the removable abutment from the moulding drum.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moulding drum comprises a cylindrical wall extending between two annular flanges, the removable abutment being positioned on the cylindrical wall and removably attached to said flanges in step i).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the removable abutment comprising visual markers configured to be detected by a video camera, the method comprises, after step i), a step iii) of calibrating monitoring cameras of the winding by detecting these markers.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the removable abutment comprising a cutting guide, the method comprises, at the end of step b), a step iv) of cutting a second longitudinal end opposite of the fabric.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the removable abutment is made of metal, plastic, wood or composite.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the removable abutment is mounted in step i) so that said edge of the fibrous cloth can be aligned with a mark located on the moulding drum.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the mark is an engraving.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the mark is located on a cylindrical wall of the moulding drum.

10. A method for producing a casing made of a composite material for an aircraft turbine engine, said casing having an annular shape and comprising an annular fibrous preform formed by winding a fibrous cloth and embedded in a polymer matrix, the method comprising the steps of: a) positioning an edge of the fibrous cloth on a moulding drum, the fibrous cloth having a generally elongate shape and said edge being located at a first longitudinal end of the fibrous cloth, b) winding the fibrous cloth on the moulding drum over at least one turn so as to obtain the annular fibrous preform wound around the moulding drum, c) moulding the annular fibrous preform and hardening the resin which is injected into the annular fibrous preform or pre-impregnated on the annular fibrous preform, wherein the method comprises, before step a), a step i) of mounting a removable abutment on the moulding drum, and in that step a) comprises abutting said edge against this removable abutment, wherein the moulding drum extends around a longitudinal axis and comprises a cylindrical wall and a mark, the cylindrical wall extending between two annular flanges, the removable abutment is positioned on the cylindrical wall and removably attached to the annular flanges of the moulding drum, said removable abutment being positioned at the mark and resting against the edge of the fibrous cloth, and wherein the removable abutment extends between an annular flanges of the moulding drum and around a cylindrical wall of the moulding drum.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, for the understanding of which reference is made to the attached drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1, already discussed, shows a partial cross-sectional view of an aircraft turbine engine fan according to the prior art;

(3) FIG. 2, also already mentioned, schematically illustrates an installation for the production of a composite casing of the type illustrated in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3, also already discussed, is a very schematic cross-sectional view of a cloth being wound onto a moulding drum of the installation of FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4, already discussed, is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 and represents a problem of positioning the preform on the drum;

(6) FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of a method for producing a composite casing according to the invention,

(7) FIG. 6 is a view similar to those of FIGS. 3 and 4 and illustrates a step of the method in which a abutment is positioned on the drum to ensure proper positioning of the cloth and the preform as it is wound onto the drum;

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of part of an installation for carrying out the method according to the invention, and

(9) FIG. 8 is a similar view to FIG. 6 and illustrates the abutment and an edge of the cloth positioned at a mark on the drum.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(10) FIG. 5 illustrates steps in a method for producing a composite material casing 3 for an aircraft turbine engine, such as that shown in FIG. 1.

(11) This method essentially comprises four steps, namely: a) mounting a removable abutment 30 on a moulding drum 22, as seen in FIG. 6, b) positioning an edge 20a of a fibrous cloth 20 on the drum 20, this positioning being achieved by abutting this edge 20a against the abutment 30, c) winding the cloth 20 on the drum 22 over at least one turn, so as to obtain an annular preform 24 around the drum (cf. FIG. 2), and d) moulding the preform 24 and hardening the resin which is injected into the preform or pre-impregnated on the preform.

(12) The cloth 20 has a generally elongate shape. The edge 20a which is applied against the abutment 30 is located at one of the longitudinal ends of the cloth 20. In the event that the cloth 20 has a generally rectangular and elongate shape, the edge 20a in question would be an edge which extends substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal or lateral edges of the cloth 20.

(13) The abutment 30 facilitates the positioning of the edge 20a of the cloth 20 when the winding of the latter is initiated around the drum 22.

(14) The abutment 30 is removable and intended to be dismounted and removed from the drum 22 in a step ii) which may occur, for example, during step b) (see FIG. 5).

(15) The removal of the abutment 30 occurs at a time that depends in particular on whether the abutment 30 has other functions than the positioning of the preform 24 at the start of the winding. In any case, the abutment should normally be removed before the end of the first winding turn in order to continue the winding by covering the edge 20a of the cloth 20.

(16) FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate an embodiment of an assembly comprising an installation 40 for carrying out the method of the invention, and the fibrous cloth 20.

(17) In FIG. 7, the installation 40 comprises the drum 22 and the abutment 30.

(18) The drum 22 extends around a longitudinal axis X (FIG. 2). This axis X corresponds substantially to the axis A of revolution of the annular envelope 9 of the casing to be formed. The fibrous cloth 20 is adapted to be wound around the entire circumference of the drum 22.

(19) It can be seen from FIG. 7 that the drum 22 comprises a cylindrical wall 22a extending between two annular flanges 22b, the abutment 30 being positioned on the cylindrical wall 22a and removably attached to the flanges 22b.

(20) With reference to FIG. 8, the edge 20a of the fibrous cloth 20 and the abutment 30 are located at the mark 26 of the drum 22.

(21) Advantageously, this abutment 30 rests against the edge 20a in a circumferential direction to the axis X of the drum 22. In other words, the edge 20a bears against the entire width of a bearing face of the abutment 30 in the circumferential direction of the drum 2.

(22) In the event that the abutment 30 has one or more other functions, it would then comprise: visual markers 32 configured to be detected by a video camera, in which case the method would comprise, after step i), a step iii) of calibrating monitoring cameras of the winding by detecting these markers 32 (cf. FIG. 5); and/or a cutting guide 34, in which case the method would comprise, at the end of step b), a step iv) of cutting a second opposite longitudinal end of the cloth and the preform (see FIG. 5).

(23) The abutment 30 may be metallic or plastic and could be made by additive manufacturing.