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(12) UK Patent Application
`
`(19) G 8 (11) 2 213 793(13)A
`
`(43) Date of A publication 23.08.1989
`
`(51) INT CL•
`B65H 81/00
`
`(52) UK CL (Edition J)
`B8G G1D G4
`
`(56) Documents cited
`GB 1160021 A GB 1114657 A
`US 4170505 A
`
`EP 0265915 A2
`
`(58) Field of search
`UK CL (Edition J) BBG
`INTCL' 865H
`
`(21) Application No 8826325.6
`
`(22) Date of filing 10.11.1988
`
`(30) Priority data
`(31) 3743485
`
`(32) 22.12.1987
`
`(33) OE
`
`(71) Applicant
`MTU Motoren-und Turblnen-Union Munchen GmbH
`
`(Incorporated In the Federal Republic of Germany)
`
`Postfach 50 06 40, 8000 Munchen 50,
`Oachauer Strasse 665, Federal Republic of Germany
`
`(72) Inventor
`Dr Berhard Wohrl
`
`(74) Agent and/or Address for Service
`Withers & Rogers
`4 Dyer's Buildings, Holborn, London, EC1 N 2JT,
`United Kingdom
`
`(54) Winding airfoil
`
`In the manufacture of a three-dimensionally twisted airfoil of a rotor blade, a fibre strand 9 is continuously impregnated
`(57)
`with resin material, pressed by roller 11 on to an airfoil surface 1 and immediately precured at 15. The method permits the
`fast, simple and fully automatic manufacture of airfoils. The precuring device 15 may be an infrared radiator. The strand
`may be looped around nipples on a blade root. The winding device may be a six-axis robot. The precured airfoil is cured in
`a mould.
`
`10
`
`At least one drawing originally filed was informal and the print reproduced here is taken from a later filed formal copy.
`
`FIG. 2
`
`G)
`OJ
`(\.)
`['\.)
`__.._
`w
`-.J
`(0
`w
`)>
`
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`1 /2
`
`FIG. 1
`
`15
`
`11
`
`8
`
`FIG.3
`
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`2/2
`
`2213'793
`
`16
`
`10
`
`FIG. 2
`
`;.
`
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`-1-
`
`2213193
`
`METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A THREE-DIMENSIONALLY
`TWISTED ROTOR BLADE AIRFOIL
`
`This invention relates to a method for the manufacture
`
`of a fibre reinforced component, particularly a three(cid:173)
`
`dimensionally twisted rotor blade airfoil, by wrapping
`
`a core with a resin-impregnated fibre material,
`
`5
`
`Fibre components are rapidly gaining technical
`
`significance on account of their excellent properties.
`
`Their low density, high tensile strength and relative
`
`ease of shaping invites their use in areas that had
`
`formerly been the sole domain of metallic materials.
`
`10 Fibre-reinforced materials, e,g. are also finding use
`
`in aircraft applications, as for dynamically highly stressed
`
`rotor blades and propellers or for propfan airfoils.
`
`Another outstanding property of fibre-reinforced
`
`materials is the option of influencing component properties
`
`15 by laying the fibres in preferred orientation to obtain
`
`different material data in different directions for, e.g.
`
`the modulus of elasticity or damping constants.
`
`Technical problems are encountered, however, in the
`
`manufacture of fibre-reinforced components of complex
`
`20 shapes with three-dimensionally twisted surfaces, especially
`
`if these take a partially concave form and if the
`
`requirements are for different strength and vibration
`
`properties in different directions, This applies
`
`particularly to modern turbine engine fan or propan blades,
`
`25 where the attachment of the airfoil to the root or rotor
`
`poses another specific problem.
`
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`

`

`Conventional manufacture of these components is associated
`
`-2-
`
`with considerable effort involving high manufacturing
`
`costs.
`
`It employs so-called prepegs, which are fibre
`
`panels impregnated with a matrix material and inserted in
`
`5
`
`a hollow mould to be cured under pressure and heat. One
`
`disadvantage of this method is the extremely high cost
`
`involved when trying to deliberately influence component
`
`properties with it, which basically is a feasible
`
`proposition.
`
`10
`
`One object of this invention is to enable the manufacture
`
`of a fibre-reinforced component, particularly a three(cid:173)
`
`dimensionally twisted rotor blade airfoil by a simple and
`
`rapid method that permits selective manipulation of
`
`component properties by selective routing of the fibres
`
`15
`
`and more particularly so as to permit ready application of
`
`fibres also to concave surfaces.
`
`According to this invention we propose a method for the
`
`manufacture of a fibre-reinforced component such as
`
`an airfoil, particularly a three-dimensionally t~isted
`
`20
`
`rotor blade airfoil by wrapping a core with a resin
`
`impregnated fibre material, wherein fibre strands wetted
`
`with a resin matrix are pressed against the core for
`
`example, by means of a nip roller, and the resin matrix
`
`precured immediately thereafter, preferably by a precuring
`
`25
`
`facility such as an infrared radiator coupled to the nip
`
`roller.
`
`Fibres can be applied in a simple manner, in each and
`
`every direction and on any shape of airfoil surface and
`
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`

`

`' '
`
`-3-
`
`so that they will then adhere and not subsequently become
`
`dislodged. After the fibres have precured they will
`
`adhere also to concave surfaces,. so they can be laid
`
`rapidly and accurately in position. Depending on
`
`5
`
`requirements several plies of fibre can be deposited one
`
`over the other in different or identical orientations.
`
`Precuring the matrix material causes it to gel to a
`
`point where the fibre is cemented in place before the
`
`fibre matrix mixture still is fully cured. Thereafter
`
`10
`
`the wrapped component is pressed to final size in a mould
`
`and cured in a furnace.
`
`The time needed to manufacture a twisted fibre
`
`component is substantially shorter than that expended in
`
`conventional manufacture, An essential consideration
`
`15 also is that concave blades can simply and accurately
`
`be covered with layers of fibre, which with the
`
`conventional methods of fibre application cannct be
`
`achieved with full satisfaction.
`
`This much simplifies the wrapping process and so makes
`
`20
`
`it susceptible of fully automated computer and robot
`
`controlled implementation,
`
`The fibre strands can advantageously be laid along
`
`preferred tracks. This permits a selective anisotropic
`
`component structure to be achieved in arrangements
`
`25 benefiting stability and strength.
`
`This helps eliminate
`
`especially vibration problems.
`
`In a preferred embodiment, the fibre strands are looped
`
`around a number of attaching nipples on the blade root to
`
`Page 6 of 9
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`

`

`-4-
`
`attach the airfoil to the root. This permits a
`
`particularly favourable transfer of the centrifugal forces
`
`acting on the root in operation.
`
`Embodiments of the present invention will now be
`
`5
`
`described by way of example with reference to the
`
`accompanying drawings, in which
`
`Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a fan blade;
`
`Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating a fibre
`
`laying device; and
`
`10
`
`Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating a six-axis
`
`portal robot.
`
`With reference now to Figure 1
`
`the airfoil 1 of
`
`a rotor blade is shown. Depicted also are the preferred
`
`directions of the fibres to be deposited: the main
`
`15
`
`tensile direction 2 and the diagonal layers 3 and 4.
`
`The
`
`fibres are preferably looped around attaching nipples
`
`5 on a blade root 6, so as to ensure a satisfactory union
`
`between the two components and for good transfer to the
`
`blade root 6 of the tensile force arising in operation.
`
`20
`
`The fibre laying device 8 shown in Figure 2
`
`essentially comprises a fibre drum 10, a fibre feed duct
`
`12 leading to a fibre nip roll 11, and a precuring
`
`facility 15. The fibre strand 9 unwound from the fibre
`
`drum 10 is pulled by the nip roll 11 through the fibre
`
`25
`
`feed duct 12 into which matrix material is fed in defined
`
`"'.Ii
`
`quantities from a matrix metering unit 14 through a feed
`
`duct 13. The matrix material is supplied from a storage
`
`container 16 to the matrix metering unit 14 through a
`
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`

`-5-
`
`flexible feed line 17. The volume of matrix fed per unit
`
`length of fibre can be adjusted, preferably to suit the
`
`fibre throughput. Having been wetted in this manner the
`
`fibres are accurately laid on to the component in the
`
`5 desired track under the fibre nip roll 11 and are precured
`
`(gelled) by means of the precuring device 15, causing the
`
`surface to dry and stick,
`
`In this manner, the
`
`:ibre is
`
`fixed to a point where it can be laid on to radiused tracks.
`
`Thereafter, further fibre layers can be deposited in any
`
`lOdesired orientation over the precured fibres.
`
`As it will become apparent from Figure 3, the fibre
`
`laying device 8 here shown in schematic arrangement is
`
`connected to the "wrist" of a six-axis portal robot 7
`
`and can thus - under computer control - deposit the fibre
`
`15strand
`
`9 on the component core fully automatically along
`
`precalculated tracks. This makes for very accurate
`
`reproducibility ( <0.2 mm) cf the fibre laying process.
`
`The rough item having been manufactured in this manner,
`
`is then placed in a mould and conventionally finish
`
`20cured under pressure and heat.
`
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`

`-6-
`
`CLAIMS
`
`1.
`
`A method for the manufacture of a fibre-reinfcrcedx
`
`component by wrapping a core with a resin-impregnated
`
`fibre material, wherein fibre strands wetted wi~n a resin
`
`matrix are pressed against the core and the resin natrix
`
`5
`
`precured immediately thereafter.
`
`2.
`
`A method according to claim 1 wherein the wetted
`
`fibre strands are pressed against the core by a nip roller
`
`having coupled thereto a resin matrix precuring facility.
`
`3.
`
`A method according to claim 1 wherein the co~ponent
`
`10 is an airfoil and the fibre strands are looped around a
`
`number of attaching nipples on a blade root to sec~re the
`
`airfoil to the blade root (6).
`
`4.
`
`A method according to claim 2, wherein the precuring
`
`facility comprises an infrared radiator.
`
`15 5.
`
`A method according to claim
`
`2 wherein the f~bre
`
`strands are drawn through a fibre fe~d d~2t
`
`matrix material is introduced to wet fibre strands.
`
`6.
`
`A method for the manufacture of fibre reinforced
`
`component, particularly a three-dimensionally twisted
`
`20 airfoil, substantially as hereinbefore described with
`
`reference to the accompanying drawings.
`
`PubhsheC 1988 at The Patent Offlce. Sts.:.; House. 66 "71 H1g:i-~ Ro:borr... Londc:--. WClR 4T? F-..:r..he:- cop!es may be oC:air..1;;.:! fro;:;:-. T"ne Pa.tent Off1C'::"
`Sales Brancl:., St !.fa.=:;· Cray. Orp:mg:or... Ken:. BR5 3RD Prmted by M:ttltlplex tecf'..r-...1ques lt.c. St Ma~- Cra:•- Ker..t Car ... l 87
`
`Page 9 of 9
`
`Markforged Ex. 1010
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`
`

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