VANE WITH SPAR MOUNTED COMPOSITE AIRFOIL

• Main Authors: WORTHOFF, FRANK, TUDOR, COURTNEY JAMES, MCDONALD, SETH ALEXANDER, CRALL, DAVID WILLIAM
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 30.06.2012
• Subjects: AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; BLASTING; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TOTRANSPORTATION; COMBUSTION ENGINES; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TONON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES ORJET-PROPULSION PLANTS; INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUSSUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04; JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAMTURBINES; STEAM ENGINES; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; WEAPONS

A vane includes a composite airfoil having one or more outer pockets and one or more outer spars received therein respectively. The outer spars extending radially inwardly from an outer bridge of the outer vane mount outwardly supporting airfoil. The spars may be integrally formed with the bridge and adhesively bonded to the composite airfoil within the pockets with a passage extending between an airfoil base and an airfoil tip. A metallic leading edge tip may be disposed along the leading edge of the composite airfoil. A gas turbine engine annular fan frame incorporates the vanes in an annular row of composite outlet guide vanes extending radially between and connecting radially inner and outer rings of the fan frame.