METHOD OF FORMING AN INNER BARREL OF AN ENGINE INLET WITH LASER-MACHINED ACOUSTIC PERFORATIONS

• Main Authors: BERTOLUCCI, Brandon L, HORST, Perry T, BAUMAN, John Scott, REEVES, Jake Adam, NEGLEY, Mark Alan, HERRERA, Eric
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 08.06.2022
• Subjects: AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; BLASTING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; COMBUSTION ENGINES; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; HEATING; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; LIGHTING; MACHINE TOOLS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A forming system (200) includes a femtosecond laser (202) and a control unit (204) that includes one or more processors operatively connected to the femtosecond laser (202). The femtosecond laser (202) is configured to emit laser pulses onto an inner surface (218) of a face sheet of an acoustic inner barrel (120). The acoustic inner barrel (120) includes an acoustic core (128) comprising an array of hexagonal cells (130) attached to an outer surface of the face sheet that is opposite the inner surface (218) . The control unit (204) is configured to control the femtosecond laser (202) to laser drill a plurality of perforations (150) in the face sheet via emitting laser pulses at pulse durations between about 100 femtoseconds and about 10,000 femtoseconds and at frequencies over 100,000 Hz such that the perforations (150) are formed without burning portions of the face sheet or the acoustic core (128) surrounding the perforations (150).