Rolls-Royce Corporation

Alistair Buchanan

George Durrant

Christopher Paul Heason

Christopher P Gibson

A fixture for locating a straight edge of a curved surface of a part and holding the part in a fixed position during performance of a machining operation on the straight edge is described. The fixture includes: one or more supports for seating a convex curved surface of the part, one or more detachable end stops arranged to extend in a plane orthogonal to that in which the supports sit and against which, in use, the straight edge can be aligned, and a clamp arranged, in use, to push the convex curved surface against the supports such that the straight edge contacts the supports without obstruction of the straight edge.

Fixture for holding a complex-shaped part during a machining operation

Method for determining an adaptive tool path: provides an aerofoil with deposition plane; determines deposition plane points corresponding to leading and trailing edges and circle center constrained by suction and pressure surfaces at their greatest distance apart; determines circle center point edge position passing through deposition plane points; determines trailing and leading edge reference lines extending from the circle center point through trailing and leading edge points, respectively and mid-reference line(s) extending from the circle center point through mid-reference point(s) between leading and trailing edge points; trims and determines each mid reference line to the bounds of the suction and pressure surfaces; applies an adaptive factor to each mid reference line providing an adaptive point for each mid-reference line; determines an spline extending through the leading and trailing edge points and each adaptive point; and traverses a tool along the spline or offset path from the spline by a factor.

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Pontefract, United Kingdom

Alistair Buchanan