Rolls-royce Corporation

Ben Hodgson

Robert W Heeter

Christopher D Hall

Graham Burkholder

Jeff Crutchfield

Jeff Higbie

Jon Rivers

Xuekun Sun

Dennes Kyle Burney

Systems and methods are presented for dampening noise in a rotating machine having a rotatable shaft defining an axis of rotation. An acoustic panel assembly may comprise an annular casing, a hook, and an acoustic panel carried by the hook. The acoustic panel comprises a radially inner skin, a radially outer skin, and an acoustic treatment member having a plurality of walls extending between the radially inner skin and the radially outer skin thereby defining a plurality of radially oriented cells. A portion of the cells adjacent a first axial edge of the acoustic panel are filled with a reinforcement material and shaped to form a lip having sufficient strength to support a portion of the acoustic panel. The panel is positioned so that the lip is axially and radially retained by the hook.

Acoustic panel with reinforced lip

Systems and methods are presented for acoustic dampening in a rotating machine. The rotating machine has a rotatable shaft defining an axis of rotation and a gas flowpath. A system comprises an acoustic panel affixed to an annular casing. The acoustic panel comprises an acoustic treatment member extending between a radially inner skin and radially outer skin. The radially inner skin extends the full axial and circumferential dimensions of the acoustic panel, and the acoustic treatment member overlays the entirety of the radially inner skin. The acoustic panel is positioned so that the radially outer skin abuts the casing, the abutting surfaces being configured to effect relative axial movement between the surfaces while maintaining contact between the surfaces. The acoustic panel is affixed in position to the casing by one or more fasteners passing through the casing and a portion of the radially outer skin.

Systems and methods of acoustic dampening in a gas turbine engine

According to one aspect, a method of releasing a fan blade for testing a turbofan engine includes arranging an external shaped charge about an airfoil and modifying the airfoil by extricating one or more portions of material from one or more sides of the airfoil. The method further includes detonating the external shaped charge such that the airfoil is released at a selected time.

Method for release of fan blisk airfoil with external shaped charge

According to one aspect, a method of releasing a fan blade for testing a turbofan engine includes providing an internal passage with a constant arc through an airfoil arranged about a blisk such that the constant arc of the internal passage aligns with a contour of the blisk. The method further includes packing the internal passage with a charge, modifying the airfoil such that the airfoil is released from the blisk evenly along a chordwise length of the airfoil, and detonating the charge such that the airfoil is released from the blisk at a selected time.

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Indianapolis, IN, United States of America

Ben Hodgson