United Technologies Corporation

Edwin R More

Harry A Nutter, Jr

A fan blade (24) comprising an airfoil shell (30) made of a fiber reinforced relatively low wear resistance composite material has a tip portion (34) having a plurality of elongated filaments (50) of a highly wear resistant material, most advantageously rod-like boron filaments, embedded therein so as to extend inwardly from the outboard facing surface (36) of the blade (24) and substantially perpendicularly thereto. The filaments (50) comprise cutting elements which serve to rapidly cut away the sacrificial layer (40) of the surrounding fan duct (16) whenever the blade tip (34) comes into contact with the layer (40) thereby protecting the blade tip (34) from excessive wear.

Composite blade having wear resistant tip

In a method for manufacturing a fiber reinforced article, a plurality of sheets of fibrous material (38 and 40) each having minute quantities of a thermoplastic adhesive (50) on a single surface thereof are laid up on a suitable form such that the adhesive of each sheet is disposed in contact with an adjacent preceding sheet or form. The sheets are tailored to the form and adhesively bonded to one another by activation of the adhesive with heat and pressure.

Manufacture of fiber reinforced articles

Composite materials comprised of reinforcing filaments captured in an uncured resinous matrix are shaped and subsequently stacked by a technique which may be automated. The composite material, in tape form, is sandwiched between liners, the liners being selected or treated so as to exhibit an adhesion differential with respect to the tacky uncured resin, and the plies of the resultant multilayer article are thereafter cut, the upper liner removed and the plies stacked utilizing the ply-to-ply adherence.

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Simsbury, CT, United States of America

Edwin R More