United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Other

General Electric Company

Honeywell International Inc.

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Gary D Roberts

Robert F Handschuh

Michael Braley

Kelsen E LaBerge

Ming Xie

Stephen Craig Mitchell

Donald George LaChapelle

Bill Russell Watson

Sandi G Miller

Stephen P Berkebile

Lee W Kohlman

James D Dorer

Dale Hopkins

Joel P Johnston

A gear includes a steel rim having an inner circumferential surface a composite gear body attached thereto. The composite gear body includes an opening in a central region thereof. A first continuous fiber composite layer extends from a first point on an outer circumferential edge of the composite gear body to a second point on the outer circumferential edge. A second continuous fiber layer extends from the first point to the second point. The composite gear body also includes a filler layer disposed between the first and second continuous fiber layers, the filler layer extending within an inner region of the composite gear body. The inner region extends radially between the opening and a boundary inward of the inner circumferential surface such that the composite gear body is thicker within the inner region.

Continuous fiber composite power transfer structures

A lubricating system includes a machine configured to operate in a first operating state and a second operating state; and a heat activated polymer material applied to at least a part of the machine and to remain solid during the first operating state and to soften upon being heated in the second operating state to lubricate the machine. The heat activated polymer material may soften due to increased friction incurred by the machine in the second operating state. A heating element may be operatively connected to any of the machine and the heat activated polymer material. The heat activated polymer material may soften due to being heated by the heating element in the second operating state. An injector may apply the heat activated polymer material to the machine. A channel may direct a flow of the heat activated polymer material as it softens in the second operating state.

Lubrication of machines using heat activated polymers

An improved composite structure and method for making same has been provided. The provided improved composite structure has locally strengthened areas within a reinforcement region. The locally strengthened areas within the reinforcement region have load distribution devices to redistribute load in order to (i) locally strengthen an area around damage induced by an initial momentary and direct transmitted load, and (ii) limit growth and propagation of damage induced by an initial momentary and direct transmitted load during a subsequent unbalance load. The improved composite structure reduces the impact of the fan blade out phenomenon in a weight efficient manner.

Composite structure with load distribution devices, and method for making same

A hybrid gear consisting of metallic outer rim with gear teeth and metallic hub in combination with a composite lay up between the shaft interface (hub) and gear tooth rim is described. The composite lay-up lightens the gear member while having similar torque carrying capability and it attenuates the impact loading driven noise/vibration that is typical in gear systems. The gear has the same operational capability with respect to shaft speed, torque, and temperature as an all-metallic gear as used in aerospace gear design.

Hybrid gear

Method and apparatus for enhancing the durability as well as the strength and stiffness of prepreg fiber tows of the sort used in composite materials are disclosed. The method involves adhering electrospun fibers onto the surface of such composite materials as filament-wound composite objects and the surface of prepreg fiber tows of the sort that are subsequently used in the production of composite materials of the filament-wound, woven, and braided sorts. The apparatus performs the methods described herein.

Method for coating a tow with an electrospun nanofiber

A gas turbine fan blade containment assembly includes a fan case having an inner surface surrounding a jet engine fan and an outer surface. Mounted on the inner surface and across a blade containing region of the fan case is a load spreader layer for initially receiving a point load from a fan blade release (a 'blade-out event'). A band layer is mounted to an outer surface of the fan case for carrying at least a portion of a hoop tensile load on the fan case resulting from the blade-out event, and separator film layer is mounted between the outer surface of the fan case and the band layer to retard the formation of stress concentrations in the band layer. In one embodiment, the load spreader layer includes a plurality of circumferentially-arrayed load spreader layer segments.

Composite case armor for jet engine fan case containment

A composite fan casing for a gas turbine engine includes, in an exemplary embodiment, a core having a plurality of core layers of reinforcing fiber bonded together with a thermosetting polymeric resin. Each core layer includes a plurality of braided reinforcing fiber tows. The braids of reinforcing fiber tows are aligned in a circumferential direction with each fiber tow including a plurality of reinforcing fibers. The core also includes at least one additional fiber tow braided into at least one predetermined axial location to form at least one concentrated stiffening ring.

Growing community of inventors

Wadsworth, OH, United States of America

Gary D Roberts