United Technologies Corporation

Jay Thomas Abraham

James Olaf Hansen

Michael A Weisse

Joseph Parkos, Jr

Christopher J Hertel

Venkatarama K Seetharaman

James R Murdock

Andrew J Murphy

Scott C Billings

Maria C Kirejczyk

Ethan C Drew

Scot A Webb

James H Moffitt

Ashley P Phillips

An electroformed sheath for protecting an airfoil includes a sheath body and a mandrel insert is provided. The sheath body includes a leading edge. The sheath body includes a pressure side wall and an opposed suction side wall, which side walls meet at the leading edge and extend away from the leading edge to define a cavity between the side walls. The sheath body includes a head section between the leading edge and the cavity. The mandrel insert is positioned between the pressure side and suction side walls, and includes a generally wedge-shaped geometry. A method for protecting an airfoil includes: 1) securing a mandrel insert to a mandrel; 2) electroplating a sheath body onto the mandrel and the mandrel insert; 3) removing the mandrel from the sheath body so that a sheath cavity is defined within the sheath body; and 4) securing the airfoil within the sheath cavity.

Electroformed sheath

A fan blade of a gas turbine engine includes an airfoil, a root received in a slot of a hub, and a wear pad covering at least a portion of the root and made of an integrally bonded woven composite laminate.

Wear pad to prevent cracking of fan blade

Growing community of inventors

Stamford, CT, United States of America

Jay Thomas Abraham