Ducted support housing assembly

Abstract

A method is disclosed of making an integral structure comprised of inner and outer coaxial shells mutually supported so as to define an annular passageway between the shells. The integral structure may be an air inlet housing for a gas turbine engine and the inner shell may be a hub member having a generally cylindrical passage extending therethrough for rotatably receiving a drive shaft. The inner shell is formed by braiding on a shaped mandrel a plurality of fibers such as fiberglass, boron, carbon, or the like, to form an inner shell preform having an outer surface of revolution. A plurality of duct preforms are similarly formed on a conical mandrel, then removed, and administered onto an outer peripheral surface of a duct mold so as to define a modified shape. The modified duct preforms are then positioned onto the outer surface of the inner shell preform in side-by-side relationship such that the first and second lateral surfaces on adjacent modified duct preforms are coextensive and engaged, the plurality of modified duct preforms completely circumscribing the inner shell preform. Then, a plurality of fibers are braided across the plurality of outer modified duct surfaces of the duct preforms to form an outer shell preform spaced from and coaxial with the inner shell preform. Thereafter, resin is applied to the structure to encapsulate the braided inner shell preform, the braided modified duct preforms, and the braided outer shell preform. The resin is then cured to thereby complete fabrication of the integral structure.