The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 01, 1999
Filed:
Mar. 10, 1995
John M Graff, West Suffield, CT (US);
United Technologies Corporation, Hartford, CT (US);
Abstract
An electroformed sheath is disclosed for protecting composite components of a part, such as a fan blade of a modern gas turbine engine. The electroformed sheath includes a sheath body having a leading edge; a pressure side and an opposed suction side of the body that meet at the leading edge and extend away from the leading edge to define a sheath cavity therebetween; a head section of the body between the leading edge and the sheath cavity; and an electrically conductive mandrel insert positioned between the pressure and suction sides of the body. In manufacture of the electroformed sheath, the mandrel insert is secured in an appropriate mandrel having an exterior surface approximating the blade's airfoil configuration. The leading edge, head section and pressure and suction sides are electroplated around the mandrel insert so that the insert remains in the sheath body after removal of the mandrel. The position occupied by the mandrel defines the sheath cavity, and the component parts of the blade are secured within the cavity. The mandrel insert enhances electroformation of material from the electroplate bath around the mandrel insert so that the resulting electroformed sheath has a thickness range ratio (being a ratio of the thickness of a thickest part of the sheath (e.g., its leading edge) to the thickness of a thinnest part of the sheath (e.g., trailing edges of the pressure or suction sides)) in excess of 30:1.