Composite turbine wheel, method of manufacture and fixture therefor

Abstract

Abstract A turbine wheel made up of a hub having carbon cloth discs impregnated with a carbon bearing resin, integral blades formed of chopped carbon fibers impregnated with the resin, and continuous carbon strengthening fibers in the hub and blades which extend circumferentially around the hub and radially through the blades to provide maximum strength. The method of manufacture comprises providing a fixture having slotted tip and root section template rings and aft and forward plates, alternately laying cloth discs within the inner ring and threading carbon fibers in and then out of the templates, adding chopped carbon fibers between the templates, impregnating the material with a carbon bearing resin, densifying the wheel by chemical vapor deposition, and machining the blades around the radial portions of the threaded carbon fibers.

Inventors

• 👤 Gerald S. Cruzen

Bibliographic Details