Composite airfoil with local tailoring of material properties

Abstract

A composite airfoil includes a woven preform with warp yarns of a first material, the preform with a tip, root, leading edge, trailing edge and an intermediate region positioned between the root and the tip; and a first matrix made of a first resin maintaining the relative positions of the preform yarns. The composite blade further includes at least one of: fill yarns of a second material in the woven preform; and a second matrix made of a second resin maintaining the relative positions of the preform yarns in a portion of the airfoil.

1 . A composite airfoil comprising:
 a woven preform with warp yarns of a first material, the preform including a tip, root, leading edge and trailing edge, and an intermediate region positioned between the root and the tip; and   a first matrix made of a first resin maintaining the relative positions of the preform yarns, and   at least one of:
 fill yarns of a second material in the woven preform; and 
 a second matrix made of a second resin maintaining the relative positions of the preform yarns in a portion of the airfoil. 
   
     
     
         2 . The composite airfoil of  claim 1 , wherein the woven preform is a three- dimensional weave and further comprises stuffer yarns. 
     
     
         3 . The composite airfoil of  claim 2 , wherein the stuffer yarns are of a third material. 
     
     
         4 . The composite airfoil of  claim 1 , and further comprising:
 a leading edge sheath on the leading edge of the preform.   
     
     
         5 . The composite airfoil of  claim 1 , and further comprising:
 a third matrix made of a third resin maintaining the relative positions of the preform yarns in a portion of the airfoil.   
     
     
         6 . The composite airfoil of  claim 5 , wherein the airfoil is a blade. 
     
     
         7 . A composite airfoil comprising:
 a preform of woven yarns, the preform having a leading edge, a trailing edge, tip region, a root region and an intermediate region positioned between the tip region and the root region, and the yarns comprising:
 warp yarns forming a longitudinal axis of the preform; and 
 fill yarns positioned at about a 90 degree angle to the warp yarns, wherein the warp yarns are a different material than then fill yarns; and 
   a first matrix to maintain the relative positions of the preform yarns.   
     
     
         8 . The composite airfoil of  claim 7 , and further comprising:
 a sheath on the leading edge of the preform.   
     
     
         9 . The composite airfoil of  claim 7 , and further comprising:
 stuffer yarns in the preform woven with the warp yarns and the fill yarns.   
     
     
         10 . The composite airfoil of  claim 9 , wherein the stuffer yarns are a different material than the warp yarns or the fill yarns. 
     
     
         11 . The composite airfoil of  claim 9 , and further comprising:
 a second matrix used in portions of the preform to maintain relative positions of the preform yarns in those portions of the preform, wherein the second matrix has different material properties than the first matrix.   
     
     
         12 . The composite airfoil of  claim 11 , wherein the second matrix is used in the tip region of the preform and the first matrix is used in the intermediate and root regions of the preform. 
     
     
         13 . The composite airfoil of  claim 12 , and further comprising:
 a third matrix used in portions of the preform to maintain relative positions of the preform yarns in those portions of the preform, wherein the third matrix has different material properties than the first matrix and the second matrix.   
     
     
         14 . A method of forming a composite airfoil, the method comprising:
 weaving warp yarns and fill yarns to form a woven preform;   inserting the preform into a mold;   injecting a first portion of the mold with a first resin to form a first matrix for maintaining the relative positions of the yarns;   injecting a second portion of the mold with a second resin to form a second matrix for maintaining the relative positions of the yarns; and   curing the resins to form the first matrix and the second matrix.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the warp yarns are of a different material than the fill yarns. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , and further comprising:
 weaving and stuffer yarns to form a three-dimensional woven preform.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein one of the warp yarns, the fill yarns and the stuffer yarns is of a different material than the other yarns. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the warp yarns are a first material, the fill yarns are a second material and the stuffer yarns are a third material. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first matrix and the second matrix have different material properties. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , and further comprising:
 injecting a third portion of the mold with a third resin to form a third matrix for maintaining the relative positions of the yarns.