US 11,867,087 B2
Composite fan blade root
Christopher Gall, London (GB); and Anthony Newnham, London (GB)
Assigned to ROLLS-ROYCE PLC, London (GB)
Appl. No. 17/056,862
Filed by Rolls-Royce plc, London (GB)
PCT Filed May 21, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/063111
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 19, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/228864, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 5, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1808939 (GB), filed on May 31, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0301672 A1, Sep. 30, 2021
Int. Cl. B64C 11/04 (2006.01); F01D 5/30 (2006.01); F01D 5/28 (2006.01); G01N 29/04 (2006.01); G01N 29/07 (2006.01)
CPC F01D 5/3007 (2013.01) [F01D 5/282 (2013.01); G01N 29/043 (2013.01); G01N 29/07 (2013.01); F05D 2260/83 (2013.01); G01N 2291/011 (2013.01); G01N 2291/015 (2013.01); G01N 2291/0231 (2013.01); G01N 2291/044 (2013.01); G01N 2291/101 (2013.01); G01N 2291/2693 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A composite fan blade root comprising:
an outer region comprising composite material and defining an outer inspection surface of the fan blade root; and
an internal reflection boundary embedded within the fan blade root, the internal reflection boundary being configured to change a velocity of a signal emitted into the fan blade root from the outer inspection surface;
the fan blade root further comprises an inner region surrounded by the outer region, wherein the internal reflection boundary is in the form of a discontinuous layer of boundary material which delimits the inner region from the outer region and which has different acoustic properties from, and is embedded within, the composite material of the outer region;
wherein the internal reflection boundary is defined by a plurality of discrete portions of the boundary material.