- Produits
- Systèmes
- Capteurs
- Logiciels
- Accessoires
- Integration
Fan Blades
Accelerate your efficiency
Fan blades often produces 90 % of an engine’s thrust, making them crucial for jet-engine performance and efficiency. However, the fan blade’s large size, unique geometries and the variety of materials used in the manufacturing process create challenges for measurement and inspection. Inaccuracies in the shape of the leading edge and airfoil surface (bend, twist, and thickness) will decrease engine efficiency and thrust.
High accuracy and repeatable measurements are required throughout the product lifecycle of fan blades, to ensure peak performance of an engine.
Quality Gates along the production process of fan blades
Fulfilling requirement for metal and composite
The evolution of the fan blade is one of the most visible to the traveller, from the small "clapper" style to the huge modern composites blades, the one thing is common -- they have a major job to carry out.
Providing the bulk of the thrust during take off, cruise and landing, the fan blades are some of the single biggest contributors to engine efficiency on the engine propelling air around the bypass of the engine in the most efficient way possible. The bow, sweep, twist and lean of the airfoil engineered to perfection requiring an equally matches set of quality tools available from ZEISS.
Metal fan blades
Metal fan blades, mainly aluminium and titanium, have been the method of manufacture since the start of the jet engine. The design complexity pushes the boundaries of the manufacturing methods. The blades have developed significantly from relatively simple geometries and solid materials, to, three-dimensionally swept airfoils with hollow or honeycomb structures. Meanwhile, with each evolution, the number of blades has got fewer per engine and normally blades have become larger and more expensive to manufacture.
Composite Fan Blades
Composite fan blades are an evolution of the metal fan blades in terms of design offering enhanced material properties and often enabling the blades to be significantly larger due to their lighter weight. But there’s a reason this hasn’t been done until more recent times. The process requires high skill when produced manually and otherwise high levels of cost and development for automated processes. The end result is a high-performing blade which are noticeable on the most modern jet engines.