Turbine engine fan housing abradable material removal tool and method of abradable material removal

Abstract

Devices and methods by which an amount of an abradable material may be removed from the housing of a gas turbine engine. A device of the invention is generally comprised of an abradable material removal tool having a curved abradable material contacting base with a handle or other gripping portion extending therefrom. An abrasive material, such as a sheet of sand paper, may be associated with a contacting surface of the base. The base is dimensioned and provided with a shape that permits its insertion between adjacent leading and trailing fan blades of an engine fan. A manual back-and-forth rotation of the fan while the abradable material removal tool is positioned between the fan blades and depressed against the surface of the abradable material will result in a controlled removal of abradable material along a path traced by the tips of the fan blades.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A gas turbine engine abradable material removal tool, comprising:
 a base having a curved profile that substantially mimics the curvature of an abradable material lining of a gas turbine engine of interest, the base having a leading end with a tapered edge, a trailing end, and an abradable material contacting surface adapted for association with an abrasive material; and   a rib extending upward from the base.   
     
     
         2 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 1 , wherein the base is comprised of a rigid material that retains the curved profile without assistance. 
     
     
         3 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 1 , wherein the base is comprised of a semi-rigid material and the curved profile thereof is retained with assistance from the rib. 
     
     
         4 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 1 , wherein the rib is attached to the base. 
     
     
         5 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 1 , wherein the rib and the base are a unitary molded structure. 
     
     
         6 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 1 , wherein the rib includes at least one cutout for facilitating use of the rib as a handle. 
     
     
         7 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 1 , further comprising an abrasive material affixed to one side of a carrier sheet, an opposite side of the carrier sheet removably affixed to the abradable material contacting surface of the base. 
     
     
         8 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 7 , wherein the abrasive material and carrier sheet are parts of a sheet of sandpaper. 
     
     
         9 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 8 , wherein the shape of the sheet of sandpaper is substantially duplicative of the planform shape of the base. 
     
     
         10 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 1 , further comprising a texture on the contacting surface of the base that serves as the abrasive material. 
     
     
         11 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 1 , further comprising an abrasive material embedded in the contacting surface of the base. 
     
     
         12 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 1 , wherein the base is dimensioned to fit between adjacent blades of a fan of a gas turbine engine of interest. 
     
     
         13 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 12 , wherein the taper along the leading end of the base will substantially lie on an imaginary line between leading tips of the fan blades when the tool is properly located between adjacent fan blades of the fan. 
     
     
         14 . A tool for removing an amount of an abradable material lining located within an engine housing and surrounding a fan of a turbofan jet engine, comprising:
 a rigid base having a curved profile that substantially mimics the curvature of the abradable material lining, the base having a leading end with a tapered edge, a trailing end, and an abradable material contacting surface adapted for association with an abrasive medium;   a rib extending upward from the base to act as a handle for gripping and manipulating the tool; and   an abrasive material associated with and exposed along the abradable material contacting surface of the base;   wherein the base is dimensioned to fit between adjacent blades of a fan of a gas turbine engine of interest and shaped such that the taper along the leading end of the base will substantially lie on an imaginary line between leading tips of adjacent fan blades when the tool is properly located between adjacent fan blades of the fan.   
     
     
         15 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 14 , wherein the rib is attached to the base and the curvature of the rib along the line of attachment is substantially the same as the curvature of the base. 
     
     
         16 . The abradable material removal tool of  claim 1 , wherein the abrasive material is a sheet of sandpaper that is removably affixed to the abradable material contacting surface of the base, the sheet of sandpaper having substantially the same planform shape as the base. 
     
     
         17 . A method of selectively removing an amount of an abradable material lining located within an engine housing and surrounding a fan of a turbofan jet engine, comprising:
 providing an abradable material removal tool, the abradable material removal tool further comprising:
 a base having a curved profile that substantially mimics the curvature of the abradable material lining of the turbofan engine of interest, the base having a leading end with a tapered edge, a trailing end, and an abradable material contacting surface substantially covered with an exposed abrasive material, and 
 a rib extending upward from the base, the rib acting as a handle for gripping and manipulating the tool; 
   locating the tool between adjacent blades of the turbofan engine fan such that the abrasive material is in contact with the abradable material lining;   orienting the tool such that the taper along the leading end of the base will substantially lie on an imaginary line between leading tips of the adjacent fan blades;   if the selected adjacent fan blades between which the tool is located are not already located in an area of desired abradable material removal, manually rotating the fan to so that the blades and tool are so located;   pressing the tool against the abradable material lining with some amount of force; and   manually rotating the fan back-and-forth through an arc sufficient to pass the tool over a desired area of abradable material removal while maintaining pressure on the tool.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the exposed abrasive material of the abradable material removal tool is a sheet of sandpaper that is removably affixed to the abradable material contacting surface of the base. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the base of the abradable material removal tool is comprised of a rigid material that retains the curved profile without assistance. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the abradable material removal tool is pressed against the abradable material lining of the engine during fan rotation by the finger(s) of a user.