Honeywell studied the various forms of carbon fiber reinforcement available for stator construction and discovered braided reinforcement by A&P Technology. Vanes molded using A&P Technology's braided carbon fiber, they discovered, exceeded the fatigue and other performance requirements of vanes made with unidirectional carbon prepreg while dramatically reducing part cost. Best of all, they could be perfectly tailored to the shape of the mold.
A&P Technology specially braids the preforms by braiding an aramid sleeve and then over-braiding the aramid with a carbon fiber sleeve. Both braids are computer controlled to allow for thickness variations in the airfoil shapes. The resulting sleeve, thick in the center portion and thin at the edges, is trimmed to length at A&P Technology. Then, the molder places the preforms in a multi-cavity RTM tool. Once the mold is closed, epoxy resin is injected and cured. The resulting vane is ready for use with only minor trim and deflash operations.
A&P Technology's predictive software, sophisticated braiding techniques, and mandrel designs allow reinforcements to be tailored to the precise dimensions and structural requirements of the product. Honeywell stator vanes made with A&P Technology's braided preforms are now in production and flying in engines all over the world.
