BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a process for producing a grooved foil material that is utilized in the production of a Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) sheet product. In one form, the MMC sheet product is used in the production of general shell of revolution structures such as, but not limited to, shafts, drive cones, spacers and cases. Although the present invention was developed for use in manufacturing gas turbine engine components, certain applications may be outside of this field. Applications in other fields include the production of flat and/or curved panels in aerospace industries and the production of structures for transportation industries such as rail, shipping, truck, automotive and land based military vehicles.

Many metal matrix composite structures have been designed to provide the required mechanical properties to operate in a hostile environment. Metal matrix composite structures can be fabricated by a number of techniques including foil- fiber-foil, coated fiber, ribbon wound fiber and wire-fiber. The matrix alloy chosen to form the MMC structure generally determines which of the above

fabrication techniques is feasible. For example, a Ti 6-4 MMC structure can generally be fabricated by using any of the above described techniques since the material Ti 6-4 is available in foil, powder, ribbon, and wire form. In contrast, certain high temperature titanium alloys such as Ti-22Al-26Nb (orthorhombic titanium) are only available in a sheet or powder form. These high temperature titanium and titanium-aluminide alloy MMC structures are generally fabricated by the foil-fiber-foil method.

When fabricating MMC structures with the foil-fiber-foil technique, it is often desirable to utilize grooved foil. Grooved foils have successfully been used in producing MMC structures formed of a conventional titanium matrix. One prior technique of producing grooved foil of a conventional titanium material has employed a photolithographic etching technique. However, these photolithoraphic techniques have proven unsuccessful in producing well-defined grooves in high temperature titanium aluminide alloys such as Ti-22Al-26Nb.

In another manufacturing technique, the titanium-matrix composite sheet product is produced with a plasma spray powder approach. Silicon Carbide (SiC) fibers are secured to a drum in a circumferential orientation with a binding agent.

Plasma sprayed powder is applied atop these fibers in a vacuum chamber. The single ply titanium-matrix composite sheet is slit from the drum, flattened and cut to size for a particular application. While the plasma spray powder approach has proved successful in certain applications, there remains room for improvements in many aspects of the MMC sheet including manufacturability, performance (tensile and fatigue strength) and sheet geometry. The manufacturing capability of the plasma spray powder approach has often been limited in that the batch nature of the process produces only a relatively small amount of the single ply sheet in each run. In many applications, the performance of components fabricated from plasma sprayed MMC sheet product has been found to be inferior to that of components fabricated with the foil-fiber-foil approach. Further, the ability to maintain fiber spacing in the plasma spray powder approach is limited by the binding agent functioning as the only positioning mechanism during the production of the sheet product in the plasma spray powder approach.

2 The information contained herein is subject to International Traffic in ARMS Regulations (ITAR).

The present invention allows for the production of a grooved foil sheet product in a novel and nonobvious way.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One form of the present invention contemplates an apparatus for cutting a plurality of grooves in a first surface of a foil material. The apparatus, comprising: a mechanical cutting tool including a plurality of spaced cutting elements extending therefrom ; a support spaced away from the cutting tool and forming a nip through which the foil material passes, the support adapted to receive a second surface of the foil material thereon and support the foil material as it passes through the nip; and, the plurality of spaced cutting elements extend into the nip and contact the foil material to mechanically cut the plurality of grooves in the first surface as the foil material moves through the nip relative to the plu of cutting elements, the plurality of spaced cutting elements being held stationary as the plurality of grooves are cut in the first surface.

Another form of the present invention contemplates an apparatus for cutting a plurality of grooves in a foil sheet. The apparatus, comprising: a source for providing the foil sheet, the foil sheet having a first surface and a second surface; a machining drum having an outer surface for receiving thereon the foil sheet from the source, the outer surface abutting at least a portion of the second surface of the foil sheet and supporting the foil sheet; and, a plurality of stationary cutting teeth contacting the first surface of the moving foil sheet to mechanically cut a plurality of spaced longitudinally extending grooves in the first surface of the foil sheet while at least a portion of the second surface of the foil sheet is supported by the outer surface of the machining drum.

Yet another form of the present invention contemplates a method, comprising: providing a source of a foil sheet having a first surface and a second surface, the surfaces having a width; moving the foil sheet between a cutting tool having a plurality of spaced stationary cutting teeth and an outer surface of a material support drum; and, mechanically cutting a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves in the first surface of the foil sheet during the moving with the plurality of cutting teeth.

Yet another form of the present invention contemplates a method of continuously mechanically cutting a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves in a foil sheet. The method, comprising: providing a mechanical cutting tool including a plurality of stationary spaced cutting elements and a material backing member spaced away from the cutting tool; pulling the foil sheet between the plurality of cutting elements and the material backing member and contacting a first surface of the foil sheet against the plurality of stationary spaced cutting elements and contacting and supporting a second surface of the foil sheet against an outer surface of the support member; pu zoning the mechanical cutting tool to have the plurality of cutting elements engage the first surface of the foil sheet; and, cutting the plurality of longitudinally extending grooves in the first surface of the foil sheet as the pulling moves the foil sheet between the plurality of cutting elements and the material backing member.

One object of the present invention is to provide a unique method and apparatus for cutting a plurality of grooves in a foil sheet.

Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the cutting assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the cutting portion of one form of the cutting assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial side view of another form of the cutting portion of the cutting assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the cutting portion of another form of the cutting assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a system for the machining of a foil sheet with the cutting assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 a is an enlarged partial side view of a portion of the FIG. 5 system for the machining of a foil sheet illustrating the relationship between the cutting tool and the foil sheet support.

FIG. 5b is an illustrative view of a groove pattern having lateral shift.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of another system for machining a foil sheet with the cutting assembly of FIG. 1, which also comprises a cleaning process and a fiber loading process.

FIG. 7 is a partial end view of a foil sheet prior to the machining of grooves therein.

FIG. 8 is a partial end view of the foil sheet of FIG. 7 with semicircular grooves formed in the top surface.

FIG. 9 is a partial end view of the foil sheet of FIG. 7 with grooves formed in the top surface that are shaped in the arc of a circle with the same radius as the grooves of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a partial end view of the grooved foil sheet of FIG. 8 after a binder has been applied to the grooved surface.

FIG. 11 is a partial end view of the fibers originating from a spool bank.

FIG. 12 is a partial end view of the fibers of FIG. 11 having been loaded in the grooved foil sheet of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 illustrates one embodiment of a tooling configuration adapted for forming a gas turbine engine spacer comprising a reinforced MMC portion.

FIG. 14 illustrates one embodiment of the spacer of FIG. 13 after a post machining operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device and method, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is illustrated one form of a multi-point cutting assembly 100 for creating a plurality of grooves in a foil sheet. Cutting assembly 100 comprises a cutting tool 110 coupled to a cutting tool bar 105.

Cutting tool 110 includes a shank portion 112 for coupling the cutting tool 110 to the tool bar 105 and a cutting portion or blade 114. The cutting portion 114 includes a plurality of spaced cutting elements or teeth 116. In one form, the cutting tool 110 is removably coupled to the tool bar 105 by clamping hardware 120. Clamping hardware 120 includes a clamp 121 attached to tool bar 105 by one or more bolts 122. The shank portion 112 of the cutting tool 110 is clamped between an interior surface 124 of clamp 121 and the outer surface 105a of tool bar 105. It should be understood that the coupling of the cutting tool 110 to the tool bar 105 is preferably a substantially rigid attachment. This coupling may be accomplished in a variety of ways known to those of skill in the art, including, but not limited to, using fasteners, joining materials, welding or integrally forming the cutting tool 110 with the tool bar 105. In a preferred form, the cutting tool 110 is formed of tool steel, a carbide cutting tool material or a ceramic metallic (cermet) cutting tool material. It should be understood that cutting tools formed of other materials are contemplated as within the scope of the invention.

With reference to FIGS. 2-4 there are illustrated various embodiments 114a-114c of the cutting portion of cutting tool 110. The cutting elements or teeth 116a-116c may be of an angular configuration (see FIG. 3) or of a rounded

configuration (see FIGS. 2 and 4). However, other geometric configuration for the cutting elements or teeth is contemplated herein. The shape of the teeth 116 will ultimately control the shape of the grooves formed in the foil. For example, the teeth 116a illustrated in FIG. 2, or teeth 116c illustrated in FIG. 4 will produce grooves like 226'in FIG. 8. It is understood that only a portion of each tooth need possess the desired shape in order for the cutting assembly 100 to have the capability to form grooves of substantially the same shape as the teeth. The cutting portion or blade 114 may be formed of one or more blade segments that preferably span the width of the strip or sheet of material to be grooved. Referring to FIG. 4 there is illustrated a cutting portion 114c having a plurality of adjacent blade segments 115c with cutting teeth 116c. While the blade segments 115c have been shown with 2 cutting teeth, it is understood that other quantities of cutting teeth for each blade segment are contemplated herein. In one form the number of cutting teeth is within a range of one to 100. In one embodiment each of the adjacent blade segments 115c is moveable with respect to one another to permit adjustment of the depth of cutting by the respective cutting teeth 116c on each blade segment.

In one form of the present invention, an actuator 117c is adjusted to move the blade segment 115c vertically with respect to the surface to be machined, for example, thereby permitting finer adjustment of the depth of the grooves created.

The present invention contemplates that the actuators 117c can be moved independent of one another or can be moved altogether.

The cutting teeth 116 are preferably held stationary relative to the material to be machined during the machining operation. For the present application stationary is defined as including adjustments in position of the cutting tool 110 and/or cutting assembly 100 and/or the cutting blade or individual blade segments.

The term stationary, however, excludes teeth that rotate and/or are moved to cause the removal of material during the machining of grooves in the foil sheet. It should be further understood that actuators 117c may operate independently of one another so that individual grooves of the plurality of grooves may be cut or not cut along various lengths of the foil sheet as desired. It should also be understood that, in addition to vertical movement, the actuators 117c may cause the blade segments 9 The information contained herein is subject to International Traffic in ARMS Regulations (ITAR).

115c to translate laterally (across the width of a foil sheet). Thus, the actuators 117c can move blade segments 115c vertically to selectively cut a particular groove or control the depth of a particular groove (compare FIGS. 8 and 9), or laterally to change the pitch of groove spacing. Actuators 117c may thus be a means for varying the pitch of grooves or a means for controlling the depth of the grooves. It should be understood that adjusting the position of the cutting assembly 100 and/or cutting tool 110 in their entirety preferably controls macroscopic adjustments in the position of the teeth except in the case where a fixed pattern of grooves is translated across the face of a sheet as in Fig. 5b.

In another embodiment, the actuators 117c can move the blade segments laterally to control the lateral placement of a fixed pattern of grooves on a sheet as shown in Fig. 5b. The grooves are spaced apart and extend longitudinally along the sheet of material. Movement of the actuators 117c causes a corresponding movement of the blade segments and the resulting grooves formed in the sheet material. In the representative example of Fig. 5b there is illustrated the difference in the lateral placement of the series of longitudinally extending grooves. Using the edge of the sheet material as a reference it is shown three different lateral positions x, x'and x". The present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 5b, and other laterally shifted fixed patterns of grooves are contemplated herein.

The cutting assembly 100 and/or the cutting tool 110 is movable relative to the strip or sheet of material to be grooved to allow for adjustments in rake angle and groove depth. The present invention is applicable to machining grooves in a wide variety of materials including those having a thickness within the range of about 0.005-. 020 inches. However, materials having other thickness are contemplated herein. In one form the present invention is particularly applicable to machining a plurality of spaced grooves in a foil material. The foil sheet material can be selected from any of a variety of intermetallic materials, metallic materials and/or metallic alloys. Typical materials to form a foil sheet 215 (see FIG. 7) from, but not limited herein to, include titanium alloys, iron-cobalt alloys and aluminum alloys. In one embodiment the sheet 215 is formed from a high

temperature titanium aluminide alloy. One type of high-temperature titanium aluminide is Ti-22Al-26Nb (orthorhombic titanium). A preferred form of the present invention utilizes silicon carbide as the reinforcement fiber material. Other reinforcement fibers believed known to those of skill in the art are contemplated as within the scope of the invention. A continuous reinforcement fiber is preferably laid within each groove on each foil sheet layer of the MMC structure. It is contemplated that the present invention includes multiple reinforcement fibers provided on a single layer as generally known by those skilled in the relevant art.

The separate foil sheets are stacked upon one another and consolidated to form an integrated MMC structure. Applying a combination of pressure and thermal cycles can form the resulting MMC structure. In one form of the invention a plurality of identically sized fibers made from the same material are loaded into a plurality of identically sized grooves on each foil sheet layer of the MMC structure. It should be understood that variations on this form are contemplated as within the scope of the invention such as using more than one fiber in a particular groove; using a different size fiber than the groove; and/or using fibers of different materials and/or sizes for different grooves in a single foil sheet layer. It should also be understood that in a preferred form of the invention a single reinforcement fiber is loaded into each individual groove formed in the foil sheet layer.

For the purposes of the present application a groove is defined as a cavity defined in a surface of the foil sheet that may possess a wide variety of geometric shapes. In one preferred form these shapes correspond to the shape of the fiber that is to be inserted into the groove. The groove preferably does not extend through the thickness of the foil sheet, that is to say it does not puncture the foil sheet 215 by creating an opening extending between the first surface 216 and the second surface 217. In one embodiment of the invention the grooves have the triangular saw tooth shape illustrated in FIG. 3. In another embodiment of the invention the grooves possess a circular cross-sectional shape that may be an entire semi-circle (see grooves 226'illustrated in FIG. 8) or some portion of an arc of a circle (see grooves 226a'illustrated in FIG. 9). It should be understood that the radii of the grooves 226a'in the first surface 226a of foil sheet 225a is identical to

that of the grooves 226'in the first surface 226 of foil sheet 225. The grooves 226a', however, are not centered on the planar surface defined by the ungrooved portion of first surface 226a, whereas the grooves 226 are centered on the planar surface defined by ungrooved first surface 226.

The term cutting as used in this application is defined to require the removal of at least a portion of the material of the foil sheet that previously occupied the region where the grooves are now formed in the surface of the foil sheet. This is in contrast to procedures such as embossing and roll forming.

Embossing is a stamping operation where the material is merely displaced by a heated tool. The cutting assembly 100 of the present invention is preferably, but not necessarily, unheated. Nor does the term cutting include simple roll forming where material is simply displaced as opposed to removing it. While the apparatus and method of the invention may also displace some of the material of the foil sheet, at least a portion of the material is removed. However, in the preferred form of the present invention the plurality of grooves are formed by removing material to define the respective groove profile in the sheet material. Displacement without removal may affect the overall thickness of the foil sheet and can result in nonuniform and nonplanar surfaces. The present invention preferably results in two substantially planar surfaces, at least one having grooves.

With reference to FIG. 5, there is schematically illustrated the machining of the strip or foil sheet 215 with the multi-point cutting assembly 100. The foil sheet 215 is preferably directed from a source 210 to a position between the outer surface 224 of a machining drum 222 and the cutting portion 114 of cutting assembly 100 and then onward to a material storage device 280. The first surface 216 of the sheet material 215 contacts the plurality of cutting elements 116 of the cutting assembly 100 and the second surface 217 contacts the outer surface 224 of machining drum 222. With reference to FIG. 8 there is illustrated the grooved foil sheet 225 resulting from the interaction of foil sheet 215 with the plurality of cutting elements 116 of the cutting assembly 100. The resulting foil sheet 225 is formed from the sheet material 215 and has a second surface 227 that is unchanged from second surface 217 of foil sheet 215. The first surface 226 of the foil sheet

225, however, is different from first surface 216 since there are now a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves 226'spaced across the width of first surface 226.

The foil sheet 215 is moved relative to the machining equipment so that the first surface 216 is drawn across the plurality of stationary cutting elements 116 of the stationary cutting tool 110. The amount of interference between each of the multiple cutting elements 116 and the foil sheet 215 is precisely controlled to maintain the grooves at a predetermined depth. As previously noted, the present invention is intended for use with very thin foil sheets, thus requiring precise control of the blade 114. In one embodiment, the cutting tool 110 is rigidly fixed to the tool bar 105 that is controlled by actuators (not shown) to position the cutting elements 116 preferably based on input from proximity sensors (not shown). However, the present invention contemplates systems with and without actuators to allow for the adjustment of the cutting elements relative to the foil material surface. As previously described in an alternate embodiment, individual blade segments 116c may also be controlled by actuators 117c.

With reference to FIG. Sa, there is illustrated a partial side view of the cutting tool portion 114 with a plurality of cutting elements 116 extending therefrom. In one form of the present invention the cutting portion 114 is spaced a distance V from the outer surface 224 of the machining drum 222. The passage between the cutting portion 114 and the outer surface 224 defines a nip 200. The cutting elements 116 extend into the nip 200 and engage the foil sheet as it passes therethrough. Upon exiting the nip 200 the foil sheet will have a plurality of grooves formed therein.

A number of interchangeable variations for source 210 and material storage device 280 as known to those of skill in the art are contemplated as within the scope of the invention. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 the system includes standard coil handling technology to feed foil sheet 215 off a first reel or pay-off reel 212 (source 210) having an outer surface 214, around the outer surface 224 of the machining drum 222 and onto a second reel or take-up reel 282 having an outer surface 284. In one form of the present invention the foil sheet has a length sufficiently long to be contemplated as a continuous material.

The parameters associated with creating a longitudinal groove in a continuous strip or foil sheet include cutting speed, cutting tool material, cutting tool rake angle and cutting fluid. These parameters may be optimized based on the foil used, groove size, groove profile, and desired manufacturing speed. A cutting fluid is preferably applied during the cutting of the grooves, in the foil to act as a lubricant and/or a coolant. In one form the present invention utilizes a multi-point cutting assembly 100 to create longitudinal grooves in the strip or sheet. It should be understood that the cutting speed and/or the rake angle of the cutting assembly 100 in relation to the sheet 215 may be adjusted to provide optimal cutting. In a related application creating a single spiral groove in a material (see U. S.

Provisional Application Serial Number 60/231,616 filed September 11,2000) one embodiment discloses that a cutting speed of 300 surface feet per minute produced acceptable grooves in orthorhombic titanium foil. In addition, it was found that a neutral rake angle produces acceptable grooves in the orthorhombic titanium foil.

In one form a programmable logic controller 130 has a lead 131 operably connected to the source 210 and a second lead 132 operably connected to the material storage device 280. Leads 131 and 132 form at least a portion of a communication network for signals associated with parameters such as, but not limited to, line velocity, cutting depth, cutting tool rake angle and cutting fluid flow. Proximity sensors (not shown) may be utilized to set the position of the cutting portion 114 with respect to the first surface 216 of foil sheet 215 and thus determine the depth of the cut grooves. It should be understood that the present invention may further include other communication channels to the programmable logic controller (not shown) that are connected to the machining drum 222 or the cutting assembly 100 or the proximity sensors.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, monitors 219 and 229 may be used to inspect the first surfaces 216 and 226 of foil sheets 215 and 225 respectively. The monitors 219 and 229 may also be connected by leads to the programmable logic controller 130. The connection of the monitors 219 and 229 allows for the passage of signals to and from optical inspection stations. In one form the monitors 219 and 229 are optical inspection stations that inspect the first surfaces 216 and 226 for aberrations

in the foil sheet before machining and the grooved foil sheet 215,225, respectively. The optical inspection station 219 may act to assess whether a foil sheet 215 is present and stop the line if the source 210 is empty. The optical inspection station 229 may be used to inspect the foil sheet 225 to insure product quality with respect to acceptable tolerances in criteria such as groove geometry and spacing. If the groove geometry and spacing exceeds acceptable tolerances the line may be stopped for maintenance action. Alternatively, it is contemplated as within the scope of the invention that the foil sheet 225 may be inspected manually. In another form of the invention the line may be stopped periodically and a section of the foil sheet 225 inspected under, for example, a comparator or a microscope.

It should be understood that variations to the system and method for the machining of grooves in the continuos strip or foil sheet 215 with the multi-point cutting assembly 100 are contemplated as within the scope of the invention. For example, instead of the continuous process illustrated in FIG. 5, a batch process may be used. In one form of the invention the second surface 217 of the foil sheet 215 may substantially surround the circumference of the outer surface 224 of the machining drum 222. The cutting assembly 100 is then positioned so that the cutting portion 114 of the cutting tool 110 contacts the first surface 216 of the foil sheet 215 and cuts grooves 226'.

With reference to FIG. 8, there is illustrated a portion of the foil sheet 225 product having a series of grooves 226'formed therein as might result from the application of the apparatus and process illustrated in FIG. 5. The groove spacing is shown by"X"and the groove radius is shown by"R."In one form the sheet product 225 has a spacing of about 0.012 inches between grooves 226', and the radius of each groove 226'is about 0.003 inches and the sheet product 225 has a thickness T of about 0.006 inches. However, sheet product having other groove sizes, spacing and thickness are contemplated herein. It is understood that different groove geometries could be utilized as required for a particular application. In one embodiment previously discussed, groove geometry is optically monitored downstream of the cutting assembly 100 by monitor 229, and

any exceedance of limits on geometry or spacing would stop the line for maintenance action. However, other methods to monitor and maintain the groove geometry and spacing are contemplated herein.

With reference to FIG. 6, there is illustrated schematically one embodiment of a production process wherein the sheet product grooving technology of FIG. 5 is integrated with a cleaning process and a fiber loading process. The integrated line including the grooving, cleaning and fiber loading preferably incorporates the same quality control measures as the dedicated grooving line through the use of monitors 219,229,249,259,269 and 279 as discussed below. In one embodiment the integrated line is a fully automated, operatorless system that includes robotic coil loading and unloading equipment as previously discussed with respect to the sheet product grooving technology of FIG. 5.

The arrowheads indicate the direction of sheet material and/or fiber travel.

As previously, foil sheet 215 originates from a first reel 212 for inspection by monitor 219 before passing between machining drum 222 and cutting assembly 100 resulting in foil sheet 225 having grooves 226'in surface 226. The grooved material 225 passes through the optical inspection station 229 and around the outer surface 234 of a first idler drum 232 before entering a cleaning line 242. In one form cleaning line 242 uses chemical cleaning, for example cleaning the foil sheet 225 with Acetone. The selection of standard chemical cleaners for use in cleaning line 242 is known to those of skill in the art and may depend upon the foil sheet material selected. It should be understood that the cleaning line 242 preferably removes any cutting fluids that might remain along with other debris present prior to applying the binder.

Upon exiting the cleaning line 242 the grooved material 225 may be inspected by optical inspection station 249. The grooved material 225 passes around the outer surface 234 of a second idler drum 232 and presents the grooved surface 226 to a binder application station 250. In one preferred form binder application station 250 includes a spray gun 252 with a tip 254 that sprays a binder 258 (see FIG. 10) onto the grooved surface 226 of the foil sheet 225. After the spraying of the binder 258 on the grooved surface 226 the grooved material will be

referred to by feature number 255 and the grooved surface will be referred to by feature number 256. Upon exiting the binder application station 250, the grooved material 255 with binder 258 may be inspected by optical inspection station 259.

In another form of the present invention the binder may be painted or brushed on the grooved surface 226. Other forms of applying the binder 258 at binder application station 250 known to those of skill in the art are contemplated as within the scope of the invention, it being understood that a variety of binders suitable for the present invention may be chosen, many requiring melting prior to application.

The binder application station 250 delivers binder 258 to the first surface 256 having grooves 256'. Subsequently, the reinforcing fiber 265 is delivered, preferably from a fiber spool bank 262, and mated with the grooved sheet 255. In one form the reinforcing fiber 265 (see FIG. 11) unwinds from the outer surface 264 of fiber spool bank 262 and is preferably inspected by an optical inspection station 269 prior to being mated with grooved sheet material 255. The grooved sheet material 255 has fiber 265 aligned thereon preferably by a guide (not shown).

During the fiber loading process the binder is preferably at least partially melted prior to or while the fiber is loaded. In a more preferred form the binder is melted prior to or while the fiber is loaded into the grooves. The fiber 265 may be heated while loading by being passed between the outer surface 278a of a roller 278 and the outer surface 274 of a fiber loading drum 272, one of the roller 278 or drum 272 being heated. Upon exiting the roller 278 and loading drum 272 the resulting foil sheet 275 (see FIG. 12) with fibers 265 loaded in grooves 276'is preferably inspected at optical inspection station 279 before being delivered to a material storage station 282. The material storage station 282 here, as with the previously discussed sheet product grooving technology of FIG. 5, is a second or take-up reel 282.

With reference to FIGS. 7-12 there is illustrated partial end views of the foil sheet and/or the fiber at various stages of the processes illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The foil sheet material illustrated in FIG. 9 is a variation of the foil sheet of FIG. 8 wherein the grooves 226a'are not centered on the top surface as they are in FIG. 8. With reference to FIG. 7 there is illustrated the foil sheet 215 before

machining to from grooves and having first surface 216 and second surface 217 that may be unwound from the first reel 212. With reference to FIG. 8 there is illustrated a grooved foil sheet 225 having a second surface 227 substantially the same as the second surface 217 of the ungrooved foil sheet 215. The grooved foil sheet 225 has a first surface 226 with grooves 226'created therein by passing the foil sheet material 215 between the outer surface 224 of machining drum 222 and the cutting portion 114 of cutting assembly 100 as previously discussed. FIG. 10 illustrates the grooved foil sheet 255 having first surface 256 with grooves 256' therein and a second surface 257. The difference between the foil material in FIGS. 10 and 8 is that binder 258 has been applied by binder application station 250 to the outer surface of the material. With reference to FIG. 11 there is illustrated the plurality of reinforcing fibers 265 that are unwound from the bank of spools 262 as previously discussed. With reference to FIG. 12 there is illustrated the reinforcing fibers 265 of FIG. 11 mated with the grooves 256'of the foil sheet 255 of FIG. 10. The binder material 258 has been at least partially melted so that it bonds to the outer surface of the plurality of reinforcing fibers 265. In a preferred form the binder material has been completely melted to facilitate flowing around the plurality of fibers.

Upon the completion of the grooving and fiber loading the MMC sheet product may be processed into a shell of revolution or panel structure. For a shell of revolution structure, the MMC sheet product is wound around a mandrel or tool of the desired geometry. Sheet width, fiber orientation and ply count are set to provide the desired structural capability. MMC consolidation is accomplished through a HIP bonding, a delta alpha tooling approach or a combination of the two.

Further, the MMC sheet product may be processed into a panel structure. In a panel structure, the MMC sheet product is preferably cut to size, laid up with the desired fiber orientation and ply count and consolidated against a back-up tool of the desired shape. Thereafter, the MMC consolidation is accomplished through a process such as a HIP bonding operation. The present application contemplates the fabrication of a wide variety of structures from the MMC sheet product and is not limited to shell of revolution or panel structures.

With reference to FIG. 13, there is illustrated one embodiment of a tooling configuration adapted for producing a gas turbine engine spacer 350 with a reinforced MMC portion 375. In one form of the present invention the reinforced MMC portion 375 is an eight ply structure including Ultra SCS fibers in a substantially circumferential orientation and TiAlNb matrix material. The reinforced MMC portion 375 is bonded within a TiAlNb ring 360 having a channel 361 formed thereon and adapted to receive the MMC sheet product 375 therein.

Ring 360 is symmetrical about a centerline 351 and is located within tooling 352 which is positioned on a molybdenum tooling plate 353. The tooling 352 includes molybdenum tooling ring 354 and a molybdenum center plug 355. In one form the tool 352 with the spacer 350 and reinforced MMC portion 375 are positioned on the molybdenum tooling plate 353 and processed in a vacuum furnace at about 1825°F for about 3 hours. The MMC reinforced portion 375 is consolidated and metallurgically bonded to the ring 360. With reference to FIG. 14, there is illustrated one embodiment of the spacer 350 of FIG. 13 after a post machining operation.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected. It should be understood that while the use of the word preferable, preferably or preferred in the description above indicates that the feature so described may be more desirable, it nonetheless may not be necessary and embodiments lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope of the invention, that scope being defined only by the claims that follow. In reading the claims it is intended that when words such as "a,""an,""at least one,""at least a portion"are used there is no intention to limit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim.

Further, when the language"at least a portion"and/or"a portion"is used the item may include a portion and/or the entire item unless specifically stated to the contrary.