Patent attributes
A lightweight fan blade for use in turbofan gas turbine engines is disclosed. The fan blade includes a metallic body having a pressure side and a suction side. The suction side of the body includes one or more cavities. A cover is then attached to the suction side of the body to cover or enclose the one or more cavities. The cover includes one or more transverse weakened areas, such as a transverse slit so that the cover separates into one or more smaller segments in the event of a foreign object damage (FOD) or fan blade out (FBO) event occurs. The smaller segments of the cover are less likely to do damage to downstream components such as the low and high-pressure compressors. A single smaller segment of the cover may allow for continued operation of the engine because the imbalance created by the event may be tolerated by the engine.
