General Electric Company

Craig Douglas Carmichael

Nicholas Joseph Kray

Mark Ernest Vermilyea

David Edwin Budinger

Joshua L Miller

Ronald Lance Galley

Alexander Joseph Vallee, Jr

Douglas M Carlson

Jae Yong Um

Matthew Allen Radebach

Alexander Joseph Vallee Jr

An apparatus for forming a flange on a component is presented. The apparatus includes a mold disposed for the placement of the component thereon, a forming tool, and a tubular bladder. The forming tool is assembled to hold the component with a first portion extending into a space defined between the mold and the forming tool. The tubular bladder has a non-uniform wall thickness around its cross section along a longitudinal dimension of the bladder. The bladder is disposed in a step defined in the mold, and configured to impart a forming force to the portion extending into the space to form the flange on the component when the bladder is inflated. A method for forming the flange on the component is also provided.

Apparatus and method for forming flanges on components

A built-up gas turbine component is prepared by providing a gas turbine component having a component surface and being made of a component base metal having a component base metal composition. A buildup tape is supplied having a net metallic buildup composition different from the component base metal composition. The buildup tape includes a first metallic constituent having a first melting point, and a second metallic constituent having a second melting point. The first metallic constituent and second metallic constituent together have the net metallic buildup composition. A nonmetallic binder binds together the first metallic constituent and the second metallic constituent. The buildup tape is applied to the component surface and heated to a brazing temperature greater than the first melting point and less than the second melting point. The first metallic constituent melts and fuses the first metallic constituent and the second metallic constituent to the component surface as a buildup deposit on the built-up gas turbine component.

Built-up gas turbine component and its fabrication

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Craig Douglas Carmichael