General Electric Company

David Paul Mourer

Kenneth Rees Bain

Steven A Miller

Andrew Ezekiel Wessman

Milivoj Konstantin Brun

Roy W Christensen

Marcus P Borom

Lawrence E Szala

Eric Scott Huron

Richard DiDomizio

Timothy Hanlon

Douglas Gerard Konitzer

Laurent Cretegny

Paul Steven Svec

Jon Raymond Groh

Daniel Yeuching Wei

James Anthony Ruud

John Frederick Ackerman

Michael James Weimer

Andrew Philip Woodfield

Michael Francis Xavier Gigliotti

Eric Allen Ott

Leonardo Ajdelsztajn

Robert Edward Schafrik

Andrew Joseph Detor

Richard G Menzies

Matthew Bernard Buczek

Robert George Zimmerman, Jr

Shesh Krishna Srivatsa

Joseph J Jackson

Daniel Edward Wines

Paul L Reynolds

John J Schirra

Enrique E Montero

Glenn Charles Culbertson

Ronald Gene Tolbert

Andrew William Emge

Richard Didomizio

Brian Francis Mickle

Joseph Hopkins

Richard W Lober

Daniel David Noe

Andrew Martin Powell

Brian James Girvin

Timothy Paul Gabb

John Joseph Schirra

Paul Leray Reynolds

Daniel Gustov Backman

A gamma prime nickel-based superalloy is provided, which can include a combination of Ti and Zr in a total weight amount sufficient to form cellular precipitates located at grain boundaries of the alloy, wherein the cellular precipitates define gamma prime arms that distort the grain boundaries at which they are located. The Hf-containing, gamma prime nickel-based superalloy and/or the gamma prime nickel-based superalloy can include cellular precipitates that are predominantly located at grain boundaries of the alloy such that the cellular precipitates define gamma prime arms that distort the grain boundaries at which they are located. The superalloys can further include finer gamma prime precipitates (e.g., cuboidal or spherical precipitates) than the cellular precipitates.

Enhanced superalloys by zirconium addition

Coatings for substrates, such as superalloy substrates, are provided. The coating can include: 15 wt % to 45 wt % cobalt; 20 wt % to 40 wt % chromium; 2 wt % to 15 wt % aluminum; 0.1 wt % to 1 wt % yttrium; and nickel. The coatings may include nickel, cobalt, chromium and aluminum, and other optional additives to improve oxidation and corrosion resistance of the substrate without significant debit to its mechanical properties.

Coatings for metallic substrates

A gamma prime nickel-base superalloy and components formed therefrom that exhibit improved high-temperature dwell capabilities, including creep and hold time fatigue crack growth behavior. A particular example of a component is a powder metallurgy turbine disk of a gas turbine engine. The gamma-prime nickel-base superalloy contains, by weight: 16.0 to 30.0% cobalt; 9.5 to 12.5% chromium; 4.0 to 6.0% tantalum; 2.0 to 4.0% aluminum; 2.0 to 3.4% titanium; 3.0 to 6.0% tungsten; 1.0 to 4.0% molybdenum; 1.5 to 3.5% niobium; up to 1.0% hafnium; 0.02 to 0.20% carbon; 0.01 to 0.05% boron; 0.02 to 0.10% zirconium; the balance essentially nickel and impurities. The superalloy has a W+Nb&#x2212;Cr value of at least &#x2212;6, is free of observable amounts of sigma and eta phases, and exhibits a time to 0.2% creep at 1300&#xb0; F. and 100 ksi of at least 1000 hours.

Superalloys and components formed thereof

Processes for fabricating components to have two or more regions with different grain structures, and components produced by such processes. The processes entail performing at least one forging step on a preform to produce a profile having at least a first portion corresponding to the first region of the component. The preform is formed of a precipitation-strengthened alloy having a solvus temperature, and the at least one forging step comprises a nonfinal forging step performed at a first strain rate and at a first subsolvus temperature that is below the solvus temperature of the alloy. A subsequent forging step is performed on the profile to produce a final profile comprising the first portion and a second portion corresponding to the second region of the component. The subsequent forging step is performed at a strain rate and at a subsequent subsolvus temperature, wherein at least one of the subsequent strain rate and subsequent subsolvus temperature is either higher or lower than the first strain rate or first subsolvus temperature. A heat treatment is then performed on the final profile to cause grain growth, wherein the first portion of the final profile has a different grain size than the second portion.

Components and processes of producing components with regions having different grain structures

A gamma prime nickel-base superalloy and components formed therefrom that exhibit improved high-temperature dwell capabilities, including creep and hold time fatigue crack growth behavior. A particular example of a component is a powder metallurgy turbine disk of a gas turbine engine. The gamma-prime nickel-base superalloy contains, by weight, 18.0 to 30.0% cobalt, 11.4 to 16.0% chromium, up to 6.0% tantalum, 2.5 to 3.5% aluminum, 2.5 to 4.0% titanium, 5.5 to 7.5% molybdenum, up to 2.0% niobium, up to 2.0% hafnium, 0.04 to 0.20% carbon, 0.01 to 0.05% boron, 0.03 to 0.09% zirconium, the balance essentially nickel and impurities, wherein the titanium:aluminum weight ratio is 0.71 to 1.60.

Nickel-base superalloys and components formed thereof

A gamma prime nickel-base superalloy and components formed therefrom that exhibit improved high-temperature dwell capabilities, including creep and hold time fatigue crack growth behavior. A particular example of a component is a powder metallurgy turbine disk of a gas turbine engine. The gamma-prime nickel-base superalloy contains, by weight, 16.0 to 30.0% cobalt, 11.5 to 15.0% chromium, 4.0 to 6.0% tantalum, 2.0 to 4.0% aluminum, 1.5 to 6.0% titanium, up to 5.0% tungsten, 1.0 to 7.0% molybdenum, up to 3.5% niobium, up to 1.0% hafnium, 0.02 to 0.20% carbon, 0.01 to 0.05% boron, 0.02 to 0.10% zirconium, the balance essentially nickel and impurities, wherein the titanium:aluminum weight ratio is 0.5 to 2.0.

Processes for fabricating components to have two or more regions with different grain structures, and components produced by such processes. First and second preforms are fabricated to comprise interface surfaces at which the preforms can be joined together. The first and second preforms are formed of first and second precipitation-strengthened alloys, respectively, and the first alloy differs from the second alloy by having a higher solvus temperature or a higher grain refiner content. The preforms are joined together to form an article comprising first and second portions formed by the first and second preforms, respectively, and corresponding to first and second regions of the component, respectively, and the interface surfaces of the preforms form a joint between the first and second portions of the article. A supersolvus heat treatment is performed on the article so that greater grain growth occurs in the second portion than in the first portion.

A process of fabricating a rotating component and a rotating component formed thereby. The rotating component has a rotational axis, at least one rim member, at least one disk member, and at least one airfoil member. The rim and disk members are welded together to define a first solid-state weld joint lying in a first plane that is not parallel to the rotational axis of the rotating component. The airfoil member is welded to the rim member to define a second solid-state weld joint lying in a second plane that is not parallel to the rotational axis of the rotating component. The rim member is located in a radially outward direction from the disk member, and the airfoil member is located in a radially outward direction from the rim member.

Welding process and component formed thereby

A gamma prime nickel-base superalloy and components formed therefrom that exhibit improved high-temperature dwell capabilities, including creep and dwell fatigue crack growth behavior. The superalloy contains, by weight, 10.00 to 22.0% cobalt, 10.0 to 14.0% chromium, 4.0 to 6.0% tantalum, 2.0 to 4.0% aluminum, 2.0 to 6.0% titanium, 1.5 to 5.0% tungsten, 1.5 to 5.0% molybdenum, 1.0 to 3.5% niobium, 0.05 to 0.6% hafnium, 0.02 to 0.10% carbon, 0.01 to 0.40% boron, 0.02 to 0.10% zirconium, the balance essentially nickel and impurities, wherein the titanium:aluminum weight ratio is 0.7 to 1.5. The superalloy is hot worked and heat treated to contain cellular gamma prime precipitates that distort grain boundaries, creating tortuous grain boundary fracture paths that are believed to promote the fatigue crack growth resistance of the superalloy.

Nickel-base alloy, processing therefor, and components formed thereof

A process of fabricating a rotating component and components formed thereby. The process includes fabricating preforms corresponding to portions of the component. Each preform has an interface surface at which the preforms can be joined to locate a first of the portions in a radially outward direction from a second of the portions. The preforms are then inertia welded together to form a profile having a solid-state weld joint containing a finer-grained material than other portions of the profile. The profile is then forged with dies to produce a forging. At least one of the dies has a recess into which the finer-grained material from the weld joint is expelled during forging to purge a joint region of the forging between the forging portions of the finer-grained material. The joint region contains grains distorted in an axial direction of the forging.

Welding process and component produced therefrom

An article is prepared by furnishing a plurality of powder particle substrates made of a substrate metal, providing a nonmetallic precursor of a metallic coating material, wherein the metallic coating material comprises an alloying element that is thermophysically melt incompatible with the substrate metal, contacting the powder particle substrates with the nonmetallic precursor, chemically reducing the nonmetallic precursor to form coated powder particles comprising the powder particle substrates having a surface-enriched layer of the metallic coating material thereon without melting the powder particle substrates, and processing the coated powder particles to form the article, without melting the powder particle substrates.

Article prepared by depositing an alloying element on powder particles, and making the article from the particles

A method of forming a component from a gamma-prime precipitation-strengthened nickel-base superalloy so that, following a supersolvus heat treatment the component characterized by a uniformly-sized grain microstructure. The method includes forming a billet having a sufficiently fine grain size to achieve superplasticity of the superalloy during a subsequent working step. The billet is then worked at a temperature below the gamma-prime solvus temperature of the superalloy so as to form a worked article, wherein the billet is worked so as to maintain strain rates above a lower strain rate limit to control average grain size and below an upper strain rate limit to avoid critical grain growth. Thereafter, the worked article is heat treated at a temperature above the gamma-prime solvus temperature of the superalloy for a duration sufficient to uniformly coarsen the grains of the worked article, after which the worked article is cooled at a rate sufficient to reprecipitate gamma-prime within the worked article.

Method of controlling final grain size in supersolvus heat treated nickel-base superalloys and articles formed thereby

A superalloy has a composition of, in weight percent, from about 16.0 percent to about 22.4 percent cobalt, from about 6.6 percent to about 14.3 percent chromium, from about 1.4 percent to about 3.5 percent tantalum, from about 1.9 percent to about 4.0 percent tungsten, from about 1.9 percent to about 3.9 percent molybdenum, from about 0.03 percent to about 0.10 percent zirconium, from about 0.9 percent to about 3.0 percent niobium, from about 2.4 percent to about 4.6 percent titanium, from about 2.6 percent to about 4.8 percent aluminum, from 0 to about 2.5 percent rhenium, from about 0.02 percent to about 0.10 percent carbon, from about 0.02 percent to about 0.10 percent boron, balance nickel and minor amounts of impurities. The superalloy is advantageously utilized in aircraft gas turbine disks.

Superalloy optimized for high-temperature performance in high-pressure turbine disks

Close-coupled atomization systems and methods employing non-axisymmetric gas flow have demonstrated superior efficiency in the production of fine superalloy powder, compared to conventional close-coupled atomization utilizing an axisymmetric annular gas orifice and an axisymmetric melt nozzle. A means has been devised for convening otherwise axisymmetric plenums into non-axisymmetric plenums that produce non-axisymmetric gas flow.

Apparatus and method for converting axisymmetric gas flow plenums into

An apparatus for producing a molten metal flow comprises a refining hearth having a water-cooled wall, and an entry flow channel through the wall of the hearth disposed tangentially to the wall such that a flow of molten metal introduced into the hearth through the entry flow channel flows tangentially to the wall of the hearth. The hearth further has an exit flow channel through the wall of the hearth disposed tangentially to the wall. The molten metal entering the refining hearth flows in a vortex pattern, aiding in the removal of solid particulate matter from the metal. The refining hearth may be agitated by an induction coil placed adjacent to the hearth. The exit flow may be through a number of adjacent exit flow channels to reduce its local velocity.

Water-cooled molten metal refining hearth

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Beverly, MA, United States of America

David Paul Mourer