General Electric Company

Douglas Melton Carper

Suresh Subramanian

James Dale Steibel

Daniel Gene Dunn

Toby George Darkins, Jr

Stephen Mark Whiteker

Douglas Glenn Decesare

Timothy Daniel Kostar

Michael Ray Tuertscher

Brian Keith Flandermeyer

Sara Saxton Underwood

Steven Robert Hayashi

Andrew Jay Skoog

Mark Eugene Noe

Jane Ann Murphy

Ely E Halila

Michael Lee Millard

Jeffrey Lynn Myers

Brian Gregg Feie

Nolan Leander Cousineau

Nathan Carl Sizemore

Thomas J Dunyak

Mackenzie Christopher Hock

Sara Underwood

Suresh Sabramanian

Earl D Deaton

Robert W Aho

James Dale Steible

Michael L Millard

A shroud segment including a forward radial wall, an aft radial wall and at least one interlocking subcomponent. The forward radial wall, an aft radial wall and the at least one interlocking subcomponent are each formed of a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) including reinforcing fibers embedded in a matrix. The shroud segment further including an interlocking mechanical joint joining each of the forward radial wall and the aft radial wall to the at least one interlocking subcomponent. Methods are also provided for joining the forward radial wall and the aft radial wall to the at least one interlocking subcomponent using an interlocking mechanical joint.

CMC shroud segment with interlocking mechanical joints and fabrication

A nozzle including a vane and a band, each having defined therein interlocking features. The vane and the band are each formed of a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) including reinforcing fibers embedded in a matrix. The vane and the band include one or more interlocking features. The nozzle further including an interlocking mechanical joint joining the vane and the band to one another. Methods are also provided for joining the vane and the band at the interlocking features to form an interlocking mechanical joint.

CMC nozzle with interlocking mechanical joint and fabrication

A ceramic matrix composite (CMC) component including a subcomponent, such as a band flowpath, a load bearing wall and a wall support, each comprised of a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) including reinforcing fibers embedded in a matrix. The CMC component further including at least one mechanical joint joining the subcomponent, the load bearing wall and the wall support to form the CMC component. The reinforcing fibers of the load bearing wall are oriented substantially normal to the reinforcing fibers of the subcomponent and the wall support. Methods are also provided for joining the subcomponent, the load bearing wall and the wall support to form a mechanical joint.

Joint for band features on turbine nozzle and fabrication

A method for forming a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) component for gas turbine engines. The method contemplates replacing a plurality of plies with insert material. The insert material can be partially cured or pre-cured and applied in place of a plurality of small plies or it may be inserted into cavities of a component in the form of a paste or a ply. The insert material is isotropic, being formed of a combination of matrix material and chopped fibers, tow, cut plies or combinations thereof. The use of the insert material allows for features such as thin edges () with thicknesses of less than about 0.030 inches and small radii such as found in corners (). The CMC components of the present invention replace small ply inserts cut to size to fit into areas of contour change or thickness change, and replace the small ply inserts with a fabricated single piece discontinuously reinforced composite insert, resulting in fewer defects, such as wrinkles, and better dimensional control.

Method of manufacturing CMC articles having small complex features

A three-dimensional preform, composite components formed with the preform, and processes for producing the preform and composite materials. The three-dimensional preform includes first and second sets of tows containing filaments. Each tow of the first set has a predetermined polygonal cross-sectional shape and is embedded within a temporary matrix. The preform is fabricated from the first and second sets of tows, in which the second set of tows are transverse to the first set of tows, adjacent tows of the second set are spaced apart to define interstitial regions therebetween, and the polygonal cross-sectional shapes of the first set of tows are substantially congruent to the cross-sectional shapes of the interstitial regions so as to substantially fill the interstitial regions.

Preforms, composite components formed therewith, and processes therefor

The integral layer provides a ductile interface for attachment locations of a turbine engine component where a metallic surface is adjacent the attachment location. The ductile layer provides a favorable load distribution through the composite at the attachment location, and eliminates the need for a metallic shim.

Ceramic composite with integrated compliance/wear layer

A ceramic matrix composite with a ceramic matrix and a gradient layering of coating on ceramic fibers. The coating typically improves the performance of the composite in one direction while degrading it in another direction. For a SiC-SiC ceramic matrix composite, a BN coating is layered in a gradient fashion or in a step-wise fashion in different regions of the article comprising the ceramic. The BN coating thickness is applied over the ceramic fibers to produce varying desired physical properties by varying the coating thickness within differing regions of the composite, thereby tailoring the strength of the composite in the different regions. The coating may be applied as a single layer as a multi-layer coating to enhance the performance of the coating as the ceramic matrix is formed or infiltrated from precursor materials into a preform of the ceramic fibers.

Functionally gradient SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites with tailored properties for turbine engine applications

A preform architecture and process for producing composite materials, and particularly CMC components. The process entails producing a composite component having a matrix material reinforced with a three-dimensional preform. The process includes producing first and second sets of tows containing filaments. Each tow of the first set has a predetermined cross-sectional shape and is embedded within a temporary matrix material formed of a material that is not the matrix material or a precursor of the matrix material. The preform is then fabricated from the first and second sets of tows, in which the second set of tows are transverse to the first set of tows, adjacent tows of the second set are spaced apart to define interstitial regions therebetween, and the cross-sectional shapes of the first set of tows are substantially congruent to the cross-sectional shapes of the interstitial regions so as to substantially fill the interstitial regions.

Process of producing a composite component and intermediate product thereof

A method of manufacturing a turbine engine component is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing a plurality of ceramic cloth plies, each ply having woven ceramic fiber tows and at least one fugitive fiber tow, laying up the plurality of plies in a preselected arrangement to form a turbine engine component shape, oxidizing the fugitive fibers to produce fugitive fiber void regions in the ply, rigidizing the component shape to form a coated component preform using chemical vapor infiltration, partially densifying the coated component preform using carbon-containing slurry, and further densifying the coated component preform with at least silicon to form a ceramic matrix composite turbine engine component having matrix rich regions.

Interlaminar tensile reinforcement of SiC/SiC CMC's using fugitive fibers

A ceramic matrix composite (CMC) component for gas turbine engines, the component having fine features such as thin edges with thicknesses of less than about 0.030 inches and small radii of less that about 0.030 inches formed using the combination of prepreg plies layed up with non-ply ceramic inserts. The CMC components of the present invention replace small ply inserts cut to size to fit into areas of contour change or thickness change, and replace the small ply inserts with a fabricated single piece discontinuously reinforced composite insert, resulting in fewer defects, such as wrinkles, and better dimensional control.

CMC articles having small complex features

The present invention is a ceramic matrix composite turbine engine component, wherein the component has a direction of maximum tensile stress during normal engine operation. The component comprises a plurality of biased ceramic plies, wherein each biased ply comprises ceramic fiber tows, the tows being woven in a first warp direction and a second weft direction, the second weft direction lying at a preselected angular orientation with respect to the first warp direction, wherein a greater number of tows are woven in the first warp direction than in the second weft direction, and wherein a number of tows in the second weft direction allows the biased plies to maintain their structural integrity when handled. The plurality of biased plies are laid up in a preselected arrangement to form the component, and a preselected number of the plurality of biased plies are oriented such that the orientation of the first warp direction of the preselected number of biased plies lie about in the direction of maximum tensile stress during normal engine operation. A coating is applied to the plurality of biased plies. The coating is selected from the group consisting of BN, SiC, and combinations thereof. A ceramic matrix material lies in interstitial regions between the tows of each biased ply and the interstitial region between the biased plies.

Use of biased fabric to improve properties of SiC/SiC ceramic composites for turbine engine components

A method of manufacturing a turbine engine component comprising the steps of providing and laying up a plurality of ceramic plies comprising woven ceramic fiber tows to form a turbine engine component shape, inserting a plurality of tows of oxidizable fugitive fibers into the component shape, such that each fugitive fiber tow passes through a preselected number of ceramic plies, burning off the fugitive fiber tows, the burning producing through-thickness void regions, rigidizing the component shape with a layer of BN and a layer of SiC to form a coated component preform using chemical vapor infiltration, and partially densifying the coated component preform using carbon-containing slurry and filling the through thickness void regions, and further densifying the coated component preform with at least silicon to form a ceramic matrix composite turbine engine component with in-situ ceramic matrix plugs formed where the through-thickness void regions were located.

Through thickness reinforcement of SiC/SiC CMC's through in-situ matrix plugs manufactured using fugitive fibers

The present invention is ceramic matrix composite gas turbine engine component comprising a plurality of cured ceramic matrix composite plies, each ply comprising ceramic fiber tows, each ceramic fiber tow comprising a plurality of ceramic fibers, the tows in each ply lying adjacent to one another such that each ply has a unidirectional orientation. The component further comprises a layer of a coating on the ceramic fibers. The component further comprises a ceramic matrix material lying in interstitial regions between the fibers and tows of each ply and the interstitial region between the plurality of plies, wherein at least a portion of the component is no greater than about 0.021 inch thick. The present invention is also a method for making such a ceramic matrix composite component.

Growing community of inventors

Trenton, OH, United States of America

Douglas Melton Carper