Rockwell International Corporation

Edwin F Cain

Harry W Carpenter

John R Wooten

William T McFarlen

The present invention provides a ceramic turbine blade having a ceramic root flange and a metallic compliant layer which is electroformed to the ceramic root flange and then machine-formed to the geometry required for attachment to the turbine disk. Because of its intimate bond to the surface of the ceramic root flange and because of its compliant nature, the metallic compliant layer serves to uniformly distribute stresses induced by the attachment of the blade to the turbine disk. The present invention also envisions the attachment and use of a fir tree root section to an otherwise complete ceramic blade without risk of stress fracture or modification of the turbine disk.

Compliant interface for ceramic turbine blades

A compact is surrounded by a compatible, nonsinterable powder within a container with a layer of sinterable powder disposed on top of the nonsinterable powder and placed in a sintering oven. During sintering, the sinterable powder forms a cover that retards decomposition of the compact and serves to enhance densification of the compact.

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Canoga Park, CA, United States of America

Edwin F Cain