General Electric Company

General Electric Technology Gmbh

Jeffrey Clarence Jones

Zachary John Snider

Adam John Fredmonski

Matthew Troy Hafner

Gary Michael Itzel

Nicholas William Rathay

Christopher Donald Porter

Travis J Packer

Jose Troitino Lopez

Brad Wilson VanTassel

Eric Lee Bell

Hua Zhang

John McConnell Delvaux

Robert Alan Brittingham

Jacob John Kittleson

Xiuzhang James Zhang

Brad Wilson Vantassel

Peter De Diego

James Zhang

James William Vehr

Gustavo Adolfo Ledezma

Jason Anton Byers

Thomas James Brunt

Mitchell Allan Merrill

Ian Darnall Reeves

Keith Alan Lord

Timothy Austin Cadden

Richert Arthur Davis

Keith Lord

A mold system and method for forming a casting article for investment casting is disclosed. The mold system includes a mold for receiving therein a selected core chosen from a plurality of varied cores. The mold includes a plurality of separable mold portions that are coupleable together to create the mold and configured to form a sacrificial material from a sacrificial material fluid about the selected core. At least one selected separable mold portion of the plurality of separable mold portions includes a set of varied interchangeable versions of the at least one selected separable mold portion. Each varied interchangeable version of the selected separable mold portion is configured to accommodate a different core of the plurality of varied cores. A number of systems for controlling a temperature of the mold are also disclosed.

Mold system including separable, variable mold portions for forming casting article for investment casting

An additively manufactured (AM) object may include a body including an opening in an exterior surface thereof, the opening having a shape and a first area at the exterior surface of the body. A mask may be positioned over the opening. The mask has the shape of the opening and a second area that is larger than the first area so as to overhang the exterior surface of the body about the opening. A plurality of support ligaments couple to the mask and the exterior surface of the body at a location adjacent to the opening to support a portion of the mask. A coating can be applied to the object, and the mask removed. The final AM object includes a plurality of ligament elements extending from the exterior surface of the body and through the coating adjacent the opening, each ligament element at least partially surrounded by the coating.

Additively manufactured object using mask over opening for coating

A cooling assembly comprises a coolant source chamber inside an airfoil that directs coolant inside the airfoil that extends between a hub end and a tip end that includes a tip body and tip rail along a radial length. A first body cooling chamber and a second body cooling chamber are disposed inside the tip body. The second body cooling chamber is positioned between the tip end and the first body cooling chamber. At least one of the first or second body cooling chambers are fluidly coupled with the coolant source chamber. The coolant source chamber directs the coolant into the first or second body cooling chambers. A rail cooling chamber disposed inside of the tip rail is fluidly coupled with the first or second body cooling chambers. The first or second body cooling chambers directs coolant out of the body cooling chambers and into the rail cooling chamber.

Cooling assembly for a turbine assembly

A conforming coating mask is used with a turbine component having a plurality of cooling holes. The conforming coating mask includes at least two anchors; a plurality of radial mask strips integrally formed with and extending between each of the at least two anchors; and at least one coating mask securing insert. Each at least one coating mask securing insert integrally formed with a respective at least one radial mask strip; wherein the plurality of radial mask strips align with and cover the plurality of cooling holes.

Conforming coating mask for a component and system background

A turbine rotor blade is additively manufactured and includes an airfoil body with a radially extending chamber for receiving a coolant flow, a tip end at a radial outer end of the airfoil body, and a shank at a radial inner end of the airfoil body. The radially extending chamber extends at least partially into the shank to define a shank inner surface. An integral impingement cooling structure is within the radially extending chamber. The integral impingement cooling structure allows an exterior surface of a hollow body thereof to be uniformly spaced from the airfoil inner surface despite the curvature of the chamber. The turbine rotor blade has impingement cooling throughout the blade.

Turbine rotor blade with integral impingement sleeve by additive manufacture

A passage incorporated into an additively manufactured object, the object and a related method are disclosed. The object has an additive manufacture build direction. The passage includes: a first portion aligned along an axis oriented less than approximately 45&#xb0; from the build direction; and a second portion aligned along an axis oriented greater than approximately 45&#xb0; from the build direction, the second portion including at least one self-supporting top surface portion including at least one edge aligned no greater than approximately 45&#xb0; from the build direction. The passage having varying cross-sectional shape along a non-linear length accommodates additive manufacture regardless of build direction.

Additive manufactured object with passage having varying cross-sectional shape

Aspects of the embodiments set forth a sacrificial plug system including a component having a surface and at least one cooling hole in the surface; a sacrificial plug integrally formed with the component and integrally formed in the at least one cooling hole, where the sacrificial plug includes a top portion; a cover portion; and a bottom portion, the bottom portion integrally formed, engaged to, and connected to at least one cooling hole. The sacrificial plug system also includes at least one connective member integrally formed with the bottom portion of the sacrificial plug and integral with an inner wall of each respective at least one cooling hole; each at least one connective member being severable from the respective inner wall when a force is applied to the top portion, thus permitting the sacrificial plug to be removed from the at least one respective cooling hole.

Sacrificial plug system

A protection system for preventing foreign material from lodging in a channel between and/or damage to adjacent ceramic core features during a core processing operation is disclosed. The system includes a gasket sized and shaped to self-lock within the channel and prevent foreign material from lodging within the channel during the core processing operation. A method may include determining a geometrical characteristic of the channel and adjacent ceramic core feature; fabricating a gasket to fit and self-lock within the channel; positioning the gasket within the channel; and performing the core processing operation. The gasket prevents the foreign material from lodging in the channel, reducing subsequent damage to the ceramic core compared to the channel without the gasket.

Protection system with gasket for ceramic core processing operation and related method

A gas turbine that includes a rotor blade that includes an airfoil. The airfoil is defined between a pressure face and a laterally opposed suction face, the pressure face and the suction face extending axially between opposite leading and trailing edges and radially between an outboard tip and a connection with a root of the rotor blade. The airfoil may include non-integral portions in which: a base portion of the airfoil is made from a first material; and a top portion of the airfoil is made from a second material. The airfoil may include a dovetail joint connecting the top portion to the base portion. The dovetail joint may include a dovetail extending from the top portion being received within a complementary dovetail groove formed in the base portion.

Hybrid rotor blades for turbine engines

An airport having an exterior wall including a plurality of spaced layers for improved cooling and lifetime is disclosed. The airfoil and exterior wall are made by additive manufacturing. The exterior wall includes an exterior layer, an intermediate layer, and an interior layer each separated from adjacent layers by a plurality of standoff members; a plurality of first cooling chambers between the exterior and intermediate layers, the chambers partitioned by a first partitioning wall; a plurality of second cooling chambers between in the intermediate and interior layers, the chambers partitioned by a second partitioning wall; a thermal barrier coating on the exterior layer; a plurality of impingement openings in the intermediate layer and a second plurality of impingement openings in the interior layer; and a plurality of cooling passages in the exterior layer. The exterior layer may also include plateaus on an exterior face through which the cooling passages extend.

Turbine airfoil multilayer exterior wall

The present disclosure is directed to a rotor blade for a turbomachine. The rotor blade includes an airfoil having a leading edge and a trailing edge and defines a chord extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge. A tip shroud couples to the airfoil and includes a leading edge wall and a trailing edge wall and defines a tip shroud cavity. The tip shroud cavity includes a leading edge portion at least partially defined by the leading edge wall and positioned largely upstream of fifty percent of the chord. The tip shroud cavity also includes a trailing edge portion at least partially defined by the trailing edge wall and positioned largely downstream of fifty percent of the chord. An intermediate portion of the tip shroud cavity fluidly couples the leading edge portion of the tip shroud cavity and the trailing edge portion of the tip shroud cavity.

Turbomachine rotor blade tip shroud cavity

The disclosure relates to a tip member configured to be coupled to a blade structure for a turbomachine. A body of the tip member includes: a first surface configured to engage a radially outboard end of the blade structure, a second surface positioned opposite the first surface, and at least one perimeter sidewall positioned between the first and second surfaces, wherein the at least one perimeter sidewall has an airfoil cross-section; and an opening passing through the body from the first surface to the second surface, and having a single directional orientation therebetween, wherein the opening is sized to receive a post positioned on the radially outboard end of the blade structure.

Tip member for blade structure and related method to form turbomachine component

A blade includes an airfoil body defined by a concave pressure side outer wall and a convex suction side outer wall that connect along leading and trailing edges and, therebetween, form a radially extending chamber for receiving the flow of a coolant, the airfoil body having an outer surface and an inner surface facing the radially extending chamber. A first corrugated surface is on at least a portion of the outer surface of the airfoil body; and a first rib partitions the radially extending chamber, the first rib including a first side and an opposing second side. A second corrugated surface is on at least a portion of at least one of the first and second sides of the first rib.

Blade with internal rib having corrugated surface(s)

A turbine rotor blade includes an airfoil body having a leading edge, a trailing edge and a smooth outer surface. A cutout is included within at least one of the leading edge and the trailing edge, the cutout removing a predetermined area of the airfoil body. A coupon is coupled in the cutout to replace the predetermined area of the airfoil body. The coupon includes a first corrugated surface on at least a portion of an outer surface thereof. The coupon allows for the addition of advantageous wake mixing and cooling efficiencies to preexisting blades.

Growing community of inventors

Simpsonville, SC, United States of America

Jeffrey Clarence Jones