United Technologies Corporation

John M Robertson

Robert W Baumgarten

Ralph B Bogard

Stephen M Kurpaska

William Bogue

Thomas DeMichael

Arthur R Cox

Gary Charles Shubert

Edward R Szela

Richard B Ringler

Raymond M Walker

Dennis C Stewart

Ronald R Cairo

Thomas D Tillman

Wiliam F Bogue

J Carter Barone

Thomas A Vetere

Brian T Dunn

William F Bogue

Donald R Cairo

Carter J Barone

A method of restoring a section of a composite having a honeycomb bonded to a perforated skin includes the steps of separating a first honeycomb from the perforated skin to expose a portion of the perforated skin, inserting pins through perforations in the perforated skin, extending the pins through a repair material, attaching the repair material to the exposed portion of the perforated skin, and attaching a second honeycomb to the repair material. The method may include removing material from the exposed portion of the perforated skin, prior to inserting pins through the perforations, to create a more even bonding surface for attaching the repair material.

Repair of a composite sandwich structure having a perforated skin

A thermal management process for enabling the restoration of a surface of a metallic detail in the presence of at least one bonding material, comprising preparing at least one damaged area on a metallic detail; disposing at least one thermal management component upon a bonding material or a surface area proximate to the bonding material to which the metallic detail is joined; masking at least the surface area and the bonding material with a masking agent; and dimensionally restoring a surface of the metallic detail disposed on the article at a processing temperature lower than a temperature which would degrade the bonding material, the substrate, or the bondment interface therebetween.

Non-invasive thermal management processes for restorating metallic details bonded to substrates

A method of inspecting a repaired metal alloy part to analyze a microstructure of the metal part includes placing a replicating material on a surface of the metal part to create an inverted replica of the microstructure. The replicating material is then removed from the surface. An image of the inverted replica on the replicating material is magnified in order to evaluate the microstructure for incipient melting and areas of boride concentration. This inspection method facilitates that evaluation without causing any destruction to the metal part.

Method of inspecting a metal alloy part for incipient melting

A method of determining a depth of intergranular attack (IGA) on a surface of a metal part includes applying a replicating material on a second surface of the part that is essentially perpendicular to and intersects with the surface of interest. The replicating material is used to create an inverted replica of the microstructure of the second surface. Lengths of the cracks replicated on the replicating material are measured in order to determine the depth of intergranular attack on the surface of the part. In some embodiments, a fixture device may be temporarily attached to the metal part to maintain an edge of the second surface.

Method of determining depth of intergranular attack (IGA) for a metal part

A method of repairing a part, such as a rotating disk/drum rotor of a gas turbine engine. The method includes: heating a contact area of a wrought material and a contact area of a wrought part; and pressing the contact area of the material against the contact area of the part to bond the parts. A method of making a rotating part of a gas turbine engine, comprising: heating a contact area of a wrought material and a contact area of a wrought part; and pressing the contact area of the material against the contact area of the part to bond the parts. The methods may include a subsequent heat treatment to provide the desired strength properties to the joint between the material and the part.

Method of joining material

The present invention relates to a process for joining two metal members together. The process comprises the steps of providing two parent metal members to be joined and a prealloyed interlayer foil having a melting point depressant; creating a joint interface by positioning the foil between two spaced apart surfaces of the two parent metal members to be joined together; applying a load substantially transverse to the joint interface which does not cause deformation of the surfaces; and applying localized rapid heating in the area of the joint interface at a temperature sufficient to effect bonding of the two metallic members while causing little or no degradation of microstructural or mechanical properties of the parent metal and a coarsening of grain size in rim portions of the metal members.

Process for bonding metallic members using localized rapid heating

Nickel base superalloy articles, especially gas turbine disks, are provided with substantially enhanced resistance to crack growth through a specific heat treatment. The heat treatment employs a true solution treatment step followed by a subsolvus solution treatment step, followed by at least one aging step. The effect of this series of heat treatment steps is to provide a microstructure having an optimum arrangement of gamma prime particles, with respect to both size and location. Reductions in crack growth rates of several hundred percent relative to prior art heat treatments are achieved.

Superalloy heat treatment for promoting crack growth resistance

A method is taught for joining a wrought alloy material to a cast alloy, so as to obtain a joint having superior structural integrity. A cast nickel-base superalloy part may be bonded to a wrought nickel-base superalloy part, for example, by positioning a suitable part or blank of said wrought superalloy adjacent to the cast superalloy part, applying a local bonding force to the interface while locally heating the interface to a temperature which causes localized softening, metal flow, and bonding, removing said bonding force, and subjecting the bonded assembly to a local or isothermal heat treatment so as to minimize distortion, optimize properties, and stress relieve the bonded assembly. This method may be used, for example, for the repair or replacement of vane assembly retaining lugs, whereby a replacement lug of a wrought alloy is solid state bonded to the vane assembly in place of the previous retaining lug.

Technique for direct bonding cast and wrought materials

A method is taught for the replacement of turbine disk airseal lands, whereby a replacement land ring is solid state bonded to the disk in place of a worn or damaged land.

Method for replacing worn airseal lands on engine compressor or turbine

A method is taught for repair of holes in superalloy or titanium materials by using plugs of the same or similar material and heat treatment, whereby a fully recrystallized joint interface is achieved between the plug and the walls of the hole.

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Andover, CT, United States of America

John M Robertson