General Electric Company

Joseph J Jackson

Stephen Francis Rutkowski

Paul A Siemers

Richard G Menzies

Donald R Spriggs

Joseph Hopkins

Jan Christopher Schilling

Ronald Ralph Cairo

Seetharamaiah Mannava

David Paul Mourer

George Albert Goller

Bruce Clark Busbey

Raymond Joseph Stonitsch

Vanon D Pratt

Thomas Michael Moors

Robert George Zimmerman, Jr

Patrick M Kenney

Richard W Lober

Henry MacLaren

A shaped rotor wheel, a turbo machine including the rotor wheel, and a method for producing the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, a rotor wheel is provided which includes at least one disk member and at least one spacer member, and is a capable of carrying and axially spacing one or more stages of blades. Also disclosed is a method for producing such a rotor wheel using metal powders as a starting material, and processing the metal powder using powder metallurgy techniques.

Shaped rotor wheel capable of carrying multiple blade stages

A forging die and process suitable for producing large forgings, including turbine disks and other rotating components of power-generating gas turbine engines, using billets formed by powder metallurgy. The forging die includes a backplate, and segments arranged in a radial pattern about a region on a surface of the backplate. Each segment has a backside facing the backplate and an interface surface facing away from the backplate, with the interface surface being adapted to engage the billet during forging. The segments are physically coupled to the surface of the backplate in a manner that enables radial movement of the segments relative to the backplate.

Forging die and process

A gas turbine engine fan blade includes an airfoil and dovetail having an integral aluminum core and a fatigue resistant reinforcing sheath.

Reinforced aluminum fan blade

A method for manufacturing a composite material comprises the steps of furnishing a layer of a matrix material, forming a groove in the matrix-material layer using a laser to remove material from the layer of matrix material in the form of a groove, and placing a reinforcement into the groove. Preferably, the surface of the layer of matrix material is smoothed with a laser beam prior to formation of the groove. In most instances, more than one layer is desired, and the steps of furnishing, forming, and placing are repeated, using the same or different materials, to build up a multilayer composite material. Cylindrical, flat, or curved panel composite materials can be readily prepared, using metal, intermetallic, or ceramic materials for the matrix.

Method for fabrication of composite materials and composite

A method for forming a ring structure having a high volume fraction of a filament reinforcement within a metal matrix is disclosed. The ring structure is formed by consolidating a set of nested rings each of which has a high volume fraction of the filamentary reinforcement therein. The nesting is done to provide a clearance between the rings of the nest of about 2 or 3 mils. The nested rings are enclosed within a HIPing can and the structure is HIPed at about 15 ksi and 1000.degree. C. for over an hour. A single superring structure results from the HIPing.

Reinforced multilayer filament reinforced ring structure

Apparatus for producing a metal powder includes a cooled hearth structure in which a metallic alloy is melted and a heat source above the hearth positioned to heat the melt in the hearth. The cooling of the hearth causes a protective hearth skull to form between the melt and the hearth itself. The hearth is placed within an environmental control chamber. A supply structure provides a continuous supply of the metallic alloy to the hearth structure from the exterior of the chamber. A metal powder producer is positioned to receive molten metal from the hearth, and a continuous stream of the molten alloy from the hearth is transferred to the metal powder producer. The transfer is accomplished by tipping the hearth or by teeming through an opening in the bottom of the hearth. The hearth structure can utilize two individual hearths, controllably arranged so that molten metal is drawn from one hearth while the other is recharged.

Apparatus for making alloy power

An improved method for making a metal powder employs improved apparatus comprising, in combination, a fluid-cooled hearth for receiving metallic material which defines an alloy and which is to be melted, a plasma heat source adapted to melt the metallic material, a powder metal producer, and means to introduce the molten metallic material from the hearth into the powder metal producer. The fluid-cooled walls of the hearth resolidify a portion of the molten metallic material to form a skull as a barrier between the hearth and additional molten alloy produced within the hearth. This method and apparatus restricts introduction of impurities into the molten alloy which is later introduced into the powder metal producer. In one form, a fluid-cooled pouring trough, as a stream control device, can be disposed between the hearth and the powder producer to receive molten metal from the hearth and to introduce it into the powder metal producer.

Method and apparatus for making alloy powder

A gas turbine, copper-based alloy part having a crystalline structure in which grain boundaries are elongated in the direction of principal stress applied to the part when in turbine service exhibits especially enhanced strength and fatigue resistance in such direction. The part is prepared in a process in which it is first cast to shape in a mold and then directionally solidified by substantially limiting the heat flow from the part to a direction parallel to the principal stress direction.

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Topsfield, MA, United States of America

Joseph J Jackson