General Electric Company

Keith Humphries Betscher

Howard John Farr

Curtis Alan Johnson

Heinz Jaster

Edward Brittain Stokes

Himanshu B Vakil

D Sangeeta

Richard Roy Worthing, Jr

Thomas J Cartier, Jr

Alexander S Allen

Robert William Bruce

David John Wortman

Antonio Frank Maricocchi

David Vincent Rigney

John Douglas Evans, Sr

Rudolfo Viguie

William Seth Willen

Christopher Lee Lagemann

Nripendra Nath Das

Thomas Edward Mantkowski

Mark Alan Rosenzweig

Raymond William Heidorn

Leo Spitz MacDonald

Jackie Lee King

Floyd A Swigert

Christopher J Cunningham

Method for stripping ceramic coatings from the surfaces of articles. The apparatus includes a dedicated pressure vessel, such as an autoclave, which is maintained at an elevated temperature. Caustic solution is preheated to a first elevated temperature before injecting it into the autoclave, and the caustic solution is filtered and cooled after use in the autoclave. The articles are stripped of coating by maintaining the articles at an elevated temperature and pressure for a predetermined time. Various options include the use of analytical equipment to maintain the chemistry of the caustic solution and use of a volatile organic solution to prepressurize the autoclave and shorten cycle time. The articles are transferred to a separate pressure vessel after completion of the stripping operation so that the autoclave used for stripping can be maintained at an elevated temperature, thereby shortening the cycle time for stripping of additional articles.

Method for removing ceramic coatings from component surfaces

Analysis equipment for determining a concentration of an organic component and a caustic component of a reusable organic caustic solution that has been utilized for removing a ceramic coating from a metallic component at elevated temperatures and pressures, such as in an autoclave. Sensors are positioned between a filter for removing particles of the ceramic coating dispersed in the reusable organic caustic solution from the reusable organic caustic solution and a storage tank storing the reusable organic caustic solution after removal from the autoclave. The sensors measure physical properties of the reusable organic caustic solution after removal of the particles from the reusable organic caustic solution, such as electrical conductivity, opacity, refractive index, density, fluidity and the speed of sound in the solution.

Analysis equipment for determining physical properties of an organic solution

An electron beam physical vapor deposition (EBPVD) apparatus for producing a coating material (e.g., a ceramic thermal barrier coating) on an article. The EBPVD apparatus generally includes a coating chamber that is operable at elevated temperatures and subatmospheric pressures. An electron beam gun projects an electron beam into the coating chamber through an aperture in a wall of the chamber and onto a coating material within a coating region defined within the chamber, causing the coating material to melt and evaporate. An article is supported within the coating chamber so that vapors of the coating material deposit on the article. The operation of the EBPVD apparatus is enhanced by the inclusion within the coating chamber of a second chamber that encloses the aperture so as to separate the aperture from the coating region. The second chamber is maintained at a pressure lower than the coating region.

Electron beam physical vapor deposition apparatus

An electron beam physical vapor deposition (EBPVD) apparatus and a method for using the apparatus to produce a coating material (e.g., a ceramic thermal barrier coating) on an article. The EBPVD apparatus generally includes a coating chamber that is operable at elevated temperatures and subatmospheric pressures. An electron beam gun projects an electron beam into the coating chamber and onto a coating material within the chamber, causing the coating material to melt and evaporate. An article is supported within the coating chamber so that vapors of the coating material deposit on the article. The operation of the EBPVD apparatus is enhanced by the inclusion or adaptation of one or more mechanical and/or process modifications, including those necessary or beneficial when operating the apparatus at coating pressures above 0.010 mbar.

Method of operating an electron beam physical vapor deposition apparatus

A method for recovering Pt from Pt-bearing coating on a gas turbine engine component. The component is contacted with a chemical stripping agent to dissolve away constituents of the coating and produce a Pt-bearing film of acid oxidation products at the surface of the component. The film is removed from the component to produce a Pt-rich residue containing at least about 10% Pt. The Pt-rich residue is collected and refined to recover Pt therefrom.

Method for recovering platinum from platinum-containing coatings on gas turbine engine components

Apparatus for stripping ceramic coatings from the surfaces of articles. The apparatus includes a dedicated pressure vessel, such as an autoclave, which is maintained at an elevated temperature. Caustic solution is preheated to a first elevated temperature before injecting it into the autoclave, and the caustic solution is filtered and cooled after use in the autoclave. The articles are stripped of coating by maintaining the articles at an elevated temperature and pressure for a predetermined time. Various options include the use of analytical equipment to maintain the chemistry of the caustic solution and use of a volatile organic solution to prepressurize the autoclave and shorten cycle time. The autoclave is maintained in a nitrogen chamber to minimize the risks associated with volatile components. The articles are transferred to a separate pressure vessel after completion of the stripping operation so that the autoclave used for stripping can be maintained at an elevated temperature, thereby shortening the cycle time for stripping of additional articles.

Apparatus and process to clean and strip coatings from hardware

A process for reclaiming aluminum alloy donor from a vapor phase deposition process used to form a diffusion aluminide coating on a component, such as the high-temperature superalloy components of gas turbine engines. The process generally entails recycling a particulate aluminum alloy donor material that, as a result of having been used as the donor material for depositing a diffusion aluminide coating on an article by vapor phase deposition, particles of the donor material comprise an aluminum alloy core encased in an aluminum-depleted shell. The process generally entails tumbling the donor material in a manner that removes the aluminum-depleted shell, followed by sieving the donor material to remove shell fragments and undersized particles.

Process for recycling vapor phase aluminiding donor alloy

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West Chester, OH, United States of America

Keith Humphries Betscher