General Electric Company

Kurt L Hansen

Arthur L Ludwig

Johnny F Hill, Ii

Jan Christopher Schilling

John Robert Kelley

Jay L Cornell

Herbert Halila

Gene E Wiggs

Ronald J VanDenburgh

A method and passage system is applicable to hollow structures, such as hollow rib core fan blades, for removing alpha case and contamination, for improving surface texture, and for smoothing diffusion bonded joints to reduce notches and flaws, after fabrication. The passage system allows for venting and full cavity access to permit cleaning of the interior of the hollow structure. The method of cleaning the interior of a hollow structure may comprise applying an etchant to strip the topical layer from the inside of a hollow mechanical structure, such as a hollow core airfoil; or may comprise pumping an abrasive flow through the hollow cavities of the structure.

Hollow airfoil cavity surface texture enhancement

Hollow airfoils, such as fan blades, nozzles and struts used in axial flow gas turbine engines, that have improved resistance to impact from foreign objects are disclosed. Relocation of airfoil material is used to preferentially strengthen the airfoil to respond to the stress from the impact of a foreign object. Internal spacers are redistributed toward the leading edge and the material from the skin of the concave side and the convex side is shifted from one side to the other and toward the leading edge of the airfoil where impact stress is greatest.

Hollow airfoil impact resistance improvement

A method for forming a hollow, internally-ribbed airfoil having a complex geometry. The process forms airfoil halves from alloy members in essentially final machined form. The airfoil halves optionally include a gasket around their periphery and optionally, a gasket around the internal sequence of ribs and cavities. Because the airfoil halves are in final form before joining, important interior airfoil dimensions such as skin thickness, cavity size, rib location and gasket location as well as exterior dimensions such as camber and twist may be verified prior to joining. The airfoil halves are then joined by welding, thereby sealing their interiors and diffusion bonding at relatively low pressures. The gaskets eliminate the use of high pressures and associated skin buckling and permit a concentration of the loads at key locations despite the low pressures. After diffusion bonding, any voids are removed by hot isostatically pressing the airfoil in the superplastic temperature range of the alloy.

Design and processing method for manufacturing hollow airfoils

A hollow core airfoil including a root adapted to attach the airfoil to a disk. An airfoil portion including a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a tip portion. The hollow core airfoil includes radial ribs extending from the root to the tip. Chord-wise stringers run from the leading edge to the trailing edge providing support along the chord-wise direction.

Hollow core airfoil

A method for assembling a plurality of bucket assemblies having tangential entry dovetails onto a wheel of a turbomachine such that a predetermined circumferential force is obtainable on the bucket assemblies when assembled, includes reducing the distance between lateral faces on the base portion of at least a first bucket assembly and preferably all bucket assemblies, such as by cooling, and increasing the distance between the lateral faces after assembly, so that the predetermined circumferential force is obtained. Alternatively, the wheel circumference may be increased as by heating before the bucket assemblies are assembled. A combination of appropriate heating and cooling may be used. A closure piece having a predetermined circumferential expanse may be inserted in the bucket row of the wheel to obtain the desired circumferential force.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Kurt L Hansen