United Technologies Corporation

Peter E Leibfried

James R Dillner

John P Arrigoni

Raymond P Ristau

Dale A Simard

J George Asfalg

Philip J Dunne

William R Reimels

William G Sorvillo, Sr

Dennis Wentworth

Brian J Hamilla

Steven F Keeney

David Porter

A method for repairing a component having first and second major surfaces, a thickness between the major surfaces, and an edge, is characterized by utilizing a template to determine if the component is suitable for repair, and forming a slot cut entirely through the thickness of the component. The slot extends inward from the edge of the component, has an open end at the edge of the component, a closed end within the component, a width, a radius at the closed end, and chamfered edges at the open end. Forming the slot includes forming an initial cut with a first cutting surface from the edge of the component at least to the defect, finishing the initial cut to the width and the radius with a second cutting surface, resulting in a finished cut, and chamfering the edge of the finished cut with a third cutting surface.

Method for repairing a gas turbine engine component

A hollow element such as a turbine blade is manufactured by cutting a metallic member into first and second pieces so that each has a cut side and an opposite uncut side. The cut sides are machined to form interior features of the element. The uncut sides are machined to form exterior features of the element. The pieces are assembled with the cut sides facing each other and the assembly is diffusion bonded.

Turbine element manufacture

The structure and process for making a hollow article in which the core structure is formed from two cell sheets diffusion bonded to a rib pattern sheet having a preselected pattern of ribs having passageways. The cell sheets are diffusion bonded to the rib pattern sheet using tooling pattern sheets having a geometry matching that of the rib pattern sheet thereby creating contiguous cells, interconnected by the passageways, between the cell sheets at each rib and the periphery of the structure. Inert gas is then applied to the cells during a superplastic forming process to create expanded envelopes of each cell of the core. Face sheets of the sandwich structure may then be formed from the cell sheets themselves by further expanding the cell sheets out against a mold surface. Alternatively, the envelopes of the core may be expanded and simultaneously or subsequently diffusion bonded to separate face sheets. The contour of the core may be performed, formed concurrently with separate face sheets in a single operation, or subsequently formed as a sandwich structure.

Hollow metallic structure and method of manufacture

A titanium gas injection tube 18 is located within a counterbore (16) in the blade (10) halves which are to be bonded and formed. An internal stainless steel sleeve (24) is placed in the counterbore inside the titanium tube to resist bonding forces. An external stainless steel sleeve (28) is placed around the tube to resist gas pressure forces.

Hollow titanium blade manufacturing

A process is described for producing hollow articles from high strength, high temperature metals such as titanium alloys. A finite element analysis is used to determine a preform configuration in which the external surface of the finished article is translated into a flat plane. All machining is performed on flat stock on only one side, and includes mating cavities which define the hollow portion of the article. The preforms are die forged and diffusion bonded and then superplastically inflated to fit the contour of a cavity in a die, which provides the external contour of the article.

Hollow metal article fabrication

An untwisted hollow blade with internal reinforcing ribs is formed by diffusion bonding two halves. A predominate portion of the blade twist is accomplished by gravity creep deforming against a supporting die, aided by applying twisting moments at the ends. The blade is free to move axially at one end. Simultaneous heat soak for solution heat treatment minimizes overall grain growth. Later, hot forming between heated dies is supplemented with internal blade pressure after die closing. Metal flow is more easily predictable whereby finite element analysis may establish the proper starting form.

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Vernon, CT, United States of America

Peter E Leibfried