General Electric Company

Optomec, Inc.

Richard John Grylls

Curtiss Mitchell Austin

Joseph David Rigney

Melvin Robert Jackson

Yuk-Chiu Lau

Ramgopal Darolia

Warren Davis Grossklaus, Jr

Theodore Robert Grossman

Jerry Donald Schell

Thomas Joseph Kelly

Ji-Cheng Zhao

William Scott Walston

Charles Gitahi Mukira

David Michael Keicher

Kevin S O'Hara

Matthew David Saylor

Peter John Linko, Iii

James Jay Kightlinger

Lucas B Brewer

Method and apparatus for depositing material in hard to reach locations of a workpiece. An elongated member is inserted in an opening. The member transports a laser beam from a fiber laser and material, preferably in powder form, to the desired location. The material is deposited on the workpiece and the laser beam contacts the material. The method and apparatus may be used to manufacture a part or to repair an existing part.

Deep deposition head

The present invention provides a method to coat an article using a plating process, either electroless or electrolytic, whereby nickel is plated on the article using a solution that includes a suspension of powders or containing one or more of the following elements: Ni, Cr, Al, Zr, Hf, Ti, Ta, Si, Ca, Fe, Y and Ga. Optionally, the coating is then heat treated at a temperature above about 1600&#xb0; F. for an effective amount of time to allow to homogenize the coating by allowing effective interdiffusion between the species. The level of aluminum may be altered to produce a coating of the predominantly &#x3b2; phase of the NiAl alloy composition. Optionally, a TBC layer is applied over the predominantly &#x3b2; phase NiAl alloy composition metallic bond coat.

Method for applying a NiAl based coating by an electroplating technique

A turbine blade has an airfoil section with a root end and a tip end, and an attachment at the root end of the airfoil section. A blade tip seal is joined to the tip end of the airfoil section. The blade tip seal is formed as an open-cell solid aluminum oxide foam made of aluminum oxide cell walls having intracellular volume therebetween. The blade tip seal has a blade interface region adjacent to the tip end of the airfoil section. The blade interface region is formed of the aluminum oxide foam and a nickel-base alloy within the intracellular volume. The blade tip seal also has a contact region remote from the blade interface region and comprising the aluminum foam wherein the intracellular volume is porosity.

Turbine blade with ceramic foam blade tip seal, and its preparation

A group of alloys suitable for use in a high-temperature, oxidative environment, a protective coating system comprising a diffusion barrier that comprises an alloy selected from the group, an article comprising the diffusion barrier layer, and a method for protecting an article from a high-temperature oxidative environment comprising disposing the diffusion barrier layer onto a substrate are presented.

Materials for protection of substrates at high temperature, articles made therefrom, and method for protecting substrates

A sacrificial ceramic fixture precursor is furnished with a shaped portion thereof shaped to receive a supported article. The sacrificial ceramic fixture precursor is immersed into a molten reactive metal for a period of time sufficient to permit the sacrificial ceramic fixture precursor and the reactive metal to react together. The result is a reacted ceramic fixture comprising an open-cell solid foam of ceramic cell walls having an interconnected intracellular volume therebetween. The reacted ceramic fixture is contacted to a supported article to produce a process assembly. The process assembly is processed as required for the supported article, which typically includes heating to an elevated temperature.

Process assembly utilizing fixturing made of an open-cell ceramic solid foam, and its use

A method for producing a turbine airfoil that is coated with a beta phase, high aluminum content coating, such as substantially stoichiometric NiAl, and which has a surface finish suitable for application of a ceramic topcoat. The method involves impacting the coating with preselected particles of a preselected size so that the brittle coating is not adversely affected by chipping or breakage. The impacting produces a surface finish of 120 micro-inches or better so that a ceramic thermal barrier layer can be applied over the coating. The preferred method of improving the surface finish utilizes steel balls having a diameter of about 0.033&Prime; and a peening intensity of no greater than about 6A.

Turbine airfoils having modifying stoichiometric NiAl coatings applied by thermal processes

A turbine blade or turbine vane includes a metallic nonfoam region, and a ceramic foam region joined to the metallic region. The ceramic foam region is an open-cell solid ceramic foam made of ceramic cell walls having an intracellular volume therebetween. The ceramic is preferably alumina. The intracellular volume may be empty porosity, or an intracellular metal such as an intracellular nickel-base superalloy.

Turbine blade or turbine vane made of a ceramic foam joined to a metallic nonfoam, and preparation thereof

A structure protected by a ceramic coating is prepared by providing a substrate having a surface, and depositing a layer of a sacrificial ceramic precursor material, preferably silica, onto the surface of the substrate. The method further includes furnishing a reactive gas, preferably an aluminum-containing gas, that is reactive with the sacrificial ceramic to produce a protective ceramic different from the sacrificial ceramic, and contacting the reactive gas to the layer of the precursor material to produce a protective ceramic layer.

Ceramic layer produced by reacting a ceramic precursor with a reactive gas

The present invention provides for a squealer tip to include some proportion of a highly oxidation-resistant material, and a method for casting same, such that if any environmental coating were removed, the tip would retain some increased level of environmental resistance. The oxidation-resistant material optionally may also be a high abrasion resistance material, such that recession of the tip due to rubbing against a stator would be reduced. In a preferred embodiment, an abrasion-resistant and/or oxidation-resistant material is placed and suitably anchored into the tip region of a wax precursor used to cast a turbine airfoil. During the casting operation, the abrasion-resistant and/or oxidation-resistant material is not completely melted. As the alloy used to form the majority of the turbine blade solidifies, the abrasion and/or oxidation resistant material is incorporated into the turbine airfoil by the solidification of the alloy around it.

Oxidation resistant and/or abrasion resistant squealer tip and method for casting same

An article of manufacture includes a metallic nonfoam region, and a ceramic foam region joined to the metallic region. The ceramic foam region is an open-cell solid ceramic foam made of ceramic cell walls having an intracellular volume therebetween. The ceramic is preferably alumina. The intracellular volume may be empty porosity, or an intracellular metal such as an intracellular nickel-base superalloy.

Article made of a ceramic foam joined to a metallic nonfoam, and its preparation

Superalloy weld composition and repaired turbine engine component

A blisk combining gas turbine blades and disk in a single structure comprises a disk and a number of blades integrally affixed to the disk. Each blade includes an airfoil made at least in part of an open-cell solid ceramic foam formed of ceramic cell walls, and an intracellular volume therebetween. The ceramic cell walls are preferably alumina, and the intracellular volume is preferably filled at least in part with a nickel-base superalloy. Another portion of the intracellular volume may be empty porosity.

Gas turbine blisk with ceramic foam blades and its preparation

A substrate is protected by first providing the substrate, and applying a ceramic coating overlying and bonded to the substrate. The ceramic coating is formed of an open-cell solid foam of ceramic cell walls having an interconnected intracellular volume therebetween which is filled at least in part with a metallic alloy. The ceramic coating has an exposed surface remote from the substrate. The exposed surface of the ceramic coating is heated to an exposure temperature such that at least some of the metallic alloy is lost from the intracellular volume.

In-situ formation of a protective coating on a substrate

Optimized tip performance for turbine airfoils is obtained through a sequenced manufacturing process. The turbine airfoils are assembled into the dovetail slots of a turbine disk. The tips of the turbine airfoils assembled in the turbine disk are then measured to determine the turbine airfoils that do not have adequate tip clearance. The tips of those turbine airfoils that do not have adequate tip clearance are then machined to obtain adequate tip clearance. Once all the turbine airfoils have adequate tip clearance, environmental coatings and/or thermal barrier coatings are applied to the blade tips.

Turbine airfoil process sequencing for optimized tip performance

A method for applying substantially stoichiometric NiAl to the surface of a superalloy substrate. These coatings are applied to substrates subjected to high temperatures and thermal cycling by providing a powder of the substantially stoichiometric material with the desired minor additions of rare earth elements, Cr or Zr. The coatings are applied by a thermal spray process utilizing hydrogen as a fuel while generating a highly reducing flame. The thermal spray method melts the powder and directs it onto the surface of the turbine component that is to be coated. The powder size is carefully controlled to prevent oxidation of the powder while providing a controlled surface finish. The surface roughness of the bond coat is further mechanically worked to a predetermined surface finish prior to application of the ceramic thermal barrier layer by a PVD method. Thermal barrier systems applied using these carefully controlled predetermined parameters provide outstanding resistance to TBC spallation under conditions of high cyclic stresses.

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Loveland, OH, United States of America

Richard John Grylls