United Technologies Corporation

Robert P Schaefer

Herbert A Chin

Wangen Lin

David A Rutz

James J Moor

Andrew L Haynes

Greg Czeladko

Vincent Nevins

Eberhardt Privitzer

Daniel F Paulonis

David S Duvall

Billie W Bunting

William A Owczarski

Edward Lee

Kenneth T Raczewski

Matthew J Arnold

David R Malley

David G Alexander

Carl E Kelly

Kenneth E Taylor

Sonia A Martinez

William F Bender

Gene A Danko

Edward J Johnson

Walter F Gustafson

Edward L Johnson

Jr Nevins Nevins

An example method of attaching an airfoil for an integrally bladed rotor includes placing a support collar in an installed position around at least a leading edge and trailing edge of an airfoil stub to be repaired in an integrally bladed rotor. The support collar and the airfoil stub together have a midline that is positioned between opposing, laterally outer surfaces of the airfoil stub when the support collar is in the installed position. The method performs linear friction welding to add a replacement airfoil to the airfoil stub.

Support collar geometry for linear friction welding

A method is provided for repairing a damaged rotor blade on an integrally bladed rotor by removing a damaged portion of a damaged blade leaving a blade stub extending outwardly from the disk and performing a linear friction welding operation to attach a replacement blade segment to the blade stub. The rotor may be disposed operation using a linear friction welding apparatus. The method includes disposing a support collar about the blade stub and securing the support collar to the linear friction welding apparatus prior to a commencement of the bonding operation. A lower surface of the support collar is contoured to mate with a portion of an outer circumference surface of the rotor disk.

Repair of integrally bladed rotors

A method of repairing an integrally bladed rotor includes the steps of placing a support collar around at least a leading and trailing edge portions of the blade stub, and performing linear friction welding to add a replacement airfoil to the blade stub. The linear friction welding is generally along a direction between the leading and trailing edges. In addition, the support collar leading and trailing edge portions are connected together.

Consumable collar for linear friction welding of blade replacement for damaged integrally bladed rotors

Systems and methods for repairing Thermo-Span&#xae; gas turbine engine components are described herein. Embodiments of these methods minimize post-weld residual stresses in a weld repaired Thermo-Span&#xae; component by solution heat treating the component by heating the component to about 2000&#xb0; F.&#xb1;25&#xb0; F., holding the component at about 2000&#xb0; F.&#xb1;25&#xb0; F. for about one hour; and cooling the component to below about 700&#xb0; F. at a rate equivalent to cooling in air; and precipitation heat treating the component by heating the component to about 1325&#xb0; F.&#xb1;25&#xb0; F., holding the component at about 1325&#xb0; F.&#xb1;25&#xb0; F. for about 8 hours, cooling the component to about 1150&#xb0; F.&#xb1;25&#xb0; F. at a maximum rate of about 100&#xb0; F./hour, holding the component at about 1150&#xb0; F.&#xb1;25&#xb0; F. for about 8 hours, and cooling the component at a predetermined cooling rate. Dimensions of the fully-machined and weld repaired component are maintained during solution heat treating and precipitation heat treating via custom designed furnace tools.

Methods for repairing gas turbine engine components

A method of repairing a metallic alloy article having a defect cavity greater than about 0.010 inches (2.5.times.10.sup.-4 m) in maximum width is disclosed. One aspect of the invention includes providing a first metallic filler material (10) in the defect cavity such that the first metallic filler material (10) substantially fills the cavity. The composition of the first metallic filler material (10) corresponds substantially to that of the metallic article. A second metallic filler material (12) is provided over the first metallic filler material (10). The second metallic filler material (12) includes between about 0 wt. % and about 40 wt. % metallic filler material of a composition corresponding substantially to the metallic article, and between about 100 wt. % and about 60 wt. % metallic filler material having the same basis as the composition of the metallic alloy article and including a melting point depressant in an amount substantially in excess of that in the metallic alloy article. The article is thermally processed through a heat treatment to effect an isothermal solidified repair.

Method of repairing metallic alloy articles, such as gas turbine engine

An abrasive, wear resistant layer is applied to the tip surface of a superalloy gas turbine blade by high temperature sintering operation which produces a high strength bond between the layer and the blade, minimizes gamma prime phase growth, and prevents recrystallization in the blade. Important features of the invention include removing plastic strain damage from the tip surface prior to the sintering operation, using induction heating techniques to sinter a layer of metal powder particles and ceramic particulates to the blade tip surface, and shielding the airfoil and root portion of the blade from the radiant heating source during the sintering operation while at the same time, conductively removing heat from the blade.

Method for making a turbine blade having a wear resistant layer sintered

A gas turbine engine blade has an abrasive material tip with a fused superalloy matrix and evenly distributed ceramic particulate. The matrix will have a desirable metallurgical structure characterized by fine dendrites and remanants of the original powder metal structure from which it was made. Due to the fusion of the tip, the peripheral edge will tend to be curved. To lessen the effect of thermal strains on such an abrasive tip, a sheath of a superalloy, such as a portion of the turbine blade substrate, extends along the side of the abrasive. The sheath may be present only in the thicker leading edge part of the blade airfoil.

Turbine blade having a fused metal-ceramic tip

An abrasive material comprised of a metal matrix and evenly distributed ceramic particulates, is made by mixing powder metal with the ceramic powder and heating to a temperature sufficient to melt most, but not all of the powder. In this way the ceramic does not float to the top of the material, yet a dense material is obtained. A nickel superalloy matrix will have at least some remnants of the original powder metal structure, typically some equiaxed grains, along with a fine dendritic structure, thereby imparting desirable high temperature strength when the abrasive material is applied to the tips of blades of gas turbine engines. Preferred matrices have a relatively wide liquidus-solidus temperature range, contain a melting point depressant, and a reactive metal to promote adhesion to the ceramic.

Abrasive material, especially for turbine blade tips

In filling voids in or between metallic articles, as in the repair of cracks or other surface defects in castings, the void is filled with a powder mix which upon heat treatment fills the void. The filler powder mix is a blend of at least two distinct powder components and in terms of overall composition preferably corresponds to that of article being repaired. The components comprising the mix are selected to provide a transient liquid phase and isothermal resolidification of a portion of the mix at the temperature below the article melting point. A subsequent heat treatment is preferably utilized for homogenization.

Metallic filler material

Method of repairing surface defects using metallic filler material

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Vernon Rockville, CT, United States of America

Robert P Schaefer