General Electric Company

Theodore Robert Grossman

Joseph David Rigney

Don Mark Lipkin

Dong-Sil Park

Yuk-Chiu Lau

William Scott Walston

D Sangeeta

Richard John Grylls

Karthick Vilapakkam Gourishankar

Timothy P Coons

Aaron Todd Sellinger

Satya Kishore Manepalli

Nicholas Frederick Wendeln

Ronald Gustav Rajala

Ryan Marcus Young

Wendy Howard Murpjy

Ramgopal Darolia

Robert William Bruce

Herbert Chidsey Roberts

Steven Robert Hayashi

Robert Joseph Lyons

Joshua Lee Margolies

Wendy Howard Murphy

Dwayne Edward Burnett

Paul Stephen Manicke

John Douglas Evans, Sr

Brian Harvey Pilsner

Matthew David Saylor

David Alan Nye

Thomas Joseph Cartier

Stephen Wayne Tefft

Andrew William Miller

John Tam Nguyen

Roswitha Sue Ann Schneider

Roger Antonio Aparicio

Martin Peter Gill

Clifford Takashi Tanaka

Reza T Tavana

A method for repairing composite components includes positioning one or more repair fiber plies relative to a repair interface of a composite component such that a butt joint is formed at the repair interface between the one or more repair fiber plies and the composite component. Furthermore, the method includes forming a cavity within the composite component such that the cavity extends through the repair interface. Additionally, the method includes installing a support member within the cavity. In this respect, the support member extends across the butt joint such that a first portion of the support member is positioned within the composite component and a second portion of the support member is positioned within the one or more repair fiber plies.

Method for repairing composite components using a support member

A system for coating ceramic fibers for use in manufacturing a ceramic matric composite (CMC) article includes a frame having a plurality of frame members arranged so as to create a void therebetween. At least one of frame members includes a hollow body and at least one perforated hole defined in the hollow body. Thus, the ceramic fibers are securable at respective ends of the frame and extend across the void. The frame also includes an inlet in fluid communication with the perforated hole(s) so as to allow a coating material to flow into and through the hollow body and out of the perforated hole(s) at a location of at least a portion of one of the ceramic fibers. As such, the coating material is configured to cause the portion of one of the ceramic fibers to separate from the frame such that the portion is uniformly coated with the coating material.

System and method for coating ceramic fiber

Systems and methods for thermally processing composite components are provided. In one exemplary aspect, a system includes a thermal system, a mover device, and a control system. The system also includes a plurality of vessels in which one or more components may be placed. The vessels are similarly shaped and configured. A vessel containing the one or more components therein may be mounted into a chamber defined by the thermal system during thermal processing. The thermal system and vessels include features that allow components to be thermally processed, e.g., compacted, burnt-out, and densified via a melt-infiltration process, a polymer impregnation and pyrolyzing process, or a chemical vapor infiltration process. utilizing the same thermal system and common vessel design. The control system may control the thermal system and mover device to automate thermal processing of the composite components.

Systems and methods for thermally processing CMC components

Unwinding systems and methods are provided for unwinding a fiber from a bobbin. The unwinding system can include an axle defining a first axis extending an axial direction, a bobbin rotatably mounted around the axle, a pulley positioned to receive the fiber from the bobbin, wherein the pulley is rotatable around a second axis, and a sensor positioned between the bobbin and the pulley. The bobbin is moveable along the axial direction, and wherein the fiber extends tangentially from a surface of the bobbin.

Fiber unwinding system and methods of unwinding a fiber from a bobbin

A coating process and coated article are disclosed. The coating process includes positioning an article relative to an inductor, heating the article with the inductor, then applying a coating material over the article to form a crystalline coating. The heating of the article increases a first temperature of a surface of the article to a second temperature favoring crystal formation. Another coating process includes positioning an article, uniformly heating a surface of the article to a second temperature favoring crystal formation, then applying an environmental barrier coating material over the surface of the article to form a crystalline environmental barrier coating. The application of the environmental barrier coating is performed through air plasma spray deposition. The coated article includes an article having a complex geometry, and a crystalline coating applied on a surface of the article. The crystalline coating includes increased resistant to delamination.

Coating process and coated article

Systems and methods for recovery of rare-earth constituents from environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) are provided. One method includes for separating rare-earth (RE) containing constituents from a particulate feedstock containing a mixture of RE silicates and non-magnetic constituents includes disposing a collection member in a vicinity of the feedstock and magnetizing the collection member to generate a magnetic field sufficient to selectively attract the RE silicates to the collection member. The method further includes removing the RE silicates from the collection member.

Systems and methods for recovery of rare-earth constituents from environmental barrier coatings

Systems and methods for recovery of rare-earth constituents from environmental barrier coatings are provided. One method includes extracting rare-earth (RE) oxide constituents from a feedstock containing RE silicates and non-RE contaminants. The method includes leaching the REs from the feedstock into an acid to form an acid solution, performing an oxalate precipitation on the acid solution to form an RE oxalate hydrate, and separating the RE oxalate hydrate from the acid solution. The method also includes heat treating the RE oxalate hydrate to form an RE oxide containing the RE elements extracted from the feedstock.

An apparatus for providing a vacuum coating to a workpiece, including: a coating chamber containing a coating material, with the coating chamber being operable at an elevated temperature and a sub-atmospheric pressure; an electron beam gun projecting an electron beam into the coating chamber and onto the coating material, where the electron beam gun is operable to melt the coating material and to evaporate molten coating material; and, a mechanism for supporting manipulating the workpiece in the coating chamber. The supporting mechanism further includes: a coupling device for retaining the workpiece; a joint connected to the coupling device enabling movement of the workpiece in all directions; an intermediate member connecting the coupling device and the joint; and, a device connected to the intermediate member for moving the workpiece in a designated vertical plane. The supporting mechanism may also include a device connected to the intermediate member for moving the workpiece in a designated horizontal plane.

Vacuum coater device and mechanism for supporting and manipulating workpieces in same

A process for forming a beta-phase nickel aluminide (NiAl) overlay coating that is suitable for use as a bond coat for a thermal barrier coating (TBC). The overlay coating is deposited by a method that produces a generally columnar grain structure in which grains extend through the coating such that at least some grain boundaries are open at the coating surface. The coating is then peened with a particulate media, followed by heating the overlay coating to a temperature sufficient to cause the overlay coating to recrystallize and form new grain boundaries that are not open to the outer surface of the coating and significantly less susceptible to accelerated oxidation than the original grain boundaries. The particulate media is formed of a composition containing nickel and aluminum, such that an oxide scale that forms on the surface of the coating after the peening operation is substantially free of deleterious oxide compounds, notably iron-containing spinels.

Process for a beta-phase nickel aluminide overlay coating

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 coated nickel-base superalloy article, which is otherwise susceptible to the formation of a secondary reaction zone, is prepared by furnishing a nickel-base superalloy article substrate having thereon an initial aluminum-containing coating comprising an initial-coating additive zone and an initial-coating diffusion zone. The article is susceptible to the formation of the secondary reaction zone if heated to an elevated SRZ reaction temperature for an SRZ reaction period of time. The formation of the secondary reaction zone is avoided by first removing the initial-coating additive zone and the initial-coating diffusion zone, and thereafter depositing a subsequent aluminum-containing coating onto the article substrate. The subsequent aluminum-containing coating includes a subsequent-coating additive zone and a subsequent-coating diffusion zone. The article substrate with the subsequent aluminum-containing coating is otherwise susceptible to the formation of the secondary reaction zone if heated to the elevated SRZ reaction temperature for the SRZ reaction period of time.

Method for preventing the formation of secondary reaction zone in susceptible articles, and articles prepared by the method

A coated superalloy article is prepared by furnishing a nickel-base superalloy article substrate having a rhenium content of not less than about 4.0 percent by weight, and thereafter depositing an aluminum-containing coating onto a surface of the article substrate. The aluminum-containing coating includes an additive zone having an average aluminum content of not greater than about 27 percent by weight, and a diffusion zone of interdiffusion with the article substrate. A ratio of a thickness of the additive zone to a thickness of the diffusion zone is not greater than about 3:1, and is preferably about 1:1.

Nickel-base superalloy article substrate having aluminide coating thereon, and its fabrication

A system and method of using at least one computer to construct a technical plan for a specific process. The invention includes providing a rule-based logic model for the specific process and inputting data relating to the specific process. The data is compared to the logic model to identify exceptions in the data to rules in the logic model. The data are formatted into a technical plan that includes the exceptions. The technical plan is then outputted for review.

Method and system for constructing technical plans

A method for coating a surface of a substrate, includes providing a substrate having a surface, and coating the surface with a foam suspension containing a powder suspended in a foam to form a coating on the surface. The substrate is then heat treated to densify the coating along the surface.

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Hamilton, OH, United States of America

Theodore Robert Grossman