General Electric Company

Wenwu Zhang

David Peter Mika

Marshall Gordon Jones

Ronald Scott Bunker

Michael Evans Graham

Wilbur Douglas Scheidt

Magdi Naim Azer

Brian Harlow Farrell

Ching-Pang Lee

Benjamin Paul Lacy

Jon Conrad Schaeffer

Bin Wei

Stanton Earl Weaver, Jr

Shakti Singh Chauhan

Judson Sloan Marte

Tao Deng

Kathleen Blanche Morey

Jane Marie Lipkin

Christopher Michael Eastman

Jr Stanton Earl Weaver

A process is provided for forming shaped air holes, such as for use in turbine blades. Aspects of the disclosure relate to forming shaped portions of air holes using a short pulse laser, forming a metered hole corresponding to each shaped portion, and separately finishing the shaped portion using a short-pulse laser. In other embodiments, the order of these operations may be varied, such as to form the shaped portions and to finish the shaped portions using the short-pulse laser prior to forming the corresponding metered holes.

Process and system for forming shaped air holes

A heat exchange assembly for use in cooling an electrical component is described herein. The heat assembly includes a casing that includes an evaporator section, a condenser section, and a transport section extending between the evaporator section and the condenser section along a longitudinal axis. The casing is configured to bend along a bending axis oriented with respect to the transport section. The casing also includes at least one sidewall that includes at least one fluid chamber extending between the evaporator section and the condenser section to channel a working fluid between the evaporator section and the condenser section. A plurality of fluid channels are defined within the inner surface to channel liquid fluid from the condenser section to the evaporator section. At least one vapor channel is defined within the inner surface to channel gaseous fluid from the evaporator section to the condenser section.

Heat exchange assembly and methods of assembling same

A system for producing at least one trench to improve film cooling in a sample is provided. The system includes at least one laser source outputting at least one pulsed laser beam. The pulsed laser beam includes a pulse duration including a range less than about 50 &#x3bc;s, an energy per pulse having a range less than about 0.1 Joule, and a repetition rate with a range greater than about 1000 Hz. The system also includes a control subsystem coupled to the laser source, the control subsystem configured to synchronize a position of the sample with the pulse duration and energy level in order to selectively remove at least one of a thermal barrier coating, a bondcoat and a substrate metal in the sample to form the at least one trench.

Method and apparatus for laser cutting a trench

A laser forming system includes a motion system. A mounting fixture is affixed to the motion system for supporting a workpiece. A plenum is affixed to the fixture for surrounding the workpiece. A gas supply is joined in flow communication with the plenum for channeling thereto an inert gas under pressure to fill the plenum. A laser is aligned with the plenum for projecting a laser beam at the workpiece for laser forming thereof inside the plenum.

Portable plenum laser forming

Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, one or more thermal forming treatments may be predicted to achieve a desired shape and/or microstructure in a workpiece.

Thermal forming

A hybrid metal forming system includes a die cavity defined by a first die and a second die and a press adapted to apply a static pressure over the first die to deform a workpiece against the second die. The hybrid forming system also includes a dynamic loading system coupled to and positioned between, the press and the die cavity.

Hybrid metal forming system

A method for bending a tube in a pre-selected geometry includes deriving at least one processing parameter from the geometry, applying a thermal source circumferentially to the tube to heat the tube along at least one circumferentially directed path in accordance with the parameter and actively cooling the tube to a pre-selected temperature. The applying and active cooling steps are alternately performed a number of times. A system for bending the tube includes a thermal source for heating at least one region along the path on the tube, a tube advancing module for advancing the tube, an active cooling module for cooling the tube to a pre-selected temperature, a processing module to derive at least one processing parameter from the geometry and a control module configured to control the thermal source and active cooling module in accordance with the parameter. The alternate heating and cooling are performed a number of times.

System and method for tube bending

A liquid core waveguide photon energy material processing system is provided. The system includes a photon energy source configured to generate a high intensity photon beam for material processing. The system also includes a liquid core waveguide configured to transmit the high intensity photon beam towards at least one object for material processing. The liquid core waveguide in-turn includes a liquid core having a first refractive index and a cladding element having a second refractive index and configured to guide the liquid core, wherein the first refractive index is higher than the second refractive index. The system further includes a liquid source configured to generate the liquid core. The liquid core includes a liquid solution.

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Schenectady, NY, United States of America

Wenwu Zhang