Method of ceramic matrix composite repair

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10150188-B1
Application number	US-201715668993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 4, 2017
Priority date	Aug 4, 2017
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

A method of treating a ceramic matrix composite article, including selecting an article having a ceramic composition formed by a process comprising an initial melt infiltration at an initial temperature with an initial infiltration material, whereby said article has at least one treatable feature. A portion of the ceramic composite is removed from a region abutting the treatable feature to form a treatment region. A treatment material including a reinforcing fiber is positioned in the treatment region and densified by a first melt infiltration with a first infiltration material including silicon. The first melt infiltration is performed at a first temperature lower than the initial infiltration temperature of the initial melt infiltration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of treating a ceramic matrix composite article, comprising:
selecting an article, the article having a ceramic composite, and the article formed by a process comprising an initial melt infiltration at an initial temperature with an initial infiltration material, whereby said article has at least one treatable feature;
removing a portion of the ceramic composite from a region abutting a portion of the at least one treatable feature to form a treatment region;
positioning a treatment material including a reinforcing fiber into the treatment region;
densifying at least a portion of the treatment material by a first melt infiltration with a first infiltration material, wherein the first infiltration material includes silicon, and wherein the first melt infiltration is performed at a first temperature lower than the initial infiltration temperature of the initial melt infiltration and lower than a melting point of the initial infiltration material,
further comprising densifying at least a portion of the treatment material by a second melt infiltration with a second infiltration material, wherein the second infiltration material includes silicon, and wherein the second melt infiltration is performed at a second temperature lower than the first temperature.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising densifying at least a portion of the treatment material by a third melt infiltration with a third infiltration material, wherein the third infiltration material includes silicon, and wherein the third melt infiltration is performed at a third temperature lower than the second temperature.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first temperature is between 1404 degrees Celsius and 1394 degrees Celsius.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first infiltration material further includes boron.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing fiber includes at least one of silicon carbide (SiC), mullite, silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ), alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), aluminum nitride (AlN), titanium boride (TiB 2 ), titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC), or boron carbide (B 4 C).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatable feature includes at least one of a crack, recession, porosity, or subsurface delamination.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment material further includes a ceramic matrix material including at least one of silicon carbide (SiC), mullite, silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ), alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), aluminum nitride (AlN), titanium boride (TiB 2 ), titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC), or boron carbide (B 4 C).

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment material further includes carbon.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment region extends about 10 percent to about 90 percent of the distance between a first surface of the ceramic composite and a second surface of the ceramic composite opposed to the first surface of the surface composite.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatable feature is on an outermost surface of the article.

11. A method of treating a ceramic matrix composite article, comprising:
selecting an article having a ceramic composite formed by a process comprising an initial melt infiltration at an initial temperature with an initial infiltration material, whereby said article has at least one treatable feature;
removing a portion of the ceramic composite from a region abutting a portion of the at least one treatable feature to form a treatment region;
depositing a treatment material, including a slurry further including a reinforcing fiber, a matrix material, and a carrier material; and
densifying at least a portion of the treatment material by a first melt infiltration, at a first temperature which is lower than a melting point of the initial infiltration material, with a first infiltration material, further comprising densifying at least a portion of the treatment material by a second melt infiltration with a second infiltration material, wherein the second infiltration material includes silicon, and wherein the second melt infiltration is performed at a second temperature lower than the first temperature.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the reinforcing fiber includes at least one of silicon carbide (SiC), mullite, silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ), alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), aluminum nitride (AlN), titanium boride (TiB 2 ), titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC), or boron carbide (B 4 C).

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the carrier material includes at least one of deionized water, tertiary butyl alcohol, isopropanol, p-xylene, carbon tetrachloride, or cyclohexane.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the treatable feature includes at least one of a crack, recession, porosity, or subsurface delamination.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the ceramic matrix includes at least one of silicon carbide (SiC), mullite, silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ), alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), aluminum nitride (AlN), titanium boride (TiB 2 ), titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC), or boron carbide (B 4 C).

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first infiltration material exhibits a melting (liquidus) temperature between 1410 degrees Celsius and 1385 degrees Celsius.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the treatable feature is on the outermost surface of the article.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first infiltration material includes silicon and between 0.1 atomic percent and 8 atomic percent boron.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising densifying at least a portion of the treatment material by a third melt infiltration with a third infiltration material, wherein the third infiltration material includes silicon, and wherein the third melt infiltration is performed at a third temperature lower than the second temperature.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Parolini Jason Robert
• Murray James Joseph
• Hafner Matthew Troy
• Hardwicke Canan Uslu

Classifications

• B05D5/005

  Repairing damaged coatings · CPC title

• F05D2300/2112

  Aluminium oxides · CPC title

• F01D5/005

  Repairing methods or devices · CPC title

• B05D2203/30

  Other inorganic substrates, e.g. ceramics, silicon · CPC title

• B23P6/04 Primary

  Repairing fractures or cracked metal parts or products, e.g. castings · CPC title