Abradable material feedstock and methods and apparatus for manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10315249-B2
Application number	US-201615223480-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2016
Priority date	Jul 29, 2016
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a powder comprises vaporizing a solvent; passing a metallic powder and a polymer powder through the solvent vapor to mix the metallic powder with the polymer powder; and removing the solvent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a powder, the method comprising:
vaporizing a solvent;
driving a flow of a first metallic powder along a flowpath;
passing a second metallic powder and a polymer powder through the solvent vapor to mix the second metallic powder with the polymer powder and introduce the second metallic powder and polymer powder to the flow of the first metallic powder; and
removing said solvent.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
vibratory mixing of the mixed second metallic powder and polymer powder and the first metallic powder to produce a blend.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
size classifying the blend.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the size classifying comprises:
feeding back undersize particles to a source of the first metallic powder or the second metallic powder; and
crushing oversize particles and feeding the crushed particles back into a classifier performing the size classifying.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
controlling a temperature of the first metallic powder to a first temperature;
controlling a temperature of the second metallic powder to a second temperature; and
controlling a temperature of the polymer powder to a third temperature.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:
the first temperature is greater than the second temperature; and
the second temperature is greater than the third temperature.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein:
the first temperature is equal to or greater than a dew point of the solvent vapor;
the second temperature is equal to or less than the dew point; and
the third temperature is less than the dew point.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein:
the controlling the temperature of the first metallic powder to the first temperature comprises heating;
the controlling the temperature of the second metallic powder to the second temperature comprises heating; and
the controlling the temperature of the polymer powder to the third temperature comprises cooling.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein an overlapping powder delivery process of the second metallic powder and the polymer powder provides:
the mixing of the second metallic powder and the polymer powder; and
the introduction of the mixed second metallic powder and polymer powder to the flow of the first metallic powder.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the overlapping powder delivery process comprises:
delivering the second metallic powder onto the flow of the first metallic powder over a first footprint; and
delivering the polymer powder over a second footprint within the first footprint.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the overlapping powder delivery process comprises overlapping spraying.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the first metallic powder and the second metallic powder are of alloys of the same composition.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
maintaining the solvent vapor at a partial pressure of at least 50% of a chamber atmosphere.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the solvent comprises acetone.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
passing a non-metallic filler through the solvent vapor.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein:
the non-metallic filler comprises a metal oxide and/or rare earth oxide.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein:
the non-metallic filler comprises hBN.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein:
the non-metallic filler is a solid lubricant.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Strock Christopher W

Classifications

• C08J3/128 Primary

  Polymer particles coated by inorganic and non-macromolecular organic compounds · CPC title

• B22F1/16

  Metallic particles coated with a non-metal (coated with lubricating or binding agents or with organic material B22F1/10) · CPC title

• B22F1/148

  Agglomerating · CPC title

• B22F1/00

  Metallic powder; Treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working or to improve properties · CPC title

• B22F1/10

  Metallic powder containing lubricating or binding agents; Metallic powder containing organic material · CPC title