Investment casting core

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10443403-B2
Application number	US-201715412387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2017
Priority date	Jan 23, 2017
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus relating to engineering the geometry for a ball-chute support feature in an investment casting core. The investment casting core is for an airfoil region having at least one serpentine feature and at least one inlet feature coupled to the at least one serpentine feature by a ball-chute support feature. The investment casting core is leached out to form cooling passages in the airfoil.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An investment casting core for forming a cast airfoil extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge to define chord-wise direction, and extending between a root and a tip to define a span-wise direction, comprising:
an airfoil region having at least one serpentine feature;
a platform region having at least one inlet feature coupled to the at least one serpentine feature;
at least one ball-chute support feature extending from the platform region to the airfoil region to define a chute length, which is less than four times the smallest diameter of the ball-chute support feature; and
a fillet between the inlet feature and the ball-chute support feature.

2. The investment casting core of claim 1 wherein the chute length is less than two times the smallest diameter of the ball-chute support feature.

3. The investment casting core of claim 1 wherein the fillet defines a local radius greater than 0.02 in (0.05 cm).

4. The investment casting core of claim 1 wherein the at least one ball-chute support feature comprises multiple ball-chute support features.

5. The investment casting core of claim 4 wherein the multiple ball-chute support features are spaced to control a load path in the cast airfoil.

6. The investment casting core of claim 1 wherein the at least one ball-chute support feature defines a centerline body-axis.

7. The investment casting core of claim 6 wherein the centerline body-axis is oriented in the chord-wise direction.

8. The investment casting core of claim 6 wherein the centerline body-axis is oriented in the span-wise direction.

9. The investment casting core of claim 6 wherein the airfoil rotates in a direction to define a circumferential direction and the centerline body-axis is oriented in the circumferential direction.

10. The investment casting core of claim 6 where the serpentine feature defines a serpentine core centerline and an angle formed between the centerline body-axis and the serpentine core centerline ranges from −45° to 45°.

11. The investment casting core of claim 6 wherein the platform region comprises a shelf support feature having an edge and the centerline body-axis forms an angle with the edge between 45° and 135°.

12. The investment casting core of claim 1 wherein the investment casting core is ceramic.

13. The investment casting core of claim 1 wherein the ball-chute support feature is aligned below the at least one serpentine feature.

14. An investment casting core for forming a hollow within a turbine blade assembly having an airfoil extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge to define a chord-wise direction and extending between a root and a tip to define a span-wise direction, comprising:
an airfoil region with multiple turns defining a serpentine feature;
a platform region with a shelf support feature;
multiple ball-chute support features, each extending between the shelf support feature and a corresponding turn.

15. The investment casting core of claim 14 wherein the multiple ball-chute support features each define a chute length, which is less than four times the smallest diameter of the ball-chute support feature.

16. The investment casting core of claim 14 wherein the multiple ball-chute support features each define a chute length, which is less than two times the smallest diameter of the ball-chute support feature.

17. The investment casting core of claim 14 further including a fillet between the shelf support feature and the ball-chute support feature.

18. The investment casting core of claim 17 wherein the fillet defines a local radius greater than 0.02 in (0.05 cm).

19. The investment casting core of claim 14 wherein the turbine blade assembly further comprises an airfoil region.

20. The investment casting core of claim 19 wherein at least a portion of the serpentine feature is provided in the airfoil region.

21. The investment casting core of claim 14 wherein the multiple ball-chute support features are spaced to control a load path in the airfoil.

22. The investment casting core of claim 14 wherein the multiple ball-chute support features define a centerline body-axis.

23. The investment casting core of claim 22 wherein the centerline body-axis is oriented in the chord-wise direction.

24. The investment casting core of claim 22 wherein the centerline body-axis is oriented in the span-wise direction.

25. The investment casting core of claim 22 wherein the airfoil rotates in a direction to define a circumferential direction and the centerline body-axis is oriented in the circumferential direction.

26. The investment casting core of claim 22 wherein the shelf support feature defines an edge and the centerline body-axis forms an angle with the edge between 45° and 135°.

27. The investment casting core of claim 22 where the serpentine feature defines a serpentine core centerline and an angle formed between the centerline body-axis and the serpentine core centerline ranges from −45° to 45°.

28. The investment casting core of claim 14 wherein the ball-chute support feature is aligned below the serpentine feature.

29. The investment casting core of claim 14 wherein the investment casting core is ceramic.

30. The investment casting core of claim 14 wherein the investment casting core is leeched out to form a cooling circuit in the turbine blade assembly.

31. A turbine blade assembly comprising:
an airfoil extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge to define a chord-wise direction, extending between a root and a tip to define a span-wise direction, and at least one sidewall defining an interior with at least one cooling passage;
a dovetail having an inlet passage with a shelf-space;
at least one ball-chute extending between the shelf-space and the at least one cooling passage; and
a fillet between the shelf-space and the at least one ball-chute.

32. The turbine blade assembly of claim 31 wherein the at least one ball-chute defines a chute length, which is less than four times the smallest diameter of the ball-chute.

33. The turbine blade assembly of claim 31 wherein the at least one ball-chute defines a chute length, which is less than two times the smallest diameter of the ball-chute.

34. The turbine blade assembly of claim 31 wherein the fillet defines a local radius greater than 0.02 in (0.05 cm).

35. The turbine blade assembly of claim 31 wherein the at least one ball-chute is multiple ball-chutes.

36. The turbine blade assembly of claim 35 wherein the multiple ball-chutes are spaced to control a load path in the turbine blade assembly.

37. The turbine blade assembly of claim 31 wherein the at least one ball-chute defines a centerline body-axis.

38. The turbine blade assembly of claim 37 wherein the centerline body-axis is oriented in the chord-wise direction.

39. The turbine blade assembly of claim 37 wherein the centerline body-axis is oriented in the span-wise direction.

40. The turbine blade assembly of claim 37 wherein the airfoil rotates in a direction to define a circumferential direction and the centerline body-axis is oriented in the circumferential direction.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Dooley Weston Nolan
• Hoffman James Michael
• Brassfield Steven Robert

Classifications

• F05D2250/241

  spherical · CPC title

• F05D2260/20

  Heat transfer, e.g. cooling · CPC title

• B22D25/06

  by its physical properties (B22D27/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F01D5/187 Primary

  Convection cooling · CPC title

• B22C9/04

  Use of lost patterns · CPC title