Rotors and methods of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10480332-B2
Application number	US-201715491114-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2017
Priority date	Dec 10, 2014
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A method of joining a first work piece and a second workpiece. The first and second workpieces may be rotor wheels of a rotor for a turbomachine. At least one of the workpieces includes an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material and the first and second work pieces may be joined by welding a cladding on at least one of the workpieces to the other of the workpieces, without welding a substrate of the at least one workpiece which includes an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a rotor for a turbomachine, the method comprising:
forming a first rotor wheel comprising an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material, the first rotor wheel defining a radius length along a radial direction;
applying a cladding on a downstream face of the first rotor wheel by solid state joining a layer of a second material distinct from the oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material to the downstream face of the first rotor wheel, the cladding defining a width extending along the radial direction, the width of the cladding is less than the radius length of the first rotor wheel; and
joining the first rotor wheel to a second rotor wheel by welding the cladding to a portion of an upstream face of the second rotor wheel without welding the first rotor wheel;
wherein the method does not alter the grain structure of the oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein joining the first rotor wheel to the second rotor wheel comprises fusion welding the cladding to the portion of the upstream face of the second rotor wheel without creating a heat-affected zone in the first rotor wheel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein joining the first rotor wheel to the second rotor wheel comprises friction stir welding the cladding to the portion of the upstream face of the second rotor wheel without deforming the first rotor wheel.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material is homogenous and uniform throughout the first rotor wheel.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cladding comprises a first cladding, the method further comprising forming the second rotor wheel of the oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material, the second rotor wheel defining a radial length along the radial direction, and applying a second cladding on the upstream face of the second rotor wheel, the second cladding comprising the second material distinct from the oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material, the second cladding defining a width extending along the radial direction, the width of the second cladding less than the radius length of the second rotor wheel, and joining the first rotor wheel to the second rotor wheel comprises welding the first cladding and the second cladding without welding the first rotor wheel and without welding the second rotor wheel.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein joining the first rotor wheel to the second rotor wheel comprises fusion welding the first cladding and the second cladding without creating a heat-affected zone in the first rotor wheel and without creating a heat-affected zone in the second rotor wheel.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein joining the first rotor wheel to the second rotor wheel comprises friction stir welding the first cladding and the second cladding without deforming the first rotor wheel and without deforming the second rotor wheel.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein solid state joining comprises friction surface cladding the layer of the second material to the downstream face of the first rotor wheel.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein solid state joining comprises explosion bonding the layer of the second material to the downstream face of the first rotor wheel.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first rotor wheel is a first stage rotor wheel positioned at an upstream end of the rotor.

11. A method of joining, comprising:
forming a first workpiece, the first workpiece comprising a substrate and a cladding, forming the first workpiece comprises:
forming the substrate of the first workpiece, the substrate comprising an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material, the substrate defining a radius length along a radial direction; and
applying the cladding to a portion of a surface of the substrate by solid state joining a layer of a second material distinct from the oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material to a face of the substrate, the cladding defining a width extending along the radial direction, the width of the cladding less than the radius length of the substrate; and

joining the first workpiece to a second workpiece by welding the cladding to a portion of a surface of the second workpiece without welding the substrate;
wherein the method does not alter the grain structure of the oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the substrate comprises a first substrate, the cladding comprises a first cladding, and the second workpiece comprises a second substrate, the method further comprises applying a second cladding to the portion of the surface of the second workpiece, and joining the first workpiece to the second workpiece comprises welding the first cladding to the second cladding without welding the first substrate and without welding the second substrate.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Kottilingam Srikanth Chandrudu
• Potter Kenneth B

Classifications

• F05D2300/609

  Grain size · CPC title

• F05D2300/174

  Titanium alloys, e.g. TiAl · CPC title

• F05D2230/239

  Inertia or friction welding · CPC title

• C21D2211/004

  Dispersions; Precipitations · CPC title

• F01D5/02

  Blade-carrying members, e.g. rotors (rotors of non-bladed type F01D1/34; stators F01D9/00 {; selecting particular materials F01D5/28}) · CPC title