Systems and methods for additively manufactured ceramic composites

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11414355-B2
Application number	US-201916361040-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2019
Priority date	Mar 21, 2019
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

A turbine engine component may comprise a Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) structure including a plurality of nominally dense plies, wherein each of the plurality of the nominally dense plies are bonded by at least one of a Field Assisted Sintering Technique (FAST), a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), or a localized heating at a bonding interface. The turbine engine component may include an airfoil extending between a first platform and a second platform, wherein the airfoil, the first platform, and the second platform define the CMC structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A turbine engine component, comprising:
an airfoil extending between a first platform and a second platform,
the airfoil including shear tubes extending substantially orthogonal to the first platform and the second platform, wherein the shear tubes extend through the first platform and the second platform, wherein the shear tubes define a first core and a second core, wherein the shear tubes are triaxially braided shear tubes,
wherein the airfoil, the first platform, the second platform, and the shear tubes define a Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) structure including a plurality of densified plies,
wherein the plurality of densified plies includes an interply feature comprising at least one of a cooling channel, a void, a machined feature, an additively manufactured feature, or parallel monofilament strands laid along an interlaminar face of a densified ply,
wherein each of the plurality of densified plies are bonded by at least one of a Field Assisted Sintering Technique (FAST), a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), or a localized heating at a bonding interface.

2. The turbine engine component of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of densified plies are densified to a density between 90% and 100% of the theoretical maximum density of a first CMC composition.

3. The turbine engine component of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of densified plies includes an interface layer.

4. The turbine engine component of claim 1 , wherein the CMC structure is characterized by a gradation of a CMC composition of the plurality of plies along a gradient from a first CMC composition to a second CMC composition.

5. The turbine engine component of claim 4 , wherein the gradation of the CMC composition is defined between an aerodynamic surface and a core layer of the turbine engine component.

6. The turbine engine component of claim 3 , wherein the interface layer comprises at least one of a particulate, a chopped fiber, a nanotube, or a slurry.

7. The turbine engine component of claim 1 , wherein the CMC structure comprises greater than 60 percent by volume of fiber.

8. The turbine engine component of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of densified plies comprises a monolithic ceramic composition.

9. An article of manufacture, comprising:
an airfoil extending between a first platform and a second platform,
the airfoil including shear tubes extending substantially orthogonal to the first platform and the second platform, wherein the shear tubes extend through the first platform and the second platform, wherein the shear tubes define a first core and a second core, wherein the shear tubes are triaxially braided shear tubes,
wherein the airfoil, the first platform, the second platform, and the shear tubes define a Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) structure including a plurality of densified plies,
wherein the plurality of densified plies includes an interply feature comprising at least one of a cooling channel, a void, a machined feature, an additively manufactured feature, or parallel monofilament strands laid along an interlaminar face of a densified ply,
wherein each of the plurality of densified plies are bonded by at least one of a Field Assisted Sintering Technique (FAST), a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), or a localized heating at a bonding interface.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the plurality of densified plies is densified to generate an airfoil curvature.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of densified plies are densified to a density between 90% and 100% of the theoretical maximum density of a first CMC composition.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of densified plies includes an interface layer.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 9 , wherein the CMC structure is characterized by a gradation of a CMC composition of the plurality of plies along a gradient from a first CMC composition to a second CMC composition.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 9 , wherein the CMC structure comprises one of face bonded and edge bonded nominally dense plies.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 12 , wherein the interface layer comprises at least one of a particulate, a chopped fiber, a nanotube, or a slurry.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 9 , wherein the CMC structure comprises greater than 60 percent by volume of fiber.

17. A method of manufacturing the CMC structure according to claim 9 , the method comprising:
densifying a feedstock ply to generate a nominally dense ply;
assembling a plurality of nominally dense plies to generate a preform structure; and

bonding the preform structure via at least one of a Field Assisted Sintering Technique (FAST), a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) process, or a localized heating at a bonding interface.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp
• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Sheedy Paul
• Sharon John A
• Schmidt Wayde R
• Magdefrau Neal

Classifications

• B32B18/00

  Layered products essentially comprising ceramics, e.g. refractory products · CPC title

• B33Y70/00

  Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• C04B2237/38

  Fiber or whisker reinforced · CPC title

• C04B35/80 Primary

  Fibres, filaments, whiskers, platelets, or the like · CPC title

• C04B2235/94

  Products characterised by their shape · CPC title