Additively manufactured casting articles for manufacturing gas turbine engine parts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016184884-A1
Application number	US-201514870443-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 30, 2015
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A casting article according to another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a circuit forming portion including an interior channel and an outer shell body that surrounds the interior channel. An engineered failure feature is formed in the outer shell body and is configured to increase compressibility of the casting article during a casting process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A casting article, comprising:
a circuit forming portion including an interior channel and an outer shell body that surrounds said interior channel; and an engineered failure feature formed in said outer shell body and configured to increase compressibility of the casting article during a casting process.

2 . The casting article as recited in claim 1 , wherein said engineered failure feature includes a thinned portion formed in said outer shell body, said thinned portion have a reduced thickness compared to a second portion of said outer shell body.

3 . The casting article as recited in claim 1 , wherein said engineered failure feature includes an internal support that extends between a suction side forming wall and a pressure side forming wall of said outer shell body.

4 . The casting article as recited in claim 1 , wherein said engineered failure feature includes at least one porous area formed in said outer shell body, said at least one porous area having a first density that is less than a second density of a second portion of said outer shell body.

5 . The casting article as recited in claim 1 , wherein said interior channel establishes a leaching path through said circuit forming portion.

6 . The casting article as recited in claim 1 , comprising a plurality of engineered failure features formed in said outer shell body.

7 . The casting article as recited in claim 1 , wherein said engineered failure feature includes a thinned portion formed in a rib forming wall of said outer shell body.

8 . The casting article as recited in claim 1 , wherein said engineered failure feature includes at least one porous area formed in a rib forming wall of said outer shell body.

9 . The casting article as recited in claim 8 , wherein said at least one porous area is configured to fail toward said interior channel.

10 . The casting article as recited in claim 1 , wherein said engineered failure feature is configured to deflect toward a center of said interior channel.

11 . A method of preparing a casting article for manufacturing a gas turbine engine part, comprising the steps of:
communicating a powdered material to an additive manufacturing system, the powdered material including at least one of a silica material, an alumina material, and a refractory metal material; and using the additive manufacturing system to manufacture a casting article layer by layer, the casting article including a plurality of circuit forming portions, at least one of the circuit forming portions including an interior channel surrounded by an outer shell body and an engineered failure feature formed in the outer shell body.

12 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the interior channel establishes a hollow opening through the circuit forming portion.

13 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the engineered failure feature includes a thinned portion formed in the outer shell body, an internal support that extends between a suction side forming wall and a pressure side forming wall of the outer shell body, or a porous area formed in the outer shell body.

14 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the step of using the additive manufacturing system includes:
melting a first layer of the powdered material to form a first cross-sectional layer of the casting article; spreading a second layer of the powdered material on top of the first cross-sectional layer; and melting the second layer to form a second cross-sectional layer of the casting article.

15 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the engineered failure feature includes an internal support that extends between a suction side forming wall and a pressure side forming wall of the outer shell body.

16 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the engineered failure feature includes at least one porous area formed in the outer shell body.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Slavens Thomas N
• Zelesky Mark F
• Xu Jinquan
• Wagner Joel H

Classifications

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B22C9/02

  Sand moulds or like moulds for shaped castings · CPC title

• F05D2230/30

  with deposition of material · CPC title

• B22C1/00

  Compositions of refractory mould or core materials; Grain structures thereof (refractory materials in general C04B35/00); Chemical or physical features in the formation or manufacture of moulds · CPC title