Method for building a gas turbine engine component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9358643-B2
Application number	US-201414460566-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2014
Priority date	Aug 15, 2014
Publication date	Jun 7, 2016
Grant date	Jun 7, 2016

Abstract

A method, including: providing a layer of powder material ( 106 ) on a substrate ( 12 ) having protruding rib material ( 26 ); and traversing an energy beam ( 100 ) across the layer of powder material to form a cladding layer ( 10 ) around and bonded to the protruding rib material, wherein the cladding layer defines a layer of an airfoil skin ( 94 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
providing a layer of powder material on a hollow substrate comprising pressure side skin, suction side skin, a rib connecting the pressure side skin to the suction side skin, and protruding rib material protruding from the rib and past the suction and pressure side skins; and
traversing an energy beam across the layer of powder material to form a cladding layer around and bonded to the protruding rib material, wherein the cladding layer defines a layer of an airfoil skin.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing at least a portion of airfoil skin from an existing component while leaving underlying rib material to form the substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising tapering the protruding rib material toward an end of a component comprising the airfoil skin and traversing the energy beam to extend the cladding layer to a tapered side surface of the protruding rib material.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising selecting an angle of taper to permit line of site access to the layer of powder material on both sides of the rib material by a single energy beam source disposed above the end of the rib material.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising selecting the angle of taper to permit an angle of incidence between the energy beam and the tapered side surface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protruding rib material is not tapered toward an end of a component comprising the airfoil skin.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising traversing the energy beam to form a first melt pool that forms a first side of the cladding layer and a second melt pool that concurrently forms a second side of the cladding layer.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising creating the first melt pool and the second melt pool at a common initiation point and in a manner effective to prevent remelt of the cladding layer at the common initiation point.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising terminating the first melt pool and the second melt pool at a common termination point and in a manner effective to prevent remelt of the cladding layer at the common termination point.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a layer of an additional rib as part of the cladding layer.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cladding layer and the substrate each comprise a superalloy.

12. A method, comprising:
providing a layer of powder material on a bonding surface of a hollow substrate, the substrate comprising pressure side skin, suction side skin, a rib connecting the pressure side skin to the suction side skin, and rib material protruding from the rib past the bonding surface; and
traversing an energy beam across the layer of powder material to form a cladding layer that defines a layer of an airfoil skin, the cladding layer comprising a bottom surface that is bonded to the bonding surface, and an inner perimeter that is bonded to the rib material.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising starting to form a first side and a second side of the cladding layer from a common initiation point and in a manner effective to prevent remelt of the cladding layer at the common initiation point, and forming the first side while concurrently forming the second side.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising terminating the forming of the first side and the second side at a common termination point and in a manner effective to prevent remelt of the cladding layer at the common termination point.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising forming the substrate by removing scrap airfoil skin from a first and a second side of an airfoil while leaving at least some rib material that spanned the removed airfoil skin, thereby forming the substrate, wherein the bonding surface is an edge of airfoil skin that was not removed and the rib material protrudes from the edge toward an end of the airfoil.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising tapering the protruding rib material toward an end of a component comprising the airfoil skin and traversing the energy beam to extend the cladding layer to a tapered side surface of the protruding rib material.

17. A method, comprising:
removing scrap airfoil skin from a hollow airfoil while leaving at least some rib material that spanned the removed scrap airfoil skin;
positioning a layer of powder material on an edge of airfoil skin remaining on the airfoil and in contact with a side surface of rib material that protrudes past the edge of the airfoil skin;
locating an energy beam source above an end of the airfoil;
traversing an energy beam from the energy beam source across the layer of powder material to form a cladding layer bonded to the edge of the airfoil skin and to the side surface of the rib material; and
repeating the positioning and traversing steps until the removed scrap airfoil skin and any removed rib material is replaced with the cladding layers.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the traversing step further comprises starting to form a first side and a second side of the cladding layer from a common initiation point and in a manner effective to prevent remelt of the cladding layer at the common initiation point, and forming the first side while concurrently forming the second side.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising terminating the forming of the first side and the second side at a common termination point and in a manner effective to prevent remelt of the cladding layer at the common termination point.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising tapering the protruding rib material toward an end of a component comprising the airfoil and traversing the energy beam to extend the cladding layer to a tapered side surface of the protruding rib material.

Assignees

• Siemens Energy Inc

Inventors

• Bruck Gerald J
• Kamel Ahmed

Classifications

• B22F10/25

  Direct deposition of metal particles, e.g. direct metal deposition [DMD] or laser engineered net shaping [LENS] · CPC title

• B22F10/366

  Scanning parameters, e.g. hatch distance or scanning strategy · CPC title

• B22F10/36

  of energy beam parameters · CPC title

• B22F5/04 Primary

  of turbine blades · CPC title

• B22F7/06

  of composite workpieces or articles from parts, e.g. to form tipped tools {(B22F7/002 takes precedence)} · CPC title