Method for manufacturing rotary article by cold metal transfer welding deposition and rotary article as manufactured

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9981333-B2
Application number	US-201314442225-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2013
Priority date	Nov 12, 2012
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a rotary article comprises: providing a cold metal transfer welding apparatus comprising a welding torch; providing a rotary substrate; providing a digital representation of the rotary article having at least one internal flo passage; defining a welding path on the rotary substrate based on the digital representation; rotating the rotary substrate while depositing a filler metal layer by layer on the welding path of the rotary substrate to form the rotary article; and separating the rotary substrate from the rotary article.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a rotary article, the method comprising:
defining a welding path on a rotary substrate based on a digital representation of the rotary article having at least one internal flow passage;
rotating the rotary substrate while depositing layer by layer of a filler metal on the welding path of the rotary substrate to form the rotary article, wherein depositing each layer comprises:
(i) depositing a circle or near circle structure on the rotary substrate while rotating the rotary substrate; and
(ii) depositing a blade structure by moving a welding torch of a cold metal transfer welding apparatus, relative to the rotary substrate along a direction intersecting with the circle or near circle structure while maintaining the rotary substrate unrotated; and

separating the rotary substrate from the rotary article.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing each layer further comprises:
(iii) moving at least one of the welding torch and the rotary substrate along or parallel to an axial direction of the rotary substrate;
(iv) depositing another circle or near circle structure while rotating the rotary substrate;
(v) rotating the rotary substrate; and
(vi) repeating steps (ii) and (v) until each layer of all blade structures are deposited.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein in step (v), the rotary substrate is rotated to an angle so as to deposit a next blade structure adjacent to a previous blade structure.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein in step (v), the rotary substrate is rotated to an angle so as to deposit a next blade structure opposite or nearly opposite to a previous blade structure.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising finishing the rotary article by electrical discharge machining.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising cooling the rotary substrate and deposit thereon by passing a cooling fluid through a hole in the rotary substrate.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the filler metal is selected from the group consisting of carbon steel, alloyed steel, nickel alloy, titanium alloy, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the filler metal is fed at a rate ranging from about 3 m/min to about 10 m/min during the depositing.

9. A method for manufacturing a rotary article, the method comprising:
depositing layer by layer of a filler metal on a rotary substrate while concurrently performing at least one of rotating or moving the rotary substrate and moving a welding torch of a cold metal transfer welding apparatus, to form the rotary article, wherein depositing each layer comprises:
(i) depositing a circle or near circle structure on the rotary substrate while rotating the rotary substrate; and
(ii) depositing a blade structure by moving the welding torch relative to the rotary substrate along a direction intersecting with the circle or near circle structure while maintaining the rotary substrate unrotated or while rotating the rotary substrate; and

separating the rotary substrate from the rotary article.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising finishing the rotary article by electrical discharge machining.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising cooling the rotary substrate and deposit thereon by passing a cooling fluid through a hole in the rotary substrate.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the filler metal is selected from the group consisting of carbon steel, alloyed steel, nickel alloy, titanium alloy, and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the filler metal is fed at a rate ranging from about 3 m/min to about 10 m/min during depositing.

14. A method for manufacturing a rotary article, comprising:
defining a welding path on a rotary substrate based on a digital representation of the rotary article having at least one internal flow passage;
rotating the rotary substrate while depositing layer by layer of a filler metal on the welding path of the rotary substrate to form the rotary article, wherein depositing each layer comprises:
(i) depositing a circle or near circle structure on the rotary substrate while rotating the rotary substrate; and
(ii) depositing a blade structure by moving a welding torch of a cold metal transfer welding apparatus, relative to the rotary substrate along a direction intersecting with the circle or near circle structure while rotating the rotary substrate; and

separating the rotary substrate from the rotary article.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein depositing each layer further comprises:
(iii) moving at least one of the welding torch and the rotary substrate along or parallel to an axial direction of the rotary substrate;
(iv) depositing another circle or near circle structure while rotating the rotary substrate;
(v) rotating the rotary substrate; and
(vi) repeating steps (ii) and (v) until each layer of all blade structures are deposited.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein in step (v), the rotary substrate is rotated to an angle so as to deposit a next blade structure adjacent to a previous blade structure.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein in step (v), the rotary substrate is rotated to an angle so as to deposit a blade structure opposite or nearly opposite to a previous blade structure.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising finishing the rotary article by electrical discharge machining.

19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising cooling the rotary substrate and deposit thereon by passing a cooling fluid through a hole in the rotary substrate.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the filler metal is selected from the group consisting of carbon steel, alloyed steel, nickel alloy, titanium alloy, and combinations thereof.

21. The method of claim 14 , wherein the filler metal is fed at a rate ranging from about 3 m/min to about 10 m/min during the depositing.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Tan Wen
• Yuan Renwei
• Shen Hongyuan
• Yang Lei
• Liu Yong
• Peng Zhixue
• Li Yanmin
• Cai Guoshuang

Classifications

• B23P15/006

  turbine wheels · CPC title

• B23K9/048 Primary

  on cylindrical surfaces · CPC title

• B23K9/124

  Circuits or methods for feeding welding wire · CPC title

• B23K9/04 Primary

  Welding for other purposes than joining, e.g. built-up welding · CPC title

• F04D29/284

  for compressors · CPC title