AIRFOIL COMPONENTS CONTAINING CERAMIC-BASED MATERIALS AND PROCESSES THEREFOR

• US 20140050893A1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Noe, Mark Eugene, Verrilli, Michael James, Marusko, Mark Willard, Jamison, Joshua Brian, Izon, Paul, Paige, Anthony Reid
• Granted Patent: US 9,410,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/158
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/187 Convection cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/20 Specially-shaped blade tips to seal space between tips and stator F01D5/225 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/28 Selecting particular materials; Particular measures relating thereto; Measures against erosion or corrosion
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/282 Selecting composite materials, e.g. blades with reinforcing filaments
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/284 Selection of ceramic materials
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/125 related to the tip of a stator vane
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/307 related to the tip of a rotor blade
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24496 Foamed or cellular component

Abstract

A process for producing airfoil components containing ceramic-based materials and having a tip cap. The process entails forming an airfoil portion of the component from an airfoil portion material that contains a precursor of a ceramic-based material. The airfoil portion material defines concave and convex walls of the airfoil portion, and the concave and convex walls define a tip region of the airfoil portion and at least one cavity within the airfoil portion. At least a first ply is formed that contains a precursor of a ceramic-based material, and the first ply at least partially closes the cavity at the tip region of the airfoil portion. The airfoil portion material and the first ply are then cured so that the first ply forms a tip cap that closes the cavity and the precursors of the airfoil portion material and first ply are converted to the ceramic-based materials thereof.

Claims

1. A process for producing an airfoil component, the process comprising:

forming an airfoil portion of an airfoil portion material containing a precursor of a ceramic-based material, the airfoil portion material defining concave and convex walls of the airfoil portion, the concave and convex walls defining a tip region of the airfoil portion and at least a first cavity within the airfoil portion;

forming at least a first ply that contains a precursor of a ceramic-based material, the first ply at least partially closing the first cavity at the tip region of the airfoil portion; and

then

curing the airfoil portion material of the airfoil portion and the first ply so that the first ply forms a tip cap that closes the first cavity at the tip region and the precursors of the airfoil portion material and the first ply are converted to the ceramic-based materials thereof.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil portion material further contains a reinforcement material in the precursor thereof, and the reinforcement material is contained in a matrix formed by the ceramic-based material of the airfoil portion material as a result of the curing step.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the airfoil portion material comprises a plurality of plies, each of the plies contains a reinforcement material in the precursor of the airfoil portion material, and the reinforcement materials of the plies are contained in a matrix formed by the ceramic-based material of the airfoil portion material as a result of the curing step.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the first ply further contains a reinforcement material in the precursor thereof, and the reinforcement material is contained in a matrix formed by the ceramic-based material of the first ply as a result of the curing step.

5. The process according to claim 1, further comprising forming a plurality of additional plies that each contains the precursor of the ceramic-based material of the first ply, and the first cavity at the tip region of the airfoil portion is completely closed by the first ply and the additional plies.

6. The process according to claim 5, wherein the first and additional plies are oriented within the first cavity to lie in chord-wise and span-wise directions of the airfoil portion.

7. The process according to claim 5, wherein the first and additional plies are oriented within the cavity to lie in chord-wise and thickness-wise directions of the airfoil portion.

8. The process according to claim 5, wherein the first and additional plies define a wedge-shaped profile.

9. The process according to claim 8, further comprising:

forming a notch in the concave and convex walls of the airfoil portion; and

inserting the first and additional plies in the cavity of the airfoil portion so that the wedge-shaped profile engages the notch in the concave and convex walls;

wherein the tip cap is interlocked within the first cavity by the interlocking of the wedge-shaped profile and the notch.

10. The process according to claim 5, wherein the airfoil portion material comprises a plurality of plies, each of the plies contains a reinforcement material in the precursor of the airfoil portion material, and the reinforcement materials of the plies are contained in a matrix formed by the ceramic-based material of the airfoil portion material as a result of the curing step.

11. The process according to claim 10, wherein the first ply, the additional plies, and the plies of the airfoil portion material are prepreg plies formed by a prepreg process comprising melt-infiltration of a fabric material.

12. The process according to claim 5, wherein the first and additional plies completely close only the first cavity at the tip region of the airfoil portion.

13. The process according to claim 12, further comprising second additional plies that completely close a second cavity at the tip region of the airfoil portion.

14. The process according to claim 12, further comprising second additional plies that are within the first cavity and are a wrapped around the first and additional plies within the first cavity.

15. The process according to claim 5, wherein the first and additional plies completely close the first cavity and a second cavity at the tip region of the airfoil portion.

17. The process according to claim 1, further comprising engaging the tip cap and the concave and convex walls of the airfoil portion with at least one pin to secure the tip cap within the first cavity.

18. The process according to claim 1, further comprising forming purge holes through the tip cap, the purge holes being fluidically connected to the first cavity.

19. The process according to claim 1, wherein the component is a turbine blade of a turbomachine.

20. The component produced by the process of claim 1.