BRAZING PROCESS, BRAZE ARRANGEMENT, AND BRAZED ARTICLE

• US 20140220376A1
• Filed: 02/04/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: SCHICK, David Edward, MORRISON, Dean William, CUI, Yan, JOHNSTON, Bill Damon, KOTTILINGAM, Srikanth Chandrudu
• Granted Patent: US 9,056,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/615
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 1/0018 Brazing of turbine parts
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 1/19 taking account of the properties of the materials to be soldered
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/001 Turbines
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/0222 for use in soldering, brazing B23K35/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/0238 layered
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 6/002 Repairing turbine components, e.g. moving or stationary blades, rotors, B23P6/045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/01 all layers being exclusively metallic making layered metal workpieces by pressure cladding B23K20/22; making coatings with a metallic material characterised by its composition C23C30/00
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/005 Repairing methods or devices
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2230/237 Brazing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12493 Composite; i.e., plural, adjacent, spatially distinct metal components [e.g., layers, joint, etc.]

Abstract

A brazing process, a braze arrangement, and a brazed article are disclosed. The brazing process includes brazing an article with a braze arrangement. The braze arrangement includes a first braze material and a second braze material, the first braze material having a first melting point and the second braze material having a second melting point, the first melting point differing from the second melting point. The brazed article includes a treatment region, a first brazed material positioned within the treatment region, and a second brazed material positioned distal from the article in comparison to the first brazed material. The first brazed material is formed by the first braze material and the second brazed material is formed by the second braze material.

Claims

1. A brazing process, comprising:

brazing an article with a braze arrangement;

wherein the braze arrangement includes a first braze material and a second braze material, the first braze material having a first melting point and the second braze material having a second melting point, the first melting point differing from the second melting point;

wherein the first braze material forms a first brazed region and the second braze material forms a second brazed region;

wherein the first braze material is arranged to form the first brazed region within a treatment region of the article.

2. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the treatment region includes one or more fissures, one or more cracks, one or more joints, one or more uneven abutments, or a combination thereof.

3. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the treatment region is an opening.

4. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the first brazed region is formed being substantially devoid of re-formed oxides.

5. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the first brazed region is formed being devoid of re-formed oxides.

6. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the braze arrangement includes a pre-sintered preform, the pre-sintered preform including the first braze material and the second braze material.

7. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the first braze material has a melting point between about 1100°

C. and about 1150°

C.

8. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the second braze material has a melting point between about 1400°

C. and about 1500°

C.

9. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the first braze material and the second braze material differ in composition, microstructure, density, viscosity at given temperatures, viscosity profiles, ductility, resistance to fatigue, adhesion properties, boiling point, sublimation profiles, quantity, volume, and concentration.

10. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the first braze material is arranged with the first braze material surrounding the second braze material.

11. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the first braze material is positioned distal from the article in comparison to the second braze material.

12. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the first braze material and the second braze material are positioned on opposite sides of the braze arrangement.

13. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the first braze material is interspersed throughout the second braze material in a homogenous or substantially homogenous manner.

14. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the first braze material is interspersed in a heterogeneous manner with the second braze material.

15. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the first braze material and the second braze material form a plurality of brazed layers.

16. The brazing process of claim 1, wherein the second brazed region is positioned distal from the article in comparison to the first brazed region.

17. The process of claim 1, wherein the first braze material and the second braze material are at an equal or substantially equal volume ratio.

18. The process of claim 1, wherein the article is a portion of a component, the component being selected from the group consisting of a hot gas path turbine component, a blade, a dovetail, a shroud, a nozzle, a bucket, and combinations thereof.

19. A braze arrangement, comprising:

a first braze material; and

a second braze material,

wherein the first braze material has a first melting point and the second braze material has a second melting point, the first melting point differing from the second melting point;

wherein the first braze material forms a first brazed region and the second braze material forms a second brazed region;

wherein the first braze material is arranged to form the first brazed region within a treatment region of the article.

20. A brazed article, comprising:

a treatment region;

a first brazed material positioned within the treatment region; and

a second brazed material positioned distal from the article in comparison to the first brazed material;

wherein the first brazed material is formed by a first braze material and the second brazed material is formed by a second braze material, the first braze material having a first melting point and the second braze material having a second melting point, the first melting point differing from the second melting point.