METHODS OF FORMING HIGH-TEMPERATURE ELECTROFORMED COMPONENTS AND RELATED COMPONENTS

• US 20200131654A1
• Filed: 10/01/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Detor, Andrew Joseph, Casey, Rebecca Louise, Nalawade, Sachin Ananda
• Granted Patent: US 11,203,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/10 Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 1/00 Electroforming
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 1/003 3D structures, e.g. superposed patterned layers
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 15/00 Electrolytic or electrophoretic production of coatings containing embedded materials, e.g. particles, whiskers, wires
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 3/12 of nickel or cobalt
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 3/38 of copper

Abstract

An electroformed composite component includes reinforcing particles in a metal matrix. The composite component is formed by a method including passing an electric current between an anode and a cathode in the presence of an electrolyte. The electrolyte includes a metal salt and a plurality of reinforcing particle precursors. The method further includes depositing a composite layer on the cathode, wherein the composite layer includes the metal matrix and the plurality of reinforcing particle precursors dispersed in the metal matrix. An optional heat treatment can be performed subsequently to transform the precursor particles to more stable forms with concomitant improvement in composite material properties.

Claims

1. A method of forming an electroformed composite component, the electroformed composite component comprising reinforcing particles in a metal matrix, the method comprising:

passing an electric current between an anode and a cathode in the presence of an electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte comprises a metal salt and a plurality of reinforcing particle precursors; and

depositing a composite layer on the cathode, wherein the composite layer comprises the metal matrix and the plurality of reinforcing particle precursors dispersed in the metal matrix.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a first heat-treatment of the electroformed component to transform the reinforcing particle precursors to more stable phases of the reinforcing particles.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first heat-treatment is performed in a vacuum.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising performing a second heat-treatment after the first heat-treatment to transform the reinforcing phase particles to another phase.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second heat-treatment is performed at a higher temperature than the first heat-treatment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first heat-treatment comprises heating the electroformed component at a temperature equal to or greater than a transformation temperature of the reinforcing particle precursors for a time sufficient to complete a transformation of the reinforcing particle precursors to a more stable phase of the reinforcing particles.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal salt comprises a salt of nickel, copper, cobalt, or combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing particle precursors comprise hydroxide precursors of the reinforcing particles.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of reinforcing particle precursors comprises precursors of alumina particles, yttria particles, alumina fibers, cerium oxide particles, silica particles, titanium oxide particles, or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of reinforcing particle precursors comprises an aluminum hydroxide material, an yttrium hydroxide material, a cerium hydroxide material, a silicon hydroxide material, a titanium hydroxide material, or combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein average particle size of the reinforcing particle precursors is less than about 100 nanometers.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a volume fraction of the plurality of reinforcing particles in the composite layer is in a range from about 2 volume % to about 10 volume %.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a mean free path between the plurality of reinforcing particle precursors is in a range from about 5 nanometers to about 1000 nanometers.

14. An electroformed component formed using the method of claim 1.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite layer comprises a nickel-based matrix and the reinforcing particle precursors comprise one or more of alumina particles, yttria particles, alumina fibers, or a combination thereof dispersed in the nickel-based matrix.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite layer comprises a nickel-based matrix and a plurality of Boehmite particles dispersed in the nickel-based matrix.

17. The method of claim 1, comprising depositing the electroformed component on a mandrel to have a desired average thickness from about 0.5 millimeters to about 5 millimeters.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the electroformed component is a component of an aircraft engine.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the electroformed component comprises aircraft engine conveyance components, tubing, ducting, seals, vanes, airfoils, struts, liners, cases, flow-path structures, leading edges, brackets, flanges, housings.

20. The method of 1, wherein the electroformed component has a service temperature capability that is greater than 500°

F.

21. The method of 1, wherein the electroformed component has a service temperature capability that is equal to or greater than 1200°

F.