Article having durable ceramic coating with localized abradable portion

• US 6,358,002 B1
• Filed: 08/10/1999
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Good, Randall Richard, Foster, George Everett
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryznic, John E.
• Application Number:
  US09/371,250
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 415/173.4, 415/174.4
• US Class Current: 415/174.4
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 11/122 with erodable or abradable material blades having cutting or grinding tips F01D5/20
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

An air seal is illustrated as used in a gas turbine engine. The seal includes at least a seal substrate, a relatively dense, erosion resistant ceramic layer applied over the bond coat, and an abradable ceramic layer applied in a local area over the dense ceramic layer. The abradable ceramic interacts with a component moving relative to the seal, such as a turbine blade that moves relative to the seal, and cooperates with the moving component to provide sealing and thermal insulation.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine air seal comprising:

a seal substrate;

a layer of adherent alumina formed over the substrate;

a layer of durable ceramic material applied to the alumina layer and composed of a base layer applied on the alumina layer and a graded interlayer, the graded interlayer having a composition adjacent to the base layer corresponding to the bond layer and a composition adjacent the abradable ceramic corresponding to the abradable ceramic; and

an abradable ceramic material applied to only a local area of the durable ceramic layer;

the abradable ceramic material and the durable ceramic material having different compositions.

2. The seal of claim 1, wherein the seal substrate is composed of a material selected from the group consisting essentially of nickel base, cobalt base, iron base superalloys and mixtures thereof.

3. The seal of claim 1, further comprising:

a metallic bond coat applied to the substrate, wherein the alumina layer is formed on the bond coat.

4. The seal of claim 3, wherein the bond coat is a MCrAlY or aluminide bond coat.

5. The seal of claim 1, wherein at least one of the ceramic materials has a thermal conductivity less than 15 Btu-in./ft²-hr.-°

F.

6. The seal of claim 1 wherein the durable ceramic is composed of a material selected from the group consisting essentially of ceria stabilized zirconia, magnesia stabilized zirconia, calcia stabilized zirconia, yttria stabilized zirconia and mixtures thereof.

7. The seal of claim 1, wherein the abradable ceramic material has a porosity of between about 20-35 vol. %.

8. The seal of claim 1, further comprising:

a cooperating component supported for movement relative to and interaction with the abradable ceramic material in a rub zone, the abradable ceramic positioned proximate the rub zone.

9. The seal of claim 1, wherein the seal is an outer air seal and defines a gas path surface, and the dense ceramic extends along the entire gas path surface.

10. The seal of claim 1, wherein the dense ceramic layer is applied to a uniform thickness.

11. The seal of claim 1, wherein the dense ceramic defines a recess, the abradable ceramic layer being applied in the recess of the dense ceramic.

12. The seal of claim 11, wherein the abradable ceramic is applied to conform to the recess.

13. The seal of claim 11, wherein the seal substrate defines a recess, the dense ceramic is applied to provide a recess corresponding to the shape of the seal recess.

14. A gas turbine engine seal system comprising:

a seal assembly having a superalloy substrate;

an alumina layer on at least a portion of the substrate;

an erosion resistant ceramic layer applied to the alumina layer; and

an abradable ceramic material applied to only a local area of the erosion resistant ceramic layer, the erosion resistant ceramic composed of a base layer on the alumina layer and a graded interlayer, the graded interlayer having a composition adjacent to the base layer corresponding to the bond layer and a composition adjacent the abradable ceramic corresponding to the abradable ceramic, and the abradable ceramic material and the erosion resistant ceramic material having different compositions; and

an engine component adapted for motion relative to the seal assembly and having an abrasive portion interacting with the abradable ceramic layer in a rub zone at least partially coextensive with the local area, the abrasive portion of the component and the abradable ceramic layer of the seal assembly cooperating to provide sealing.

15. The seal system of claim 14, further comprising:

a MCrAlY or aluminide bond coat on the substrate, the alumina layer formed on the bond coat.

16. The seal system of claim 14, wherein the dense ceramic layer includes microcracks.

17. The seal system of claim 14, wherein the abradable ceramic material has a porosity of between about 5-35 vol. %.

18. The seal system of claim 14, wherein the component comprises a rotating blade tip interacting with the seal assembly in a blade rub zone, the abradable ceramic located proximate the blade rub zone.

19. The seat system of claim 14, wherein the dense ceramic defines a recess, the abradable ceramic layer being applied in the recess of the dense ceramic.

20. The seal system of claim 19, wherein the abradable ceramic is applied to conform to the recess.

21. The seal system of claim 19, wherein the seal substrate defines a trench, the dense ceramic is applied so as to define a corresponding recess.