A tooling fixture for automated thermal spray of gas turbine turbine vane

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of thermal spraying coating, in particular to a tool clamp for automatic thermal spraying of gas turbine turbine guide vane. The tool clamp is divided into two parts of exhaust side and air inlet side, wherein: the exhaust side base is connected with the exhaust side upper baffle, the exhaust side lower baffle, the exhaust side front baffle and the exhaust side rear baffle through fixing bolts, and is fixed with the left side of the gas turbine turbine guide vane through fixing bolts; the air inlet side base is connected with the air inlet side upper baffle, the air inlet side lower baffle, the air inlet side front baffle and the air inlet side rear baffle through fixing bolts, and is fixed with the right side of the gas turbine turbine guide vane through fixing bolts. The present application is used for the preparation of the outer surface of the gas turbine turbine guide vane blade body with thermal barrier coating, and can effectively and stably control the performance and quality of the thermal barrier coating, and improve the production efficiency.

Description

A tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes. Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of thermal spray coating technology, specifically to a tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes. Background Technology

[0002] High-pressure turbine guide vanes are key components of the turbine section of gas turbines. With the development of gas turbine technology, the turbine inlet temperature has gradually increased. Currently, the heat resistance temperature of high-pressure turbine guide vane materials can no longer meet the development requirements of gas turbines, and thermal barrier coating technology has become a necessary means to solve the cooling problem of high-pressure turbine guide vanes.

[0003] For nearly 20 years, my country has been committed to the research and application of thermal barrier coatings for gas turbines. Currently, thermal barrier coatings prepared by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) for high-pressure turbine guide vanes exhibit insufficient thermal insulation performance and premature peeling during testing, becoming a long-standing technical challenge in gas turbine development. Replacing EB-PVD with atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) is a key technology for solving this problem. Due to the complex blade profile and the large curvature of the blade body and rim surfaces, to ensure coating thickness uniformity and performance stability, it is essential to study an automated spraying process for thermal barrier coatings on high-pressure turbine guide vanes. How to cure the thermal barrier coating onto the blade, generate and optimize the spray gun trajectory, and perfectly couple the automation system, spray gun, and cooling system are crucial technologies for achieving this research.

[0004] Domestically, a mathematical model for coating accumulation rate has been established to partition the complex curved surface of turbine guide vanes. Using the variance of the coating thickness at discrete points on the surface compared to the ideal coating thickness as the objective function, the spraying trajectory is optimized for each region, thus achieving optimized spraying trajectories for the complex curved surfaces of high-pressure turbine guide vanes. However, to achieve the preparation of thermal barrier coatings for high-pressure turbine guide vanes, the spraying process must be combined with tooling fixtures to ensure active cooling, precise positioning, and stable rotation of the blades during the spraying process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues and achieve the preparation of thermal barrier coatings for gas turbine guide vanes, the present invention aims to provide a tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes. This fixture enables precise positioning and stable, uniform rotation of the gas turbine guide vanes during the spraying process. Furthermore, the fixture includes a ventilation system for active cooling of the gas turbine guide vanes, preventing excessive temperature buildup during spraying that could lead to coating detachment. This achieves the preparation of thermal barrier coatings for gas turbine guide vanes. The fixture also provides effective protection for the blade slab, improving production efficiency.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes is provided. The tooling fixture is divided into two parts: an exhaust side and an inlet side. The exhaust side base is connected to the upper exhaust side baffle, the lower exhaust side baffle, the front exhaust side baffle, and the rear exhaust side baffle by fixing bolts, and is fixed to the left side rafter of the gas turbine guide vane by fixing bolts. The inlet side base is connected to the upper inlet side baffle, the lower inlet side baffle, the front inlet side baffle, and the rear inlet side baffle by fixing bolts, and is fixed to the right side rafter of the gas turbine guide vane by fixing bolts.

[0008] The aforementioned tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes comprises an exhaust-side base mounted on the left side of a commercial rotary worktable. Four rectangular positioning slots are machined on one side of the exhaust-side base. An upper exhaust-side baffle, a lower exhaust-side baffle, a front exhaust-side baffle, and a rear exhaust-side baffle are connected to the four positioning slots of the exhaust-side base to form a cuboid frame structure. Each baffle has two threaded holes machined on both sides, with the threaded holes between adjacent baffles corresponding one-to-one and assembled using fixing bolts. The exhaust-side base, along with the upper exhaust-side baffle, lower exhaust-side baffle, front exhaust-side baffle, and rear exhaust-side baffle, forms a hollow inner cavity. The left rafter of the gas turbine guide vane is positioned within this cavity. The upper exhaust-side baffle, lower exhaust-side baffle, front exhaust-side baffle, and rear exhaust-side baffle correspond to the four sides of the left rafter and are connected by fixing bolts to achieve a complete fit.

[0009] The aforementioned tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes has an air inlet side base mounted on the right side of a commercial rotary table. Four rectangular positioning slots are machined on one side of the air inlet side base. An upper, lower, front, and rear baffle on the air inlet side are connected to the four positioning slots of the air inlet side base to form a cuboid frame structure. Each baffle has two threaded holes on both sides, with the threaded holes between adjacent baffles corresponding one-to-one and connected by fixing bolts. The air inlet side base, along with the upper, lower, front, and rear baffles, forms a hollow inner cavity. The right-side rafter of the gas turbine guide vane is located within this cavity. The upper, lower, front, and rear baffles on the air inlet side correspond to the four sides of the right-side rafter and are connected by fixing bolts to achieve a complete fit.

[0010] The aforementioned tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes, wherein the right side sill of the gas turbine guide vane is positioned with the air inlet side base by a lower positioning pin, a first blade side positioning pin, a second blade side positioning pin, and an upper blade positioning pin.

[0011] The tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes has one end of the lower locating pin, the first blade side locating pin, the second blade side locating pin, and the upper blade locating pin machined with threads. The right side slab has locating holes. The lower locating pin, the first blade side locating pin, the second blade side locating pin, and the upper blade locating pin pass through the right side slab and are fixed to the air inlet side base by threads.

[0012] The tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes, comprising an exhaust side upper baffle, an exhaust side lower baffle, an exhaust side front baffle, an exhaust side rear baffle, an intake side upper baffle, an intake side lower baffle, an intake side front baffle, and an intake side rear baffle, provides stability to the left and right sills of the gas turbine guide vanes.

[0013] The aforementioned tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes has a circular threaded hole machined in the center of the air inlet side base, and the air inlet pipe is connected to the air inlet side base through external threads.

[0014] The aforementioned tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes enables precise positioning of the gas turbine guide vanes within the range of 0º to 360º.

[0015] The design concept of this invention is:

[0016] This invention adopts a modular design concept, designing independent support structures and accessories for the shape and size of the gas turbine guide vane sill. The components are assembled into a complete tooling fixture using screw fixing, ensuring precise and stable positioning of the turbine guide vane, high compatibility with the turbine guide vane, and flexible, easily replaceable components. The dimensions of the accessories can be adjusted according to the requirements of different blade models, expanding the application range of this tooling fixture. Through the effective cooperation of a series of accessories such as the exhaust-side base, exhaust-side upper baffle, exhaust-side rear baffle, exhaust-side front baffle, exhaust-side lower baffle, fixing bolts, gas turbine guide vane, inlet-side upper baffle, inlet-side lower baffle, inlet-side rear baffle, inlet-side front baffle, blade lower positioning pin, first blade side positioning pin, second blade side positioning pin, blade upper positioning pin, inlet-side base, and inlet pipe, the invention can firmly connect the turbine guide vane to a commercial rotary table, expanding the rotation range of the gas turbine guide vane and improving positioning accuracy.

[0017] The advantages and beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0018] 1. The tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes of the present invention includes an exhaust-side base, an exhaust-side upper baffle, an exhaust-side rear baffle, an exhaust-side front baffle, an exhaust-side lower baffle, fixing bolts, gas turbine guide vanes, an inlet-side upper baffle, an inlet-side lower baffle, an inlet-side rear baffle, an inlet-side front baffle, a lower positioning pin for the blade, a first blade-side positioning pin, a second blade-side positioning pin, an upper positioning pin for the blade, an inlet-side base, and an inlet pipe (cooling duct). This device can fix the gas turbine guide vanes and position and lock the baffles on both sides of the blades. During the spraying process, it works with a commercial robot and spray gun to form automated spraying, and enables the high-pressure turbine guide vanes to achieve precise positioning when changing angles and maintain stability during rapid rotation, thereby realizing the automated spraying of thermal barrier coatings for gas turbine guide vanes.

[0019] 2. The gas turbine guide blade of the present invention is connected to the table surface of a commercial thermal spraying rotary table through a tooling fixture, so as to realize the coaxial rotation of the gas turbine guide blade and the commercial thermal spraying rotary table, enabling the high-pressure turbine guide blade to achieve uniform rotation and precise positioning with a positioning accuracy of up to 1°, and to form a linkage with the commercial spraying robot to ensure the uniformity of the coating on the turbine guide blade.

[0020] 3. This invention is used for the preparation of thermal barrier coatings on the outer surface of gas turbine guide vanes that are integrated with planar, arc, and irregular curved surfaces and whose entire parts are not concentric. It solves the key technology for the independent manufacturing of heavy-duty gas turbines in my country and can effectively and stably control the performance and quality of thermal barrier coatings, thereby improving production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automated spraying system for the thermal barrier coating of gas turbine guide vanes of the present invention; in the figure, 11 is a commercial rotary table; 12 is a tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes; 13 is a gas turbine guide vane; 14 is a plasma spray gun; and 15 is a commercial spraying robot.

[0022] Figures 2 and 3 are schematic diagrams of the tooling fixture structure for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine turbine guide vanes according to the present invention; wherein, Figure 2 is an exploded view and Figure 3 is an assembly view. In the figures, 13 is the gas turbine turbine guide vane; 21 is the exhaust side base; 22 is the exhaust side upper baffle; 23 is the exhaust side rear baffle; 24 is the exhaust side front baffle; 25 is the exhaust side lower baffle; 26 is the fixing bolt; 27 is the left side rafter; 28 is the air inlet side upper baffle; 29 is the air inlet side lower baffle; 210 is the air inlet side rear baffle; 211 is the air inlet side front baffle; 212 is the lower positioning pin of the blade; 213 is the first blade side positioning pin; 214 is the second blade side positioning pin; 215 is the upper positioning pin of the blade; 216 is the air inlet side base; 217 is the air inlet pipe; 218 is the right side rafter. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Referring to Figure 1, the present invention preferably implements the application of a tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes. The automated spraying system for thermal barrier coatings on gas turbine guide vanes includes a commercial rotary table 11, a tooling fixture 12 for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes, gas turbine guide vanes 13, a plasma spray gun 14, and a commercial spraying robot 15, as described in detail below:

[0025] The gas turbine guide vane 13 is connected to the commercial rotary table 11 via a tooling fixture 12 for automated thermal spraying of the gas turbine guide vane, ensuring precise positioning and stable rotation of the gas turbine guide vane. The plasma spray gun 14 is connected to the commercial spraying robot 15, enabling the plasma spray gun 14 and the commercial rotary table 11 to work together to form an automated spraying system for thermal barrier coating of gas turbine guide vane, and the gas turbine guide vane 13 is sprayed by the plasma spray gun 14.

[0026] Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 3, preferably, the tooling fixture 12 for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes of the present invention includes, in sequence, an exhaust-side base 21, an exhaust-side upper baffle 22, an exhaust-side rear baffle 23, an exhaust-side front baffle 24, an exhaust-side lower baffle 25, a fixing bolt 26, an air-inlet-side upper baffle 28, an air-inlet-side lower baffle 29, an air-inlet-side rear baffle 210, an air-inlet-side front baffle 211, a blade lower positioning pin 212, a first blade side positioning pin 213, a second blade side positioning pin 214, a blade upper positioning pin 215, an air-inlet-side base 216, and an air-inlet pipe 217, as described in detail below:

[0027] The exhaust side base 21 is installed on the left side of the commercial rotary table 11. Four rectangular positioning slots are machined on one side of the exhaust side base 21. The exhaust side upper baffle 22, exhaust side lower baffle 25, exhaust side front baffle 24 and exhaust side rear baffle 23 are connected to the four positioning slots of the exhaust side base to form a cuboid frame structure. Two threaded holes are machined on both sides of each baffle. The threaded holes between two adjacent baffles correspond one-to-one and are combined by fixing bolts 26. The exhaust-side base 21, together with the exhaust-side upper baffle 22, exhaust-side lower baffle 25, exhaust-side front baffle 24, and exhaust-side rear baffle 23, forms a hollow inner cavity. The left rafter 27 of the gas turbine guide vane 13 is disposed in the inner cavity. The exhaust-side upper baffle 22, exhaust-side lower baffle 25, exhaust-side front baffle 24, and exhaust-side rear baffle 23 correspond to the four sides of the left rafter 27 respectively, and are connected by fixing bolts to achieve complete fit.

[0028] The air inlet side base 216 is installed on the right side of the commercial rotary table 11. Four rectangular positioning slots are machined on one side of the air inlet side base 216. The upper baffle 28, lower baffle 29, front baffle 211 and rear baffle 210 of the air inlet side are connected to the four positioning slots of the air inlet side base 216 to form a cuboid frame structure. Two threaded holes are machined on both sides of each baffle. The threaded holes between two adjacent baffles correspond one-to-one and are combined by fixing bolts. The air inlet side base 216, together with the air inlet side upper baffle 28, air inlet side lower baffle 29, air inlet side front baffle 211, and air inlet side rear baffle 210, forms a hollow inner cavity. The right side rafter 218 of the gas turbine guide vane 13 is disposed in the inner cavity. The air inlet side upper baffle 28, air inlet side lower baffle 29, air inlet side front baffle 211, and air inlet side rear baffle 210 correspond to the four sides of the right side rafter 218, respectively, and are connected by fixing bolts to achieve complete fit.

[0029] In this embodiment, the right side sill plate 218 of the gas turbine guide vane 13 is positioned with the air inlet side base 216 by the lower blade positioning pin 212, the first blade side positioning pin 213, the second blade side positioning pin 214, and the upper blade positioning pin 215. One end of the lower blade positioning pin 212, the first blade side positioning pin 213, the second blade side positioning pin 214, and the upper blade positioning pin 215 is threaded. The right side sill plate 218 is provided with positioning holes. The lower blade positioning pin 212, the first blade side positioning pin 213, the second blade side positioning pin 214, and the upper blade positioning pin 215 pass through the right side sill plate 218 and are fixed to the air inlet side base 216 by threaded connection. The combined structure of the exhaust-side upper baffle 22, exhaust-side lower baffle 25, exhaust-side front baffle 24, exhaust-side rear baffle 23, air-inlet-side upper baffle 28, air-inlet-side lower baffle 29, air-inlet-side front baffle 211, and air-inlet-side rear baffle 210 ensures the stability of the left sill 27 and right sill 218 of the gas turbine guide vane 13, preventing the gas turbine guide vane 13 from moving during rotation. Simultaneously, a circular threaded hole is machined in the center of the air-inlet-side base 216, and the air inlet pipe 217 is connected to the air-inlet-side base 216 via an external thread. The gas turbine guide vane 13 can achieve precise positioning within the range of 0º to 360º, maintaining stability and safety during rapid rotation, meeting the requirements for the preparation of thermal barrier coatings for gas turbine guide vanes.

[0030] The results show that the tooling fixture of this invention for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide blades can achieve precise positioning within the range of 0º~360º during the spraying process of gas turbine guide blades, ensuring the stability and safety of the blades during rapid rotation. It solves the key technical problem of controlling the uniformity of coating thickness in heavy-duty gas turbine guide blades with large curvature and complex surface. It realizes the automated preparation of thermal barrier coatings for gas turbine guide blades and can effectively and stably control the performance and quality of thermal barrier coatings, thereby improving production efficiency.

Claims

1. A tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes, characterized in that, The fixture is divided into two parts: an exhaust side and an intake side. The exhaust side base is connected to the upper exhaust side baffle, lower exhaust side baffle, front exhaust side baffle, and rear exhaust side baffle via fixing bolts, and is also fixed to the left side sill of the gas turbine guide vanes via fixing bolts. The intake side base is connected to the upper intake side baffle, lower intake side baffle, front intake side baffle, and rear intake side baffle via fixing bolts, and is also fixed to the gas turbine via fixing bolts. The right-side rafter of the turbine guide vane is fixed; the exhaust-side base, the upper exhaust-side baffle, the lower exhaust-side baffle, the front exhaust-side baffle, and the rear exhaust-side baffle form a hollow inner cavity, in which the left-side rafter of the gas turbine guide vane is located; the intake-side base, the upper intake-side baffle, the lower intake-side baffle, the front intake-side baffle, and the rear intake-side baffle form a hollow inner cavity, in which the right-side rafter of the gas turbine guide vane is located.

2. The tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The exhaust-side base is installed on the left side of the commercial rotary table. Four rectangular positioning slots are machined on one side of the exhaust-side base. The upper, lower, front, and rear baffles of the exhaust side are connected to the four positioning slots of the exhaust-side base to form a cuboid frame structure. Two threaded holes are machined on both sides of each baffle. The threaded holes between adjacent baffles correspond one-to-one and are combined with fixing bolts. The upper, lower, front, and rear baffles of the exhaust side correspond to the four sides of the left rafter and are connected with fixing bolts to achieve a complete fit.

3. The tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air inlet side base is installed on the right side of the commercial rotary table. Four rectangular positioning slots are machined on one side of the air inlet side base. The upper air inlet side baffle, lower air inlet side baffle, front air inlet side baffle, and rear air inlet side baffle are connected to the four positioning slots of the air inlet side base to form a cuboid frame structure. Two threaded holes are machined on both sides of each baffle. The threaded holes between two adjacent baffles correspond one-to-one and are combined by fixing bolts. The upper air inlet side baffle, lower air inlet side baffle, front air inlet side baffle, and rear air inlet side baffle correspond to the four sides of the right side truss and are connected by fixing bolts to achieve a complete fit.

4. The tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The right-side sill plate of the gas turbine guide vane is positioned with the air inlet side base by the lower positioning pin, the first blade side positioning pin, the second blade side positioning pin, and the upper blade positioning pin.

5. The tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes according to claim 4, characterized in that, The lower locating pin, the first blade side locating pin, the second blade side locating pin, and the upper blade locating pin are all threaded at one end. The right side sill is machined with locating holes. The lower locating pin, the first blade side locating pin, the second blade side locating pin, and the upper blade locating pin pass through the right side sill and are fixed to the air inlet side base by threaded connection.

6. The tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The combined structure of the exhaust side upper baffle, exhaust side lower baffle, exhaust side front baffle, exhaust side rear baffle, air inlet side upper baffle, air inlet side lower baffle, air inlet side front baffle, and air inlet side rear baffle stabilizes the left and right rafters of the gas turbine guide vanes.

7. The tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes according to claim 1, characterized in that, A circular threaded hole is machined in the center of the air inlet side base, and the air inlet pipe is connected to the air inlet side base through external threads.

8. The tooling fixture for automated thermal spraying of gas turbine guide vanes according to claim 1, characterized in that, Gas turbine guide vanes can achieve precise positioning within the range of 0º to 360º.

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