Stress relief for continuous flow engine components

Abstract

The invention relates to an improved method for eliminating stress of a 3D printing continuous flow engine. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a 3D printed continuous flow engine component that is stress relieved by such a method. Furthermore, the invention relates to a computer program product for causing a computing entity to perform such a method. The invention further relates to a powder removal device for use in such a method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an improved method of destressing a 3D printed continuous flow engine, which provides less strain, a simplified process and a very efficient solution to provide a highly reliable continuous flow engine component. In addition, the present invention relates to a 3D printed continuous flow engine component destressed by this method. In addition, the present invention relates to a computer program product that causes a computing entity to perform this method, which allows certain existing equipment to be easily upgraded with minimal mechanical changes to the equipment. In addition, the present invention relates to a powder removal device used in this method. Background Art

[0002] Continuous flow engine components represent well-known parts of continuous flow engines such as gas turbines, steam turbines and compressors. However, they are also being further developed and improved in the meantime to cope with the obligations and requirements herein. At the same time, there is a constant need to increase spare parts availability while reducing costs in a period of increasing requirements. 3D printing is considered to be a very advantageous method for manufacturing components, even for highly stressed components such as hot gas path components of gas turbines.

[0003] However, this manufacturing method makes it increasingly less possible to optimize the manufacturing while still providing high requirements and providing the required reliability while reducing the manufacturing workload. In particular, it is necessary to keep in mind in this context the reliability that ensures the safe operation of such continuous flow engines. The failure of some gas turbines not only endangers the energy production and distribution of the entire energy grid. It also represents a huge risk to the safety and even the lives of the people who operate it. Here, the field of continuous flow engines provides a highly specific field taking into account the above-mentioned requirements and high costs, so that the new methods and tools provided for very specific applications are of great interest, despite the workload and costs associated with them. Therefore, there is a need to further optimize the manufacturing process of such components in order to provide safe and reliable manufacturing as a top priority while still reducing the associated workload. Summary of the invention

[0004] These problems are solved by the methods and products disclosed below and in the claims. Other advantageous embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims and in the further description. These benefits can be used to adapt the corresponding solution to specific needs or to solve other problems.

[0005] According to one aspect, the present invention relates to a method for stress relief of a 3D printed continuous flow engine component, wherein the 3D printed continuous flow engine component comprises internal stress, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

[0006] - Retrieve continuous flow engine parts,

[0007] -Vibrating the continuous flow engine component at a predetermined frequency to remove internal stress from the 3D printed continuous flow engine component.

[0008] Such a method allows to significantly reduce the stress in such 3D printed continuous flow engine parts, thereby providing the required reliability on mechanical stability even under very harsh conditions (such as in the hot gas path of a gas turbine). At the same time, based on the fast process and the high possibility of including these steps in the manufacturing process, the workload and time required to improve performance are significantly reduced. It is unexpectedly noted that the method of the present invention allows to partially completely avoid time-consuming processes that provide different challenges, such as heating the parts to a specific temperature to release them from such stress. At the same time, the method of the present invention provides many benefits, such as significantly reducing the processing time. Even some short treatments of half an hour can provide some significant effects and stress relief. However, similar stress relief by heating does not only require hours, but days to weeks because it includes controlled heating and cooling processes. Even the combination of the method of the present invention, which uses vibration, with some heating allows to significantly reduce the heating required to provide sufficient stress relief and reduce the processing time. In summary, it should be noted that the method of the present invention does not necessarily need to completely eliminate the stress of such a component. It should be noted that the local stress relief easily achieved by the method of the present invention increases performance, which is sufficient to ensure that the requirements for subsequent use are met. Although making such a judgement may seem difficult, it should be noted that one skilled in the art can utilize existing component data collected over decades to correlate certain stresses with corresponding characteristics of 3D printed continuous flow engine components. Utilizing such historical data and, for example, conventional testing procedures, allows for the provision of conditions for such vibration treatments, thereby allowing for reliable strain removal of such components.

[0009] According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a 3D printed continuous flow engine component that is stress relieved according to the method of the present invention. Surprisingly, it is noted that such a component can be different from components whose stress is relieved by different means. For example, despite the component being cut open and the metal surface being etched, the stress still contained in the component provides a pattern that can be used to identify such a stress relief method. Surprisingly, it is noted that in some cases, the components treated according to the method of the present invention even provide improved performance compared to components that have been treated, for example, by heat treatment. For example, components for use in hot gas paths of gas turbines and steam turbines. In addition, the stress within the component can be determined by slicing the component, polishing it, and, for example, using electron channel contrast imaging and electron backscatter diffraction mapping (e.g., Hitachi SU-70FEG-SEM). It is clear to those skilled in the art how to use such an apparatus to determine the residual stress in the component.

[0010] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage medium, comprising instructions operable to cause a computing entity to perform the method of the invention.

[0011] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a storage device for providing a computer program product of the invention, wherein the device stores the computer program product and / or provides the computer program product for further use.

[0012] According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a powder removal device adapted to be able to remove powder material from a 3D printed continuous flow engine, wherein the powder removal device is adapted to be able to apply vibrations to the 3D printed continuous flow engine according to the method of the present invention. Although there are significant additional costs in this context, providing such a specially adapted powder removal device has proven to be very advantageous. For example, unexpectedly, not only can the process be integrated during powder removal to save processing time. Even if some general stress removal steps are included in this powder removal process, it is generally noted that it is beneficial to at least reduce the stress contained in the component. It allows at least a reduction in the processing steps required later or even no need to include a later processing step at all. Based on the use of past experience, some general treatments for specific components or component types that are typically applied in this case may also be included. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to simplify the understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings and their descriptions. Here, the accompanying drawings should be understood not to limit the scope of the present invention, but to disclose preferred embodiments to further explain the present invention.

[0014] Figure 1 A scheme of the method of the present invention is shown.

[0015] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the de-powdering and stress relief equipment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Preferably, unless otherwise stated, the embodiments below include at least one processor and / or data storage unit to implement the method of the present invention.

[0017] Unless otherwise stated, terms such as "compute," "process," "determine," "generate," "configure," "reconstruct" and similar terms refer to actions and / or processes and / or steps of modifying and / or creating and / or transforming data where the data is present as physical variables or is obtainable per se.

[0018] The term "data storage" or similar terms as used herein refers, for example, to temporary data storage such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or long-term data storage such as a hard drive or a data storage unit such as a CD, DVD, USB stick, etc. Such a data storage may additionally include or be connected to a processing unit to allow processing of the data stored on the data storage.

[0019] The term "continuous flow engine" as used herein refers to a device that utilizes a continuous flow of a fluid, such as a gas or liquid. Here, such a continuous flow engine generally provides a rotor that is located in a fluid and interacts with the fluid. Here, such a fluid can also be used to provide a rotary motion of the rotor that can be converted into, for example, electrical energy. Examples of such continuous flow engines are gas turbines and steam turbines. Alternatively, the rotor can be actively rotated to allow, for example, compression of the fluid. Examples of such applications are compressors such as those used in oil refineries.

[0020] According to one aspect, the present invention relates to a method as described above. The desired frequency can be identified by a person skilled in the art by simple experimentation (e.g., using a damaged component or a test structure such as a metal ring). For example, some X22CrMoV12-1 steel rings with a nominal chemical composition of 0.22% C, 0.3% Si, 0.65% Mn, 11.5% Cr, 1.0% Mo, 0.6% Ni, 0.3% V and the remainder Fe can be effectively stress relieved by vibrating them at 85 Hz. Note that it is often beneficial to identify multiple frequencies by using different test units and provide a stress relief procedure that switches between different frequencies to address different types of stresses from such a component, without the need to specifically identify the very specific stress that can be used. For example, in such a process, the frequency can advantageously be varied between at least 3%, more preferably at least 7%, and even more preferably at most 15% of the upper limit of the frequency band used. Therefore, in the case where the upper limit of the frequency bandwidth used is 100 Hz, the frequency bandwidth used is at least from 97 Hz to 100 Hz, more preferably at least from 93 Hz to 100 Hz, and even more preferably at least from 85 Hz to 100 Hz.

[0021] However, simply going through all frequencies is of no value. Identifying the most relevant frequencies and focusing on them can provide very good results for typical applications while saving a lot of time. According to another embodiment, it is preferred that the frequency can vary by at most 50%, more preferably at most 30%, even more preferably at most 20% of the upper limit of the used frequency band.

[0022] It is also noted that the method of the present invention can advantageously be combined with a powder removal step. According to another embodiment, preferably, the continuous flow engine component comprises a cavity, wherein the cavity is at least partially filled with powder material, wherein the method comprises the step of removing powder material from the continuous flow engine component using a vibrating device, wherein the vibrating device is selected to vibrate at least partially. The use of 3D printing (such as selective laser melting) to manufacture a continuous flow engine component providing a cavity results in the component being at least partially filled with powder material used in such selective laser melting. Such powder material can be removed by different means available to a person skilled in the art, such as using vacuum, high pressure, vibration, etc. or a combination thereof. Providing specialized equipment that additionally includes such powder removal possibilities creates a significant additional workload as described above.

[0023] According to another embodiment, preferably, the method comprises a step of identifying stresses in the continuous flow engine component. For example, such identification can be achieved by retrieving pressure data from a pressure database. Furthermore, specific components can be determined based on measurement results (such as X-ray measurements, thermal behavior when heating the component at least locally, etc.) to identify the corresponding stresses. However, at least additionally utilizing such a database is particularly advantageous because it allows data originating from destructive measurements of similar continuous flow engine components to be introduced and sent to the component in question.

[0024] Furthermore, it is noted that for typical applications, it is possible and beneficial to utilize the collected stress data. According to another embodiment, preferably, the method utilizes a stress database, wherein the stress database contains component-specific patterns associated with stresses in a continuous flow engine component, wherein the method comprises the steps of identifying stresses in a continuous flow engine component by measuring component-specific patterns (such as introducing vibrations, for example, by impacting the component and measuring a specific response of the continuous flow engine component), retrieving stress data for similar continuous flow engine components based on the associated patterns, wherein the method comprises the steps of providing a vibration scheme for a 3D printed continuous flow engine component based on the stress data. Utilizing such component-specific patterns and stored data allows determining the current state of a continuous flow engine component and a stress relief process with high reliability and low workload.

[0025] According to another embodiment, preferably, the method utilizes a stress database, wherein the stress database contains component-specific patterns associated with continuous flow engine components without associated stresses, and the method includes the step of identifying stresses in the continuous flow engine component by measuring the component-specific patterns (such as introducing vibrations, for example, by impacting the component and measuring a specific response of the continuous flow engine component), wherein in the event that the measured specific pattern deviates from the specific pattern associated with the continuous flow engine component without associated stresses retrieved from the stress database by more than a predetermined deviation limit, the 3D printed continuous flow engine component is subjected to another vibration treatment.

[0026] According to another embodiment, preferably, the method utilizes a manufacturing database and a stress database, wherein the stress database contains stress data associated with manufacturing data of a continuous flow engine component, wherein the manufacturing database contains manufacturing data of the continuous flow engine component, wherein the method includes the step of utilizing the manufacturing data of the continuous flow engine component to retrieve stress data of similar continuous flow engine components based on the manufacturing data of similar continuous flow engine components, wherein the stress data is used to provide a vibration scheme to remove stress from the 3D printed continuous flow engine component.

[0027] Furthermore, it is noted that specific manufacturing data can be advantageously used in the method of the present invention. According to another embodiment, preferably, the method utilizes a manufacturing database, wherein the manufacturing database contains data regarding the manufacturing of 3D printed layers of the continuous flow engine component, wherein the method comprises a step of determining the internal stresses of the 3D printed continuous flow engine component taking into account the data regarding the manufacturing of the 3D printed layers of the continuous flow engine component. It is noted that even smaller deviations and irregularities during the layered printing of the 3D printed continuous flow engine component can be advantageously utilized. For example, a general assessment of internal stresses that are unexpectedly easy to expect can be provided, and deviations from historical stress data from similar components can be understood.

[0028] The continuous flow engine component can be attached to the device performing the method of the present invention in any manner to reduce stress in the component. According to another embodiment, it is preferred that the 3D printed continuous flow engine component is attached to the top of a portion of the device that introduces vibration into the 3D printed continuous flow engine component to eliminate stress in the 3D printed continuous flow engine component. Note that this arrangement is not only very simple, but also significantly reduces the possibility of damage to the component during placement and retrieval. In particular, this application of the method is generally beneficial for 3D printed continuous gas turbine components. For example, note that blades and blades are not only very expensive, but also sensitive components that need to be handled safely and reliably.

[0029] According to another embodiment, it is preferred that the 3D printed continuous flow engine component is attached to a vibration arm that is at least capable of rotation, wherein the vibration arm is adapted to be able to apply vibration to the 3D printed continuous flow engine component when removing powder material from the 3D printed continuous flow engine component. The above-mentioned placement on top of a portion of the device for introducing vibration into the 3D printed continuous flow engine component is a very simple and reliable method. However, it is noted that the use of such a vibration arm provides additional benefits, such as significantly improved post-processing speeds. For example, providing a specifically adapted vibration arm (such as a correspondingly adapted robotic arm) allows safe and reliable processing to be provided while being able to remove powder material from the manufacturing process.

[0030] According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a 3D printed continuous flow engine component that is stress relieved according to the method of the present invention.

[0031] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage medium, comprising instructions operable to cause a computing entity to perform the method of the invention.

[0032] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a storage device for providing a computer program product of the invention, wherein the device stores the computer program product and / or provides the computer program product for further use.

[0033] According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a powder removal device adapted to remove powder material from a 3D printed continuous flow engine, wherein the powder removal device is adapted to apply vibrations to the 3D printed continuous flow engine according to the method of the present invention.

[0034] According to another embodiment, preferably, the powder removal device includes a stimulator, wherein the stimulator is adapted to be able to introduce energy into the 3D printing continuous flow engine component, wherein the powder removal device is adapted to be able to measure the response of the energy introduced into the 3D printing continuous flow engine component, wherein the measured response is adapted to be able to analyze to create the measured pattern of the 3D printing continuous flow engine component. Generally, preferably, the powder removal device is adapted to be able to produce the measured pattern. For example, this simulator introduces kinetic energy by hitting the component with a tool, and measures vibration to measure a specific pattern, thereby allowing the stress in the 3D printing continuous flow engine component to be identified. Other methods can be to introduce thermal energy coupled with high-resolution thermal scanning, etc. It is also possible to combine and apply the corresponding method according to the specific position of a specific component and / or a component based on specific needs and desired stress.

[0035] The following detailed description of the drawings uses the drawings to discuss illustrative embodiments and their features and other advantages, which should not be construed as limiting.

[0036] Figure 1 A scheme comprising a system implementing the method of the invention is shown. Here, a 3D printed continuous flow engine component 2 is manufactured in a 3D printing device 1. The component 1 is retrieved from the 3D printing device for further processing.

[0037] The component 2 is conveyed to a powder removal device 3, which additionally provides a vibration device to implement the method of the present invention. Here, the component 2 is attached to a robot arm 6, which provides a device for reliably fastening the component 2. In addition, the robot arm 6 is adapted to be able to introduce vibrations according to the method of the present invention to reduce or remove stress inside the component 2. At the same time, the powder contained in the cavity of the component 2 can be removed. Here, the component and the robot arm 6 are housed in a sealed chamber, thereby preventing the powder from being scattered in the facility. This is particularly important for applications such as gas turbine components 2 and steam turbine components 2, because they are usually made of alloys that can cause danger when inhaled. Despite the associated workload, encapsulating such a processing area will produce significant benefits.

[0038] Furthermore, the de-powdering and stress-relief device 3 comprises an energy introduction instrument 7 adapted to be able to introduce energy as vibrations into the component 2. The energy introduction instrument 7 introduces mechanical energy to introduce vibrations by striking the component 2. Said vibrations of the component 2 are measured by a measuring instrument 8 to record a component-specific pattern indicative of the available stress in the component 2.

[0039] The de-powdering and stress relief device 3 is adapted to be able to measure component-specific modes and to evaluate stresses based on stress data retrieved from a local stress database 4. The stress database 4 contains stress data collected over time and simulation data that allow the corresponding state of the component 2 to be assigned to the specific mode being measured. Note that based on the specific location of the energy introduced by the energy introduction instrument 7 and the measurement results of the measuring instrument 8, for example, vibrations of a specific wavelength indicate specific stresses in the component 2. Note that it is usually not necessary to completely remove all stresses in the component 2. Reducing the stress below a certain level and achieving a known specific mode is usually sufficient to ensure safe and reliable subsequent applications of the component 2. Here, the steps of vibrating the component and measuring the specific mode of the component 2 are repeated until a satisfactory result is obtained. Based on the specific mode and past experience recorded in the stress database 4, the vibration treatment is eventually adapted to be able to improve its effect and remove the identified specific type of stress.

[0040] In this context, the de-powdering and stress relief device 3 additionally makes use of manufacturing data from a manufacturing database 5 located in the cloud 9 to avoid misinterpretations of specific patterns based on, for example, small cavities or specific grain structures originating from minor deviations during manufacturing. Note that, based on the data retrieved from the manufacturing database and taking into account the stress data retrieved from the stress database 4, a specific pattern measured by the measurement device 8 can be understood more safely. In particular, as should be noted when deviating from test results, real experience and data collected during daily work and real-life applications make it a significant benefit to include these data in the evaluation.

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a de-powdering and stress relief device is shown. Here, a 3D printed continuous flow engine component 2 is attached to a plate 11 of a de-powdering and stress relief device 3. The plate 11 can be rotated around the rotation axis 11 by a rotation axis 12, thereby allowing improved de-powdering by adjusting the orientation of the 3D printed continuous flow engine component 2 according to a specific design, de-powdering stage, etc. An energy introduction instrument 7 is placed on the opposite side, which introduces vibrations into the plate 11, which transmits the vibrations to the 3D printed continuous flow engine component 2.

[0042] The present invention is described in further detail only for the purpose of explanation. However, the present invention should not be understood to be limited to these embodiments, as they represent embodiments that provide benefits to solve specific problems or meet specific needs. The scope of protection should be understood to be limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for relieving stress of a 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2), wherein the 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2) contains internal stresses, The method comprises the following steps: - Retrieve continuous flow engine components (2); - vibrating the continuous flow engine component (2) at a predetermined frequency to remove the internal stress from the 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2).

2. The method according to claim 1, in, The method comprises the steps of identifying stresses in the continuous flow engine component (2), The method uses a stress database (4), wherein the stress database (4) contains component-specific patterns associated with stresses in continuous flow engine components, wherein the method comprises the steps of identifying stresses in the continuous flow engine component (2) by measuring component specific patterns and retrieving stress data for similar continuous flow engine components based on associated patterns, The method comprises the step of providing a vibration scheme for the 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2) based on the stress data.

3. The method according to claim 2, in, The method uses a stress database (4), wherein the stress database (4) contains component-specific patterns associated with continuous flow engine components having no associated stresses, The method comprises the steps of identifying stresses in the continuous flow engine component (2) by measuring component specific modes such as induced vibrations, for example by impacting the component and measuring a specific response of the continuous flow engine component (2), Wherein, in the event that the measured specific mode deviates from the specific mode associated with the continuous flow engine component without relevant stress retrieved from the stress database (4) by more than a predetermined deviation limit, the 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2) is subjected to another vibration treatment.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The method utilizes a manufacturing database (5) and a stress database (4), wherein the stress database (4) contains stress data associated with manufacturing data of continuous flow engine components, wherein the manufacturing database (5) contains manufacturing data of the continuous flow engine component (2), wherein the method comprises the step of using the manufacturing data of the continuous flow engine component (2) to retrieve stress data of a similar continuous flow engine component based on the manufacturing data of the similar continuous flow engine component, Wherein, the stress data is used to provide a vibration scheme to remove the stress from the 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2).

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in, The method utilizes a manufacturing database (5), wherein the manufacturing database (5) contains data on the manufacturing of 3D printed layers of the continuous flow engine component (2), The method comprises the step of determining the internal stress of the 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2) taking into account data regarding the manufacture of 3D printed layers of the continuous flow engine component (2).

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in, The continuous flow engine component (2) comprises a cavity, wherein the cavity is at least partially filled with a powder material, wherein the method comprises the step of removing the powder material from the continuous flow engine component (2) using a vibrating device (3), Wherein the vibrating device (3) is selected to vibrate at least partially.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in, The 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2) is attached to a vibrating arm capable of at least rotation, The vibration arm is adapted to apply the vibration to the 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2) when removing the powder material from the 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2).

8. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause a computing entity to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A storage device for providing a computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the device stores the computer program product and / or provides the computer program product for further use.

10. A powder removal device (3) adapted to remove powder material from a 3D printing continuous flow engine, in, The powder removal device (3) is adapted to be able to apply vibrations to the 3D printing continuous flow engine according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

11. The powder removal device (3) according to claim 10, in, The powder removal device (3) comprises a stimulator, wherein the stimulator is adapted to introduce energy into the 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2), wherein the powder removal device (3) is adapted to measure a response resulting from energy introduced into the 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2), Wherein the measured response is adapted to be capable of being analyzed to create the measured pattern of the 3D printed continuous flow engine component (2).

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