Copper-iron heterogeneous water turbine collector ring structure and additive manufacturing method
By using a copper-iron heterogeneous structure design and additive manufacturing technology, the problem of balancing conductivity and wear resistance of slip rings has been solved, enabling the manufacture of high-performance slip rings suitable for high-parameter units.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-28
AI Technical Summary
Traditional slip ring materials cannot simultaneously meet the requirements of conductivity and wear resistance. Single materials are prone to wear or severe heat generation at high speeds, resulting in short lifespan.
A copper-iron heterogeneous structure design is adopted. A copper-iron composite functional layer is set on the surface of the collector ring through additive manufacturing technology. The copper phase serves as the continuous matrix and the iron phase serves as the reinforcing phase, forming an interpenetrating network structure. Combined with rapid solidification and multi-channel deposition technology, uniform material distribution and functional integration are achieved.
This improved the conductivity and wear resistance of the slip ring at high speeds, extended its service life, avoided the risk of coating peeling, and met the performance uniformity requirements of high-parameter units.
Smart Images
Figure CN121939192A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the fields of turbine collector ring structure design and additive manufacturing, specifically relating to a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure and its additive manufacturing method. Background Technology
[0002] The slip ring of a hydroelectric turbine is a core component of the excitation system of a hydroelectric power station. Its main function is to guide the excitation current into the high-speed rotating generator rotor windings. During operation, the slip ring needs to maintain tight sliding contact with the carbon brushes, thus placing stringent requirements on both the conductivity and wear resistance of the materials.
[0003] Traditional slip rings are mostly made of forged steel or cast copper alloys. However, a single material often cannot meet all performance requirements. Pure copper or high-copper alloys have good conductivity but low hardness and poor wear resistance, making them prone to wear at high speeds and resulting in a short lifespan. Steel slip rings have high strength and wear resistance but poor conductivity, causing severe heat generation when large currents pass through them, which can easily lead to oxidation of the contact surface, sparking, or even burning of the brush and slip ring surface.
[0004] Copper-iron alloys are an ideal alternative material, with iron possessing high strength and a high melting point, and copper exhibiting high electrical and thermal conductivity. However, copper and iron have limited miscibility in the liquid state and are almost immiscible in the solid state. Traditional casting methods are prone to producing severe macroscopic segregation, making it difficult to obtain components with uniform or desired performance distribution. Therefore, developing a heterogeneous preparation process to avoid copper-iron alloy segregation and achieve integrated structural and functional manufacturing is of great significance. Summary of the Invention
[0005] This invention aims to overcome the bottleneck of existing technologies where a single material cannot simultaneously achieve both electrical conductivity and wear resistance, and proposes a spatial structure design concept for a copper-iron heterogeneous composite. Combining the "point-by-point deposition" and rapid solidification characteristics of additive manufacturing, and addressing different working conditions and application requirements, this invention designs two targeted solutions: To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the first aspect of this invention provides a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure, which enhances conductivity and wear resistance by setting a heterogeneous cladding layer on the outer surface of the original turbine collector ring substrate.
[0006] Preferably, the heterogeneous cladding layer is a copper-iron composite functional layer; The copper-iron composite functional layer includes a matrix phase layer and a reinforcing phase layer. The matrix phase layer and the reinforcing phase layer adopt a layered staggered structure and are set on the outer surface of the original turbine collector ring matrix.
[0007] Preferably, the substrate layer is made of pure copper or a high-conductivity copper alloy, which serves as a continuous substrate covering the entire surface of the slip ring to ensure the conductivity continuity between the heterogeneous cladding layer and the original turbine slip ring substrate.
[0008] Preferably, the reinforcing phase layer is formed by discretely distributed rectangular or polygonal iron phase units within the copper matrix of the base phase layer. These iron phase units are embedded in a copper grid, and the iron phase units are arranged in an alternating pattern in the sliding friction direction to ensure that the carbon brush can always contact the iron phase support points during the sweeping process, thus avoiding the formation of pure copper wear bands.
[0009] A second aspect of this invention provides an additive manufacturing method for a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure, comprising the following steps: Step 1, Surface pretreatment: The outer surface of the original turbine collector ring substrate is machined to remove the fatigue layer and oxide layer, exposing a fresh metallic luster, which serves as the reference surface for additive manufacturing. Step 2, Layering and Filling Strategy: The designed heterogeneous cladding layer model is sliced along the thickness direction. Within each layer, the software algorithm automatically identifies the iron phase region and the copper phase region. Step 3: Dual-channel alternating deposition. An additive manufacturing terminal with multi-channel switching function is used. According to the requirements of molding efficiency and accuracy, the feeding system can be flexibly configured with coaxial powder feeding, multi-path filament feeding or filament-powder co-feeding. When the processing head moves to the iron phase region along the path, the feeding system activates the iron-based channel and uses a high-energy-density heat source to melt and deposit at a fixed point to build a high-strength wear-resistant skeleton. When the processing head moves to the copper phase region, the system immediately switches to the copper-based channel to quickly fill the gaps between the iron phases. Step 4, interface metallurgical bonding control: at the boundary where copper and iron materials meet, the heat source is controlled to overlap and scan, and the transition layer formed by liquid phase mixing is used to firmly fix the wear-resistant part in the copper phase and prevent it from falling off during high-speed operation. Step 5, post-processing: The surface of the slip ring is turned and polished to expose a dense working surface with alternating copper and iron phases, after which it can be reused.
[0010] The third aspect of the present invention provides a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure, characterized in that it is an integrated structure, and the collector ring is made of copper-iron heterogeneous materials from the inner diameter to the outer diameter. An interpenetrating network structure is adopted, in which the copper phase and iron phase present a "checkerboard" or "concentric ring interweaving" structure on the cross-section of the collector ring. In three-dimensional space, the copper phase forms a connected conductive skeleton, and the iron phase forms a connected mechanical skeleton.
[0011] Preferably, based on the characteristic that the current mainly flows radially, the copper phase channel is designed to be continuous in the radial direction; based on the characteristic that the frictional force mainly acts tangentially, the iron phase skeleton is designed to form a closed-loop support in the circumferential direction.
[0012] Preferably, it is suitable for newly built high-parameter units, meeting the requirements of uniform performance of the slip ring throughout its entire life cycle and no risk of coating peeling.
[0013] The fourth aspect of this invention provides an additive manufacturing method for a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure. The additive manufacturing method utilizes the material distribution control capability of additive manufacturing technology, and flexibly selects, but is not limited to, electric arc, laser or electron beam heat source systems according to the configuration accuracy and size requirements. Combined with wire feeding, powder feeding and wire-powder combined feeding methods, by precisely controlling the heat source path and multi-channel instantaneous feeding rate during the forming process, the alternating stacking and in-situ composite forming of copper-based conductive network and iron-based reinforcing network in the three-dimensional structure is realized, thereby constructing a heterogeneous configuration with interpenetrating network characteristics.
[0014] Preferably, an additive manufacturing method for a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure specifically includes the following steps: Step 1: Multi-material in-situ forming, using a multi-inlet real-time feeding system; Step 2, dynamic control of feeding: During the printing process, there is no need to frequently stop the machine to switch materials. Instead, macroscopic control is achieved by adjusting the speed ratio of the feeder in real time. For iron-based areas, the proportion of high-strength iron is adjusted to form a high-strength support zone; For copper-based regions, the proportion of copper is increased to create highly conductive areas; Step 3, interlayer thermal control: In order to maintain this non-equilibrium heterogeneous structure, the interlayer temperature is strictly controlled during the manufacturing process. Intermittent printing or auxiliary cooling methods are used to prevent heat accumulation from causing the already formed fine mesh structure to remelt and coarsen.
[0015] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention constructs a spatial network structure with heterogeneous properties. The structure uses a copper phase as a continuous conductive network framework and an iron phase as a reinforcing phase, forming a macroscopically interpenetrating network system that is interconnected and tightly interwoven. This structure effectively suppresses the separation of the copper and iron liquid phases while simultaneously leveraging the excellent conductivity of copper and the high strength and wear resistance of iron. Attached Figure Description
[0016] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The illustrative embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention.
[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the collector ring structure in the "surface functional layer fusion configuration" of configuration scheme 1 of the present invention.
[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the collector ring structure of the "integrated heterogeneous and heterogeneous integrated configuration" in configuration scheme 2 of the present invention.
[0019] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the manufacturing method of the turbine collector rings according to the two schemes described in this invention. Detailed Implementation
[0020] The embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0021] Example 1: Example 1 like Figure 1 As shown, a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure is achieved through surface modification of a large turbine collector ring, including structural design and additive manufacturing methods. The surface modification of the large turbine collector ring involves setting a heterogeneous cladding layer on the outer surface of the original turbine collector ring substrate, thereby enhancing conductivity and wear resistance.
[0022] The structural design, such as Figure 1 As shown, a copper-iron composite functional layer (outer ring) is fused onto the surface of the pretreated collector ring substrate (inner ring). The matrix phase, such as Figure 1 The yellow area shown is made of pure copper or a high-conductivity copper alloy, which serves as a continuous substrate covering the entire surface of the collector ring to ensure the conductivity continuity between the heterogeneous cladding layer and the original substrate. The reinforcing phase, such as Figure 1 In the gray blocky area, discrete rectangular or polygonal iron phase units are designed within the copper matrix. These iron phase units are embedded in the copper grid. During the design, the iron phase units are controlled to be staggered in the sliding friction direction to ensure that the carbon brush can always contact the iron phase support point during the sweeping process, thus avoiding the formation of pure copper wear bands.
[0023] Example 2: To use the copper-iron heterogeneous turbine slip ring structure described in Example 1, the following additive manufacturing method is adopted, including the following steps: Step 1, Surface pretreatment: The original slip ring surface is machined to remove the fatigue layer and oxide layer, exposing a fresh metallic luster, which serves as the reference surface for additive manufacturing. Step 2, Layering and Filling Strategy: The designed heterogeneous repair layer model is sliced along the thickness direction. Within each layer, the software algorithm automatically identifies the iron phase region and the copper phase region; Step 3: Dual-channel alternating deposition. An additive manufacturing terminal with multi-channel switching function is used. According to the requirements of molding efficiency and accuracy, the feeding system can be flexibly configured with coaxial powder feeding, multi-path filament feeding or filament-powder co-feeding. When the processing head moves to the iron phase region along the path, the feeding system activates the iron-based channel and uses a high-energy-density heat source to melt and deposit at a fixed point to build a high-strength wear-resistant skeleton. When the processing head moves to the copper phase region, the system immediately switches to the copper-based channel to quickly fill the gaps between the iron phases. Step 4, interface metallurgical bonding control: at the boundary where copper and iron materials meet, the heat source is controlled to slightly overlap and scan, and the transition layer formed by liquid phase mixing is used to firmly fix the wear-resistant part in the copper phase to prevent it from falling off during high-speed operation. Step 5, post-processing: The surface of the slip ring is turned and polished to expose a dense working surface with alternating copper and iron phases, after which it can be reused.
[0024] Example 3: like Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure. The high-performance collector ring is manufactured as a whole, including an overall manufacturing scheme and additive manufacturing method for a continuous interpenetrating network. The integrated manufacturing of the high-performance slip ring is a solution for newly built high-parameter units, which proposes an integrated manufacturing scheme for a continuous interpenetrating network to meet the requirements of uniform performance of the slip ring throughout its entire life cycle and no risk of coating peeling. The overall manufacturing scheme for a continuous interpenetrating network includes the following steps: Step 1, structural design, such as Figure 2 As shown, the collector ring is made entirely of dissimilar copper and iron materials from its inner diameter to its outer diameter. Step 2, Interpenetrating network structure: On the cross-section of the collector ring, the copper phase and the iron phase are no longer simply covered, but present a structure similar to a "chessboard" or "concentric rings". In three-dimensional space, the copper phase forms a connected conductive skeleton, and the iron phase forms a connected mechanical skeleton. Step 3, Anisotropy optimization: Based on the characteristic that the current mainly flows radially, the copper phase channel is designed to be as continuous as possible in the radial direction. Based on the characteristic that the friction force mainly acts tangentially, the iron phase skeleton is designed to form a closed loop support in the circumferential direction.
[0025] Example 4: In Example 3, the additive manufacturing method for a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure includes the following steps: Step 1: Multi-material in-situ forming, using a multi-inlet real-time feeding system; Step 2, dynamic control of feeding: During the printing process, there is no need to frequently stop the machine to switch materials. Instead, macroscopic control is achieved by adjusting the speed ratio of the feeder in real time. for Figure 2 In the gray skeleton area, the proportion of high-speed rail is adjusted to form a high-strength support area; for Figure 2 In the yellow-filled area, the proportion of copper is increased to form a highly conductive area; Step 3, interlayer thermal control: In order to maintain this non-equilibrium heterogeneous structure, the interlayer temperature is strictly controlled during the manufacturing process. Intermittent printing or auxiliary cooling methods are used to prevent heat accumulation from causing the already formed fine mesh structure to remelt and coarsen. Through the structural innovations and manufacturing processes at the application level described above, this invention effectively solves the industry pain point of the difficulty in achieving both conductivity and wear resistance in the slip rings of large water turbines. It provides solutions with great industrial application value for both surface modification and high-performance manufacturing of slip rings.
[0026] It should be noted that the above examples are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is obviously not limited to the above embodiments, with many similar variations. All modifications that can be directly derived or conceived by those skilled in the art from the content disclosed in this invention should fall within the protection scope of this invention.
Claims
1. A copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure, characterized in that, By setting a heterogeneous cladding layer on the outer surface of the original turbine collector ring substrate, the conductivity and wear resistance are enhanced.
2. The copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heterogeneous cladding layer is a copper-iron composite functional layer; The copper-iron composite functional layer includes a matrix phase layer and a reinforcing phase layer. The matrix phase layer and the reinforcing phase layer adopt a layered staggered structure and are set on the outer surface of the original turbine collector ring matrix.
3. The copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The substrate phase layer is made of pure copper or a high-conductivity copper alloy, which serves as a continuous substrate covering the entire surface of the collector ring to ensure the conductivity continuity between the heterogeneous cladding layer and the original turbine collector ring substrate.
4. The copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The reinforcing phase layer consists of discretely distributed rectangular or polygonal iron phase units embedded in a copper matrix within the base phase layer. These iron phase units are arranged in a staggered pattern along the sliding friction direction to ensure that the carbon brush always contacts the iron phase support points during the sweeping process, thus avoiding the formation of pure copper wear bands.
5. The additive manufacturing method for a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure according to any one of claims 3-4, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1, Surface pretreatment: The outer surface of the original turbine collector ring substrate is machined to remove the fatigue layer and oxide layer, exposing a fresh metallic luster, which serves as the reference surface for additive manufacturing. Step 2, Layering and Filling Strategy: The designed heterogeneous cladding layer model is sliced along the thickness direction. Within each layer, the software algorithm automatically identifies the iron phase region and the copper phase region. Step 3: Dual-channel alternating deposition. An additive manufacturing terminal with multi-channel switching function is used. According to the requirements of molding efficiency and accuracy, the feeding system can be flexibly configured with coaxial powder feeding, multi-path filament feeding or filament-powder co-feeding. When the processing head moves to the iron phase region along the path, the feeding system activates the iron-based channel and uses a high-energy-density heat source to melt and deposit at a fixed point to build a high-strength wear-resistant skeleton. When the processing head moves to the copper phase region, the system immediately switches to the copper-based channel to quickly fill the gaps between the iron phases. Step 4, interface metallurgical bonding control: at the boundary where copper and iron materials meet, the heat source is controlled to overlap and scan, and the transition layer formed by liquid phase mixing is used to firmly fix the wear-resistant part in the copper phase and prevent it from falling off during high-speed operation. Step 5, post-processing: The surface of the slip ring is turned and polished to expose a dense working surface with alternating copper and iron phases, after which it can be reused.
6. A copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure, characterized in that, It has an integrated structure, and the collector ring is made of copper and iron heterogeneous materials from the inner diameter to the outer diameter. An interpenetrating network structure is adopted, in which the copper phase and iron phase present a "checkerboard" or "concentric ring interweaving" structure on the cross-section of the collector ring. In three-dimensional space, the copper phase forms a connected conductive skeleton, and the iron phase forms a connected mechanical skeleton.
7. The copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, Based on the characteristic that the current mainly flows radially, the copper phase channel is designed to be continuous in the radial direction; based on the characteristic that the friction force mainly acts tangentially, the iron phase skeleton is designed to form a closed-loop support in the circumferential direction.
8. The copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, Suitable for newly built high-parameter units, meeting the requirements of uniform performance of slip rings throughout their entire life cycle and no risk of coating peeling.
9. The additive manufacturing method for a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that: The additive manufacturing method utilizes the ability of additive manufacturing technology to control material distribution. Based on the requirements of configuration accuracy and size, it flexibly selects heat source systems including but not limited to electric arc, laser or electron beam, and combines them with wire feeding, powder feeding and wire-powder combined feeding methods. By precisely controlling the heat source path and multi-channel instantaneous feeding rate during the forming process, it realizes the alternating stacking and in-situ composite forming of copper-based conductive network and iron-based reinforcing network in three-dimensional structure, thereby constructing a heterogeneous configuration with interpenetrating network characteristics.
10. The additive manufacturing method for a copper-iron heterogeneous turbine collector ring structure according to claim 9, characterized in that, Specifically, the steps include the following: Step 1: Multi-material in-situ forming, using a multi-inlet real-time feeding system; Step 2, dynamic control of material feeding: During the printing process, there is no need to frequently stop the machine to switch materials. Instead, macroscopic control is achieved by adjusting the speed ratio of the feeder in real time. For iron-based areas, the proportion of high-strength iron is increased to form a high-strength support zone; For copper-based regions, the proportion of copper is increased to create highly conductive areas; Step 3, interlayer thermal control: In order to maintain this non-equilibrium heterogeneous structure, the interlayer temperature is strictly controlled during the manufacturing process. Intermittent printing or auxiliary cooling methods are used to prevent heat accumulation from causing the already formed fine mesh structure to remelt and coarsen.