Turbomachine Blade Edge Reinforcement via Foil Stacking and HIP
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of metal reinforcements for turbomachine blades, particularly the leading edge, is complex and costly due to the need for extensive machining operations, which increases material usage and production expenses.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the cutting of flexible metal sheets into foils, forming metal pockets, stacking these pockets to create a preform, and applying hot isostatic pressing to compact and weld them, thereby simplifying the production process and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal reinforcement is produced by milling from a block of material, then structural integrity is ensured, but production complexity and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The metal reinforcement is divided into multiple thin metal foils that are stacked in sequence. Each foil corresponds to a cross-section of the final reinforcement geometry. This segmentation allows simple cutting operations instead of complex milling, while the stacking and welding process reconstructs the full 3D structure with maintained structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal foils are cut to the required shape before stacking. This preliminary cutting action prepares the individual layers with precise geometry, eliminating the need for complex post-processing machining operations after assembly. The pre-cut foils are then stacked and welded to form the complete reinforcement structure.
2Manufacturing precision
If extensive machining operations are performed, then precise geometry is achieved, but material usage and production expenses increase
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the reinforcement into thin foils that are cut to shape before stacking, the process achieves precise geometry through multiple thin layers rather than removing material from a solid block. This approach minimizes material waste since each foil is cut to the exact cross-sectional shape needed, and the stacking process builds the final geometry additively.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing parameter from subtractive machining (milling) to a combination of cutting and additive stacking. This parameter change allows precise geometry to be achieved by assembling pre-cut foils rather than removing excess material, thereby reducing material loss while maintaining manufacturing precision.
3Reliability
If complex reworking and tooling operations are used, then structural reinforcement quality is ensured, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement is manufactured as stacked foils rather than machined from a solid block, eliminating the need for complex reworking and specialized tooling. The simple cutting, stacking, and welding process reduces production costs while maintaining quality through the controlled assembly of precisely cut layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces complex mechanical machining operations with a simpler process involving cutting, stacking, and welding. This substitution eliminates the need for expensive CNC milling equipment and complex tooling, reducing production costs while maintaining reinforcement quality through the layered construction method.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for the rapid and cost-effective production of metal reinforcements with precise geometry and mass requirements, eliminating the need for complex machining and minimizing material usage while ensuring the structural integrity of the turbomachine blades.
Implementation Method 1
a step comprising the hot isostatic pressing of said preform, causing compaction of said metal pockets to one another
Implementation Method 2
by a process comprising hot isostatic pressing or compacting (HIP—Hot Isostatic Pressing) permitting a part that is compact and without porosity to be obtained by the combination of plastic deformation, plastic flow and diffusion welding
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a metal reinforcement for the leading edge or trailing edge of a turbomachine blade, the method including cutting a plurality of metal foils from a flexible metal sheet, corresponding substantially to the developed length of the leading or trailing edge metal reinforcement; producing a plurality of metal pockets, each pocket being produced from two of the metal foils obtained during the cutting; stacking the metal pockets one inside the other, such as to form a preform of the leading or trailing edge metal reinforcement; and hot isostatic pressing the preform, causing the metal pockets to bond to one another, so as to produce the leading or trailing edge metal reinforcement.