Additively Joined Bladed Rotor Wheel for Stress-Resistant Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gas turbine designs face challenges in integrating high-temperature rotor components, particularly in the first stage turbine blades and disks, due to high mechanical and thermal stresses, fatigue, and creep failures, which are exacerbated by the complexity of cooling systems and the need for precise manufacturing tolerances, leading to performance losses and potential hazardous debris release.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a bladed rotor wheel using additive manufacturing (3D printing) to merge rotor blades and disks through a transition zone, providing structural continuity and optimizing mechanical attributes, eliminating the need for interlocking mechanisms like lockplates and firtree arrangements, and enhancing cooling air distribution while reducing stress concentrations and defect propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional interlocking mechanisms (lockplates and firtree arrangements) are used to integrate rotor blades and disks, then structural connection is achieved, but stress concentrations and defect propagation risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the rotor blade and disk into a single integrated structure through additive manufacturing, eliminating the need for separate interlocking mechanisms. The transition zone directly connects the blade root to the disk rim, creating a unified component that removes stress concentration points and potential failure interfaces associated with traditional lockplates and firtree arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures in the transition zone, combining different material properties and microstructures to optimize both strength and reliability. The additive manufacturing process enables complex composite geometries that distribute stresses more evenly compared to traditional homogeneous materials and mechanical connections.
2Temperature
If complex cooling systems are implemented to manage high temperatures, then thermal control is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling channels are integrated directly into the additive manufactured transition zone structure, merging the cooling system with the structural component. This eliminates separate cooling system assemblies and reduces overall device complexity while maintaining effective thermal management through channels embedded in the transition zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling channels are strategically positioned within the transition zone where thermal gradients are most severe. The additive manufacturing process enables localized cooling features exactly where needed, providing targeted thermal control without requiring complex cooling systems throughout the entire component.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional casting and forging processes are used for blades and disks, then manufacturing capability is maintained, but integration precision and structural continuity are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameter from traditional subtractive or formative processes (machining, forging) to additive manufacturing. This enables direct digital fabrication of the integrated structure with precise control over geometry, material distribution, and microstructure, achieving superior integration precision and structural continuity that cannot be obtained through conventional manufacturing methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The additive manufacturing process creates a composite microstructure in the transition zone with controlled grain orientation and material properties that bridge the blade and disk. This enables precise control over the interface region's mechanical properties, achieving structural continuity and integration precision that traditional casting and forging cannot accomplish.
4Power
If high temperature operation is pursued to increase efficiency, then power output improves, but material stress and creep resistance requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The transition zone is designed with locally optimized material properties and microstructure specifically tailored to withstand high temperature and stress conditions. The additive manufacturing process enables different material compositions and microstructures in different regions, with the transition zone featuring enhanced creep resistance and strength to handle the severe thermal-mechanical loads at the blade-disk interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures in the transition zone that combine materials with complementary properties for high temperature strength and creep resistance. The additive manufacturing process enables complex composite architectures that distribute thermal and mechanical stresses more effectively than traditional materials, enabling sustained high temperature operation for increased power output.
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 approach results in a composite structure with improved creep resistance, tensile strength, and fatigue properties, reducing stress concentrations, preventing leaks and performance losses, and enabling more efficient cooling, thus enhancing the operational reliability and efficiency of the turbine stage.
Implementation Method 1
a joining structure provided by an additive manufacturing process and configured for integrally merging the portion of a rotor blade with the portion of a forged rotor disk
Implementation Method 2
The joining structure comprises a first cooling channel shaped therein by the additive manufacturing process, said first cooling channel comprising an inlet and an outlet, the portion of a rotor blade comprises a second cooling channel shaped therein by the casting process
Data Source
AI summary
A bladed rotor wheel of an aero turbine stage includes a portion of a rotor blade with a shank portion and a bottom surface; a portion of a forged rotor disk with a rim portion and an outer surface; and a joining structure provided by an additive manufacturing process configured for integrally merging the portion of a rotor blade with the portion of a forged rotor disk. An aero turbine can include such bladed rotor wheel, and an aircraft can include such aero turbine.