Ceramic-Coated Jig for Gas Turbine Component Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing jigs for fixing machine components, such as those in gas turbine engines, face challenges in preventing abrasion and deformation while being cost-effective, as hard metals used for support blocks can cause damage and are expensive to use.
Innovation Solution
A jig with support blocks coated with ceramic materials like titanium carbide, silicon carbide, or tungsten carbide, applied via discharge deposition, providing a roughness of 0.4 μm to 3.2 μm to suppress saccadic movement and reduce abrasion without using costly hard metals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If hard metal support portions are used to prevent abrasion and deformation, then the support blocks effectively resist wear, but they cause damages such as scratch and deformation to machine components and increase cost
Solution Approach 1:
The support block is divided into two functional layers: a soft steel base material providing toughness and structural integrity, and a hard ceramic coating layer providing wear resistance. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its optimal function without the drawbacks of using hard metal throughout the entire support block.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite structure combining steel base material with ceramic coating materials (titanium carbide, silicon carbide, or tungsten carbide). This composite approach merges the advantages of both materials: the ductility and cost-effectiveness of steel with the hardness and wear resistance of ceramics, eliminating the need to use expensive hard metals for the entire component.
2Strength
If hard metal is used for support blocks, then abrasion resistance is improved, but production cost increases due to material cost and brazing difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The support block uses a composite structure with a steel base material that is easy to manufacture and cost-effective, combined with a ceramic coating applied through discharge deposition. This eliminates the need for expensive hard metals and complex brazing processes while maintaining abrasion resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the traditional mechanical joining method (brazing of hard metal) with a surface coating process (discharge deposition). This substitution simplifies manufacturing by avoiding the technical difficulties of brazing hard metals with steel while achieving the same wear protection function.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If smooth surface is used for support face, then contact with machine component is gentle, but saccadic movement occurs reducing fixation stability
Solution Approach 1:
The ceramic coating on the support face has a specific surface roughness range (Ra 0.4 μm to 3.2 μm) that provides localized friction characteristics. This controlled roughness creates sufficient friction to prevent saccadic movement while the ceramic material itself remains gentle on the machine component, achieving both fixation stability and reduced damage.
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
The solution effectively suppresses saccadic movement and abrasion, stabilizes the fixation of machine components, reduces production costs, and improves the quality of the components by ensuring equal contact and minimizing deformation.
Implementation Method 1
the coating is formed by executing discharge deposition from a working electrode consisting essentially of titanium carbide onto the support face
Implementation Method 2
Each of the support portions has a plurality of grooves formed thereon for suppressing saccadic movement
Data Source
AI summary
A jig for fixing a subject body, is provided with a support block configured to support the subject body, which includes a support face, a coating discharge-deposited to coat the support face, which includes a ceramic, and a fixation member configured to fix the subject body in cooperation with the support block.