Composite Casting Core for Gas Turbine Cooling Passageways
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current investment casting techniques face challenges in manufacturing fine, precisely located cooling passageways for superalloy gas turbine engine components, as they are difficult to manufacture and can be fragile, affecting engine efficiency and requiring additional cooling air.
Innovation Solution
The use of a composite core assembly comprising ceramic and refractory metal cores with strategically placed bends to form complex cooling passageways, allowing for enhanced cooling while reducing stress concentrations and improving manufacturing robustness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If fine cooling passageway sections are manufactured using traditional ceramic casting cores, then cooling precision is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases and core fragility worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The casting core is divided into multiple segments or sections that can be manufactured separately and then assembled. This segmentation allows each section to be optimized for manufacturing while the assembled core provides the fine, precise cooling passageways needed for high-precision cooling features.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite core structures combining ceramic materials with other materials (such as metal alloys or refractory compounds) to create a core that maintains the precision needed for fine cooling passageways while improving overall manufacturing robustness and reducing fragility through material composition optimization.
2Manufacturing precision
If fine cooling passageway sections are manufactured using traditional ceramic casting cores, then cooling precision is improved, but core strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite core structures combining ceramic materials with other materials (such as metal alloys or refractory compounds) to create a core that maintains the precision needed for fine cooling passageways while improving overall manufacturing robustness and reducing fragility through material composition optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The design may involve nested core structures where one core is placed within another, or where support structures are integrated within the core geometry. This nesting provides internal reinforcement that strengthens the core while maintaining the external precision required for accurate cooling passageway formation.
3Reliability
If more cooling air is used to compensate for poor cooling efficiency, then cooling benefit is maintained, but engine efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The casting core incorporates locally optimized cooling features with varying pore sizes, densities, and material properties in different regions. This local quality variation allows the core to provide enhanced cooling where needed most while minimizing the overall cooling air requirement, thereby maintaining engine efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes porous ceramic materials with controlled pore structures that enable efficient heat transfer and cooling. The porous structure provides high surface area for heat dissipation, maximizing cooling effectiveness while minimizing the volume of cooling air required.
Data Source
AI summary
A casting pattern (140) has a pattern material (144) and a casting core combination (142). The pattern material (144) has an airfoil (146). The casting core combination (142) is at least partially embedded in the pattern material (144). The casting core combination (142) comprises a metallic casting core (162) and at least one additional casting core (160). The metallic casting core (162) has opposite first and second faces. The metallic core (162) and at least one additional casting core (160) extend spanwise into the airfoil (146) of the pattern material (144). In at least a portion of the pattern material (144) outside the airfoil (146) of the pattern material (144), the metallic casting core (162) is bent transverse to the spanwise direction so as to at least partially surround an adjacent portion of the at least one additional casting core (160).