Contoured Pre-sintered Article for Gas Turbine End Wall Brazing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing hot gas path components in gas turbines, such as brazing flat sheets to contoured end walls, result in gaps at the bond interface, reducing heat transfer and efficiency due to air-filled gaps, which decreases the cooling effectiveness and increases operating costs.
Innovation Solution
A component with a contoured article made from pre-sintered preform materials, secured to the end walls and airfoil portions through brazing or welding, ensuring a closer tolerance and direct contact to eliminate gaps and enhance joint quality, using materials like cobalt-based or nickel-based alloys with specific compositions for high-temperature resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If flat sheets of material are brazed to contoured end walls, then the component can be manufactured with complex geometries, but gaps form at the bond interface reducing heat transfer efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies a contoured article with a contoured surface that mirrors the contoured end wall geometry, eliminating gaps at the bond interface. The contoured article is formed from a pre-sintered preform with matching curvature, ensuring direct contact between the article surface and the end wall contour, thereby maintaining efficient heat transfer while achieving the desired complex geometry.
2Ease of operation
If flat sheets are conformed to contoured end walls during brazing, then the component achieves desired air flow contour, but cooling effectiveness decreases due to air-filled gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The contoured article is pre-formed from a pre-sintered preform with the desired contour geometry before brazing to the end wall. This preliminary formation of the correct contour eliminates the need to conform flat sheets during brazing, ensuring direct contact and eliminating gaps that would compromise cooling effectiveness while maintaining the required air flow contour.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional brazing methods are used with flat sheets, then manufacturing process is simple, but manufacturing yield is reduced due to gap formation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a contoured article formed from a pre-sintered preform with a contoured surface that mirrors the end wall geometry. This approach maintains the simplicity of the brazing process while eliminating gap formation, thereby improving manufacturing yield without significantly complicating the manufacturing process.
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 increases the manufacturing yield, extends the life cycle of the components, and enhances cooling effectiveness by eliminating gaps and improving the bond quality between the article and the end walls or airfoil portions, thereby increasing the efficiency and reducing operating costs.
Implementation Method 1
secured to the end walls and airfoil portions through brazing or welding
Implementation Method 2
secured to the end walls and airfoil portions through brazing or welding
Implementation Method 3
A contoured article is made from pre-sintered preform materials
Data Source
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AI summary
An article 201, a component 100, and a method of making a component 100 are provided. The article 201 includes a contoured proximal face 202 and a contoured distal face 203. The contoured proximal face 202 is arranged and disposed to substantially mirror a contour of an end wall of a component 100. The component 100 includes a first end wall 105, a second end wall 107, and an article 201 including a contoured proximal face 202 secured to at least one of the first end wall 105 and the second end wall 107. The method of making a component 100 includes forming an article 201 having a proximal face 202 and a distal face 203, contouring the proximal face 202 of the article 201 to form a contoured proximal face 202 that substantially mirrors a contour of a first end wall 105 or a second end wall 107 of the component 100, and securing the contoured proximal face 202 of the article 201 to one of the first end wall 105 and the second end wall 107.