Additive Manufacturing Cooling Article with Reinforcing Features
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for forming complex cooling channels in turbine components, such as drilling or electrical discharge machining, are expensive and difficult for creating small shaped holes, and additive manufacturing struggles with forming thin vertical structures like impingement sleeves, often resulting in collapse.
Innovation Solution
A cooling article and method utilizing additive manufacturing to form a body portion with internal and external regions connected by apertures and reinforcing features, which provide structural support during manufacturing, allowing for the creation of complex cooling channels and preventing collapse, using techniques like Direct Metal Laser Melting to deposit and join metal alloy layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If additive manufacturing is used to form thin vertical structures like impingement sleeves, then manufacturing complexity is reduced and single-piece formation is enabled, but structural collapse during manufacturing occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating support structures during the additive manufacturing process that prevent collapse of thin vertical features. These support structures are formed concurrently with the main article and are later removed, allowing the thin-walled impingement sleeves to be manufactured as single-piece components without collapsing during the layer-by-layer building process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters by using selective laser melting with controlled layer thickness, build orientation, and support structure geometry. By adjusting these parameters, the process enables formation of thin vertical structures that maintain structural integrity during manufacturing while still achieving the desired thin-walled final geometry
2Manufacturing precision
If drilling or electrical discharge machining is used to form complex cooling channels, then manufacturing precision can be achieved, but manufacturing cost increases and small shaped holes are difficult to form
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical machining methods (drilling, electrical discharge machining) with additive manufacturing using selective laser melting. This substitution enables direct formation of complex cooling channels and small shaped holes within the turbine component during the building process, eliminating the need for expensive post-processing machining operations while maintaining geometric precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the cooling channel formation with the main component manufacturing process. The cooling channels are formed as integral features during additive manufacturing of the turbine component, combining what were previously separate operations (component fabrication and cooling channel creation) into a single integrated 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
Facilitates the additive manufacturing of cooling articles with increased complexity and stability, enabling higher operating temperatures, improved efficiency, and enhanced heat transfer coefficients, while reducing manufacturing collapse and enabling single-piece formation of complex features.
Implementation Method 1
using techniques like Direct Metal Laser Melting to deposit and join metal alloy layers
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A cooling article 100 and method of forming a cooling article 100 are provided. The cooling article 100 includes a body portion 201 separating an inner region 203 and an outer region 205, an aperture 101 in the body portion 201, the aperture 101 fluidly connecting the inner region 203 and the outer region 205, and a reinforcing feature 103 extending at least partially along the body portion 201, the reinforcing feature 103 being oriented with respect to a build direction. The method includes forming a body portion 201 defining an inner region 203 and an outer region 205, forming at least one reinforcing feature 103 concurrently with the forming of the body portion 201, the at least one reinforcing feature 103 extending at least partially along the body portion 201, and forming an aperture 101 in the body portion 201, the aperture 101 fluidly connecting the inner region 203 to the outer region 205. The forming the body portion 201, forming the aperture 101, and forming the at least one reinforcing feature 103 comprises additive manufacturing.