Gas Turbine Cooling Hole Restoration via Pre-Coating Mapping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for repairing thermal barrier coatings on gas turbine engine components are neither cost-effective nor operationally effective, as they often result in misaligned or duplicate cooling holes during recoating, leading to difficulties in restoring the components to their original capability.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the removal of prior coatings, mapping the location of cooling holes, adjusting the map to account for new coatings, and re-drilling the holes based on the adjusted map to ensure accurate alignment and restoration of cooling holes, while applying new coatings with gas flow through the holes to prevent adhesion issues.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the coating is stripped and re-applied using conventional methods, then the coating restoration is completed, but the cooling holes cannot be properly located leading to misaligned or duplicate holes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoating restorationVSAvoidcooling hole alignment

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling hole locations are mapped and recorded before the coating is stripped. This preliminary mapping allows the holes to be accurately re-located after coating removal, preventing misalignment and duplication while enabling successful coating restoration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A map or record of the original cooling hole locations is created and used as a reference template. This copy of the hole pattern guides the re-drilling process after coating restoration, ensuring accurate replication of the original cooling hole positions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If gas flow is directed through cooling holes during coating application, then coating adhesion issues are prevented, but the process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoating adhesionVSAvoidcoating process

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Gas flow is introduced as an intermediary medium during the coating application process. The gas prevents coating material from adhering to the cooling holes while allowing the coating to properly adhere to the surrounding component surfaces, solving the adhesion problem without compromising the cooling hole functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 allows for precise restoration of cooling holes and coatings, enhancing the operational effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the repair process by ensuring accurate alignment and minimizing disruptions to the cooling system.

Implementation Method 1

directing a gas through at least one of the multiple of cooling holes; and applying a coat while directing the gas through at least one of the multiple of cooling holes

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGas flow:

Data Source

PatentUS10815796B2Coating process for gas turbine engine component with cooling holes

Publication Date: 2020.10.27 RTX CORP

AI summary

A method of coating a component having a multiple of cooling holes including removing at least a portion of a prior coating from a component; mapping a location of each of the multiple of cooling holes to generate a map of cooling holes; applying a coat to the component; adjusting the map of cooling holes to account for said coat to generate a adjusted map of cooling holes; and re-drilling the multiple of cooling holes in response to the adjusted map of cooling holes.