Sacrificial Cooling Hole Plug for Coating Bridging Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sacrificial plug systems fail to effectively protect the configuration of cooling holes in components during post-formation processing, particularly from coating bridging or blocking, which can alter cooling hole sizes and shapes, leading to reduced airflow and increased rework costs.
Innovation Solution
An integrally formed sacrificial plug system with a top portion, cover portion, and connective members is additively manufactured within cooling holes, allowing for controlled coating deposition and easy removal to prevent bridging, comprising a top portion for grasping, a cover portion to limit coating entry, and connective members for severable attachment to the cooling hole wall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional sacrificial plug systems are used, then cooling holes are filled during additive manufacturing, but coating material can still bridge or block cooling holes during post-formation processing
Solution Approach 1:
The sacrificial plug is additively manufactured in advance within the cooling holes before coating operations. The plug protrudes from the component surface to create a physical barrier that prevents coating material from entering and bridging the cooling holes during subsequent coating processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The sacrificial plug acts as an intermediary protective element between the cooling holes and the coating material. It temporarily occupies the cooling hole space and provides a barrier function, allowing the coating to be applied without directly contacting and blocking the cooling holes.
2Productivity
If sacrificial plugs are additively manufactured integrally with the component, then manufacturing efficiency improves, but removal of the plugs becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The sacrificial plug is designed with segmented connective members that attach to the component walls. These connective members can be individually severed, allowing the plug to be removed in sections. The segmentation enables controlled detachment without requiring excessive force that could damage the component.
Solution Approach 2:
The sacrificial plug is designed as a temporary, disposable element that is discarded after serving its protective function. The connective members are intentionally made severable so the plug can be easily removed and discarded, with no need for recovery or reuse. This approach prioritizes ease of removal over long-term durability of the plug itself.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the sacrificial plug covers the cooling hole opening, then coating bridging is prevented, but coating material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sacrificial plug extracts or removes the problematic space (cooling hole opening) from the coating process by physically occupying it. By taking out the cooling hole opening from the coating zone, the plug prevents coating material from entering and bridging the holes, thereby reducing unnecessary coating material consumption that would otherwise be wasted in and around the cooling holes.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the embodiments set forth a sacrificial plug system including a component having a surface and at least one cooling hole in the surface; a sacrificial plug integrally formed with the component and integrally formed in the at least one cooling hole, where the sacrificial plug includes a top portion; a cover portion; and a bottom portion, the bottom portion integrally formed, engaged to, and connected to at least one cooling hole. The sacrificial plug system also includes at least one connective member integrally formed with the bottom portion of the sacrificial plug and integral with an inner wall of each respective at least one cooling hole; each at least one connective member being severable from the respective inner wall when a force is applied to the top portion, thus permitting the sacrificial plug to be removed from the at least one respective cooling hole.