Two-Piece Core-Shell Mold for Turbine Blade Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for manufacturing turbine blades and stator vanes lack the fine resolution capability to produce intricate internal geometries and cooling holes, particularly in locations proximal to outer portions or overhangs, due to limitations in powder bed and selective laser activation processes.
Innovation Solution
The use of direct light processing (DLP) to create two-piece core-shell molds with integrated ceramic filaments that form thin, precise connections between the core and shell, enabling the production of turbine blades with complex cooling hole patterns and eliminating the need for ball chutes and tip pins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If powder bed or selective laser activation processes are used to manufacture turbine blades, then the manufacturing process can be automated, but the fine resolution capability to produce intricate internal geometries and cooling holes is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is divided into two separate pieces (first mold piece and second mold piece) that can be manufactured independently using conventional manufacturing methods, then assembled together. This segmentation allows each piece to be optimized for its specific geometry, enabling intricate internal features like cooling holes to be formed with high precision while maintaining overall process feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
A ceramic core is introduced as an intermediary element between the two mold pieces. The core contains the intricate internal geometries and cooling hole patterns, allowing these complex features to be formed indirectly through the mold cavity definition rather than requiring direct high-resolution manufacturing of the entire blade structure
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional two-piece molds are used, then the mold can be assembled from separate parts, but the capability to produce fine cooling holes and intricate geometries proximal to outer portions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The first and second mold pieces are designed with different local qualities - each piece is optimized for its specific region of the blade. The interface between pieces is carefully designed to maintain precision in critical areas while allowing ease of assembly in other regions, enabling both fine cooling hole production and manufacturability
3Device complexity
If traditional tip pins and ball chute chutes are used, then the mold structure is simpler, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex due to additional components and closure requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The tip pins and ball chute chutes are completely removed from the mold design. Instead of using these traditional components, the invention relies on the precise geometry of the two mold pieces and the ceramic core to define all necessary features, eliminating the need for additional closure operations and simplifying the overall 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
DLP allows for the creation of turbine blades with finer cooling holes and intricate geometries that were previously unattainable, reducing manufacturing complexity and improving the efficiency of cooling systems in turbine engines.
Implementation Method 1
selective light processing (DLP) to produce the turbine blade or stator
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure generally relates to partial integrated core-shell investment casting molds that can be assembled into complete molds. Each section of the partial mold may contain both a portion of a core and portion of a shell. Each section can then be assembled into a mold for casting of a metal part. The partial integrated core-shell investment casting molds and the complete molds may be provided with filament structures corresponding to cooling hole patterns on the surface of the turbine blade or the stator vane, which provides a leaching pathway for the core portion after metal casting. The invention also relates to core filaments that can be used to supplement the leaching pathway, for example in a core tip portion of the mold.