ECM Electrode Structure for Precise Gas Turbine Blade Cooling Slots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for creating cooling slots in gas turbine blades are slow, expensive, and prone to manufacturing inaccuracies due to high tool wear and misalignment, affecting cooling air flow and component lifespan.
Innovation Solution
An electrochemical machining electrode device with a comb-shaped, multi-layer design featuring outer non-conducting and inner conducting plates, allowing for precise machining of recessed slots and channels connected to a cooling air source without significant wear, enabling efficient and accurate cooling slot creation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional machining tools are used to create cooling slots, then the slots can be formed, but the process is slow and expensive due to high tool wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical machining tools with an electrochemical machining (ECM) electrode device. The ECM process uses electrical current and electrolyte solution to remove material through electrochemical reactions rather than mechanical contact, eliminating tool wear and enabling continuous operation without frequent tool replacement or reconditioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental machining parameter from mechanical force to electrical current. By applying controlled electrical current through the ECM electrode device with electrolyte circulation, material is removed via electrochemical dissolution, enabling high-speed slot creation without the limitations of mechanical tool wear.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple separate tools are used for creating slots and channels, then different features can be machined, but alignment accuracy decreases due to misalignment between tools
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple machining functions into a single integrated ECM electrode device. The device simultaneously creates both the cooling slots and the internal channels through one positioning operation, ensuring perfect alignment between features since they are all formed by the same electrode structure in a single setup.
Solution Approach 2:
The ECM electrode device is designed with multi-functionality, capable of machining different features (slots and channels) with varying geometries using the same device. The electrode can be configured with different shapes and configurations to create various cooling slot patterns and channel arrangements without requiring tool changes.
3Reliability
If traditional machining methods are used, then cooling slots can be created, but cooling efficiency is reduced due to manufacturing inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
By replacing mechanical machining with electrochemical machining, the patent achieves superior geometric accuracy in cooling slot creation. The ECM process produces smooth, precise surfaces with tight tolerances and exact dimensional control, ensuring optimal cooling air flow paths and maximum cooling efficiency without the dimensional variations introduced by mechanical tool wear and vibration.
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 device enables rapid, cost-effective, and precise creation of cooling slots with minimal wear, improving cooling efficiency and extending component lifespan by ensuring accurate alignment and reduced tool consumption.
Implementation Method 1
electrochemical machining electrode device for realizing a cooling slot in a surface of a body to be cooled
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
An electrochemical machining electrode device (1) for realizing a cooling slot in a surface of a body (3), preferably a blade, to be cooled of a gas turbine assembly; the device being a sandwich body comprising: two outer electrically non-conducting plates (5); two inner electrically conducting plates (6) in direct contact with the two outer non-conducting plates (5); the two inner electrically conducting plates (5) being separated for forming a central gap (7) used to provide flow of fresh electrolyte to the surface to be machined; wherein the inner electrically conducting plates serve as a cathode providing current from an electrical current source to the surface to be machined, which is used as anode and also connected to the electrical current source; a plurality of bridge bodies (8) connecting the two inner electrically conducting plates.