Turbomachine Rotor End Plate Repair With Crimped Ring Insert
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for repairing damaged end plates of turbomachine rotors are inadequate, as the riveting process for attaching balance weights can cause local damage to the end plate, leading to unusable riveting holes and deformation, necessitating the replacement of the entire disc.
Innovation Solution
A method for repairing a damaged end plate ring of a turbomachine rotor involves removing the crimped nuts, machining out the damaged portion, and attaching a replacement bar ring portion that includes balance-weight securing holes and mounting holes, secured using crimped nuts that are longer than the initial ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If balance weights are attached to the end plate by riveting, then the balance weights are securely fixed, but the end plate is locally damaged and riveting holes become unusable
Solution Approach 1:
The end plate ring is divided into a healthy portion and a damaged portion. The damaged portion containing unusable riveting holes is removed and replaced with a new bar segment that has fresh riveting holes, while the healthy portion is retained. This segmentation allows repair without replacing the entire end plate.
Solution Approach 2:
The damaged portion of the ring is extracted and removed from the end plate. This extraction eliminates the harmful damaged area with unusable riveting holes while preserving the healthy portions of the ring that do not require replacement.
2Reliability
If the entire disc is replaced to repair damaged end plate, then the damage is fully resolved, but the complexity and cost of repair increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The repair process segments the end plate into replaceable portions. Only the damaged segment containing unusable riveting holes is removed and replaced with a corresponding bar segment, rather than replacing the entire end plate or disc assembly. This reduces repair complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The damaged portion of the ring is discarded and removed, while the healthy portions of the end plate are recovered and retained. The discarded damaged portion is replaced with a new bar segment, achieving repair without the need to discard or replace the entire disc.
3Ease of manufacture
If the ring thickness is reduced at balance weights to facilitate riveting, then riveting is easier, but the risk of damage during dismantling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The repair process proactively removes the damaged portion before any further riveting or dismantling operations are performed. By eliminating the damaged area with thin walls in advance, the risk of damage during subsequent dismantling operations is prevented.
Solution Approach 2:
The damaged portion with thin walls that caused problems is converted into a benefit by removing it and replacing it with a new bar segment. The new segment has proper wall thickness that facilitates easy riveting while eliminating the damage risk associated with the original thin-walled damaged portion.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for repairing an end plate of a turbomachine rotor, the end plate including a crown having at least two collar fastening holes and at least one balancing-weight fastening hole located between the two collar fastening holes, each collar fastening hole being equipped with a crimped nut, the crown having a damaged portion between two collar fastening holes, the method including the steps of removing the two crimped nuts located on either side of the damage; removing the damaged crown portion, for example by machining; putting in place a strip in the form of a crown portion closing off the removed crown portion, the strip having at least one balancing-weight fastening hole and two mounting holes; fastening the strip to the crown with two crimped nuts, which penetrate the mounting holes, by crimping each nut in a collar fastening hole.