Gas Impingement Cooling for Rotor Blade Cladding Microstructure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling methods for rotor blades during laser cladding and repair processes fail to achieve desired cooling rates in refined microstructures, leading to grain growth and durability issues with weld fillers, resulting in early engine removals.
Innovation Solution
A gas impingement in-process cooling system with a deposition head and impingement diffusers that direct high-pressure gas towards the blade tips during the deposition of additional materials, coupled with a temperature control system to manage temperatures and cooling rates, ensuring efficient cooling and strengthening of welds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cooling methods are used during laser cladding, then base materials are cooled, but desired cooling rates in refined microstructures are not achieved, leading to grain growth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs gas impingement cooling where high-pressure gas is directed through diffusers at the deposited material surface. This pneumatic approach achieves rapid cooling rates by forcing gas directly onto the hot material, effectively removing heat and preventing grain growth in the refined microstructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system applies localized cooling directly at the deposition zone through impingement diffusers positioned near the laser cladding head. This ensures that the refined microstructure receives intensive cooling while other areas of the blade are not affected, achieving spatially differentiated temperature control.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If weld fillers are used for rotor blade repairs, then blade life is extended, but weld durability is insufficient, leading to early engine removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thermal parameters during welding by implementing rapid cooling through gas impingement. This controls the cooling rate and temperature profile, producing a refined microstructure with superior mechanical properties and weld durability, thereby extending reliable blade life.
Solution Approach 2:
The rapid cooling induced by gas impingement creates controlled phase transitions in the deposited material, forming a refined microstructure with enhanced mechanical properties. This phase transformation process improves weld durability and reliability.
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 system achieves high cooling rates, minimizing grain growth and producing durable welds that extend the life of rotor blades, leading to increased time-on-wing capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
a gas impingement assembly including impingement diffusers, a support structure to support the impingement diffusers at opposite sides of the base materials in a trailing position relative to the deposition head and a supply system configured to supply the impingement diffusers with impingement gas
Data Source
AI summary
A blade repair apparatus is provided and includes a deposition head which is movable relative to base materials and configured to execute a repair operation that includes a deposition of additional materials onto the base materials during deposition head movements, a temperature control system including a temperature regulating assembly coupled with the deposition head in a trailing position and a controller. The controller is operably coupled to the deposition head and the temperature control system. The controller is configured to control the deposition head movements and depositional operations of the deposition head. The controller is configured to control the temperature control system such that the temperature regulating assembly controls temperatures of at least the base materials and the additional materials during at least the deposition head movements and the depositional operations.