Gas Turbine Component Sintering Support Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in producing gas turbine components using metal powder injection molding is the instability and deformation of components during the sintering process due to shrinkage, which deviates from design specifications, necessitating a method to maintain geometric integrity.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a support structure as an integral part of the component design that is removable after sintering, providing stability during the process and allowing for relative movements and shrinkage compensation, with features like planar bearing surfaces and ribs that can be partially or completely removed to prevent distortion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If metal powder injection molding is used to manufacture gas turbine components, then manufacturing cost is reduced and productivity is improved, but the component shape becomes unstable during sintering causing warping and geometric deviation
Solution Approach 1:
A support structure is introduced as an intermediary element during the sintering process. This support structure provides mechanical stability to the green body, preventing warping and geometric deviation. After sintering, the support structure is removed by machining, leaving the precisely formed component. The support structure acts as a temporary mediator that enables both high productivity through net-shape forming and high precision by preventing deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is incorporated into the green body during the injection molding step, before sintering occurs. This preliminary action ensures that the component has the necessary structural stability before the sintering process begins, preventing geometric deviations from occurring in the first place rather than correcting them afterward.
2Manufacturing precision
If a support structure is added during injection molding to prevent deformation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity and machining requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is designed as a temporary element that is discarded after serving its purpose. It is fully or partially removed by machining after sintering, having fulfilled its function of preventing deformation during the critical sintering phase. This approach allows the use of a relatively simple injection mold while achieving high geometric accuracy, as the support structure's complexity is temporary and removable.
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
This approach ensures robust manufacturing repeatability, reduces costs, and maintains the component's geometric integrity by absorbing and compensating for shrinkage, resulting in a stable and accurately formed gas turbine component.
Implementation Method 1
The brown part is sintered, during which it shrinks because the particles of the metal powder mixture compact during the sintering process.
Implementation Method 2
the support structure allows relative movements that occur during sintering and the associated shrinkage of the component to be absorbed and compensated
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2~3B
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a component design suitable and intended for further processing into a component (1) of a gas turbine. It is provided that the component design (10, 10') is manufactured by metal powder injection molding and subsequent sintering and comprises a support structure (2) as an integral part of the component design, which is suitable for supporting the component (1) during sintering, wherein the support structure (2) is not present or not fully present in the finished component. The invention further relates to a component for a gas turbine manufactured from such a component design, and to a method for manufacturing such a component.