Precipitation-Hardened Interlocking Assembly for High-Temperature Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing form-fitting connections in high-temperature applications, such as aircraft engines and gas turbines, face challenges in achieving high strength and ease of production, as materials like rivets and ferrules have high resistance to deformation, making it difficult to produce reliable connections at elevated temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A method involving deformation form-fitting areas made from precipitation-hardenable materials, such as nickel-based superalloys, which are deformed in a non-hardened state and then subjected to aging heat treatment to form strong and temperature-resistant connections, allowing for simpler production and high-temperature stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If high-strength materials are used for form-fitting connections at high temperatures, then the connection strength and temperature resistance are improved, but the resistance to deformation during forming increases, making production difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by utilizing the temperature-dependent properties of precipitation-hardenable materials. The material is processed in a soft, non-hardened state at lower temperatures where it is easy to form, then subjected to aging heat treatment to achieve high strength at operating temperatures. This transforms the material's physical state during different process stages to resolve the contradiction between formability and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary action by performing all forming operations on the deformation form-fitting areas while the material is in its non-hardened, soft state before any aging treatment. This allows easy deformation and forming to occur first, and only after the desired geometry is achieved does the material undergo aging to develop high strength, thus eliminating the conflict between formability and strength.
2Reliability
If high-strength materials are used for form-fitting connections, then the reliability at high temperatures is improved, but the complexity of the production process increases due to additional heat treatment steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the forming process and heat treatment process into a unified production sequence. All deformation operations on the form-fitting areas are completed first while the material is soft, then a single aging heat treatment step is applied to the entire assembly to harden all precipitation-hardenable areas simultaneously. This integration reduces the number of separate process steps compared to treating each component individually.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies self-service by performing the aging heat treatment on the complete assembly after assembly, allowing the heat treatment to uniformly affect all precipitation-hardenable areas throughout the structure. The material itself undergoes the necessary chemical transformation through controlled exposure to elevated temperatures, requiring no additional mechanical intervention or complex equipment beyond the heat treatment furnace.
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 enables the production of stable and high-temperature-resistant form-fitting connections, simplifying the manufacturing process while ensuring reliable assembly performance even at high operating temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
the deformation form-fitting area being formed from a material which can be hardened by the formation of precipitates
Implementation Method 2
a material which can be hardened by the formation of precipitates
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an assembly with a positive locking connection having a precipitation-hardened positive locking area, and to a corresponding assembly, wherein at least two components of an assembly (1, 2, 3) are provided which are positively connected to one another, wherein each of the components has a positive locking area which can come into contact with at least one other positive locking area of the other component to be connected in order to establish a positive locking connection by restricting at least one degree of freedom of movement of the connected components relative to one another, wherein at least one of the components has at least one deformation positive locking area (6, 7) for providing the positive locking connection, which is deformed according to an arrangement of the components to be connected relative to one another in order to establish the positive locking connection.wherein the at least one deformation-form-lock area (6, 7) is formed from a material that is hardenable by the formation of precipitates, wherein the deformation-form-lock area (6, 7) is provided in the unhardened state or is brought into an unhardened state by solution annealing and subsequent quenching, wherein the at least one component with the at least one deformation-form-lock area (6, 7) is arranged in the unhardened state of the deformation-form-lock area relative to the at least one other component to be joined, and wherein the at least one deformation-form-lock area (6, 7) is deformed to form a positive-locking connection, wherein after the deformation of the deformation-form-lock area (6, 7) the deformation-form-lock area (6, 7) is subjected to an aging heat treatment in which the deformation-form-lock area (6, 7) is hardened by the formation of precipitates.