Rotor Lip Ceramic Coating with Simultaneous Spraying and Machining
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for coating lips in turbojet engines with ceramic material face challenges due to the geometry of rotor segments and blades, limiting spraying angles to around 10°, which results in poor adhesion and increased porosity, leading to wear and transfer of abradable material.
Innovation Solution
A tooling system comprising a support, centering plate, centering arm, torch, and machining tool is used to position and simultaneously spray ceramic material and machine the lips, allowing for better positioning and preventing porosity formation by eroding the coating between deposition operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a small spraying angle (around 10°) is used to accommodate the geometry of rotor segments and blades, then the coating can be applied to the lips, but the adhesion of the ceramic material becomes weak and porosity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor sector is divided into multiple distinct sectors, with each sector receiving coating application from a dedicated torch positioned at an optimal spraying angle. This segmentation allows each torch to operate independently at the ideal angle for maximum adhesion, rather than forcing a single torch to work at a compromised small angle.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-point coating approach to a multi-point simultaneous coating approach. Multiple torches are positioned around the rotor sector, coating different sectors simultaneously from optimal angles, thereby adding spatial dimensions to the coating process to overcome the geometric constraints.
2Ease of manufacture
If a small spraying angle is used, then the coating can be applied given the rotor geometry, but porosity formation increases and wear resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the rotor sector into multiple coating zones, each served by a dedicated torch positioned at an optimal angle, the process eliminates the porosity-causing small spraying angles. Each segment receives coating under optimal conditions, preventing chimney porosity formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the spraying angle parameter from a compromised small angle (10°) to an optimal larger angle for each torch. This parameter optimization directly reduces porosity formation by ensuring proper material deposition density and eliminating the shading phenomenon that causes chimney porosity.
3Reliability
If multiple torches are used to coat distinct sectors simultaneously, then coating quality and adhesion improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tooling system is designed as a universal multi-functional device where multiple torches and machining tools are integrated onto a single rotor sector support structure. This allows the same support to accommodate various configurations of torches and machining tools, reducing overall system complexity despite the multi-point processing requirement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges multiple coating and machining operations into a single integrated tooling system. The support structure combines multiple torches and machining tools that can operate simultaneously on different sectors, consolidating what would otherwise be separate processing stations into one unified device.
4Device complexity
If conventional single-point coating is used, then the process is simple, but subsequent machining is required to achieve precise lip geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The machining tools are positioned to perform preliminary shaping of the lips before the ceramic coating is applied. By pre-machining the lip geometry to the final desired shape before coating, the process eliminates the need for subsequent machining operations after coating, as the coating is applied directly to the final geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The simultaneous operation of multiple torches and machining tools creates a continuous process where coating and machining occur in parallel without interruption. This eliminates the sequential nature of conventional processes (coat then machine or machine then coat), reducing total processing time while maintaining simplicity.
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 enhances adhesion and reduces wear by allowing for more precise coating application directly on the rotor sector, eliminating the need for subsequent machining and minimizing porosity, thus improving the durability of the abradable coating.
Implementation Method 1
a torch, adapted to spray a ceramic material
Implementation Method 2
a machining tool... allowing for better positioning and preventing porosity formation by eroding the coating between deposition operations
Data Source
AI summary
Tooling for the coating of lips of a turbomachine rotor sector, comprising a support for a rotor sector, a centering plate adapted to be inserted into a rotor sector, said centering plate having a central housing, a tool, said tool comprising a centering arm, adapted to be inserted into the central housing of the centering plate, a torch, adapted to spray a ceramic material, a machining tool, said tooling being configured so as to position the tool relative to the rotor sector via the centering plate, and to simultaneously perform on the rotor sector a spraying of ceramic material and a machining on two distinct sectors of the lips.