Gas Turbine Squealer Tip Cooling With Segmented Internal Cavities

The squealer tip cooling system is segmented into multiple independent internal cooling cavities (first cooling cavity, second cooling cavity, third cooling cavity) that are separated by internal walls. Each cavity receives cooling fluid through dedicated fluid passages, allowing distributed cooling across different regions of the squealer tip. This segmentation enables more efficient heat removal with reduced overall cooling fluid requirements compared to conventional single-cavity designs.

Different regions of the squealer tip are provided with different cooling configurations - the first cooling cavity serves a first region, the second cooling cavity serves a second region, and the third cooling cavity serves a third region. Each cavity can be optimized for its specific thermal load requirements, allowing cooling fluid to be directed preferentially to high-heat-load areas and reducing waste in lower-heat-load areas.

The flow body employs a composite structure where the airfoil and squealer tip are made from different metal materials. The airfoil is cast from a first metal material while the squealer tip is built from a second metal material using additive manufacturing. This material differentiation allows optimization of each component for its specific functional requirements - the airfoil for aerodynamic performance and the squealer tip for thermal management and structural integrity.

The squealer tip is internally segmented into multiple cooling cavities separated by internal walls, creating a complex internal architecture that cannot be achieved with conventional single-piece manufacturing. This segmentation enables superior cooling efficiency while the additive manufacturing process maintains ease of production by building the complex geometry directly without assembly steps.

The additive manufacturing process allows the complex internal cooling cavity structure to be pre-formed during the building process itself. The internal walls and cavities are created layer-by-layer as the squealer tip is manufactured, eliminating the need for subsequent complex machining or assembly operations to create the cooling passages. This preliminary formation of the cooling architecture optimizes fluid distribution while managing manufacturing complexity.

The manufacturing approach changes from conventional subtractive or assembly-based methods to additive manufacturing, fundamentally altering how the complex geometry is created. This parameter change in the manufacturing process enables the realization of complex internal cooling structures with optimized fluid distribution pathways that would be extremely difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional manufacturing methods.

The repair method follows a discard-and-replace approach where the damaged squealer tip is removed from the airfoil and a new squealer tip is built using additive manufacturing. The removal process involves cutting the damaged tip and preparing the contact surface, while the new tip is manufactured separately and then attached to the airfoil, restoring component reliability.

The repair process replaces traditional mechanical joining methods with additive manufacturing technology. Instead of mechanically attaching a pre-manufactured replacement tip, the new squealer tip is built directly onto the airfoil contact surface using additive manufacturing, which can create metallurgical bonds and complex geometries that are superior to conventional mechanical attachment methods.