Turbine Engine Wall Cooling Apertures via Zoned AM Energy Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing additive manufacturing methods struggle to reproducibly produce turbine engine walls with small, uniformly aligned cooling holes, especially when these holes extend perpendicular to the wall, leading to manufacturing defects and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
The method involves selectively manufacturing a lower zone around cooling apertures with reduced energy input per unit length, increasing the lower zone's volume, and optimizing energy inputs for intermediate and upper zones to improve aperture geometry and uniformity, allowing for more precise and reproducible production of cooling apertures with varied orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If standard energy input is used for manufacturing the entire wall, then manufacturing process is simple, but cooling aperture geometry and uniformity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different energy input levels to different zones of the wall: a first energy input per unit length is used for the lower zone around the cooling aperture, while a second (higher) energy input per unit length is used for the intermediate and upper zones. This local differentiation of manufacturing parameters improves the geometry and uniformity of the cooling aperture without requiring complete process redesign.
2Manufacturing precision
If lower zone volume is increased around cooling aperture, then aperture uniformity improves, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the energy input parameter (energy per unit length) for the lower zone compared to the intermediate and upper zones. By using a lower energy input for the lower zone, the process creates a larger volume of melted material around the cooling aperture, improving aperture uniformity. The specific energy input values are optimized to balance quality improvement with manufacturing efficiency.
3Reliability
If cooling aperture size is reduced, then thermal protection efficiency improves, but manufacturing reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a differentiated energy input strategy specifically at the location of the cooling aperture (lower zone) to improve geometry control. This localized approach allows small, precise cooling apertures to be manufactured with better geometric control and fewer defects, thereby improving both thermal protection efficiency and manufacturing 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
This approach facilitates the production of turbine engine walls with small, uniformly aligned cooling apertures, reducing manufacturing defects and enhancing thermal protection, thereby improving the efficiency and reliability of turbine engines.
Implementation Method 1
depositing powder layer by layer, partly solidified by selective melting or selective sintering by a laser beam
Implementation Method 2
heating a predefined zone in the powder layer by means of a laser beam. The energy supplied by this beam causes local melting or sintering of the powder
Implementation Method 3
depositing powder layer by layer, partly solidified by selective melting or selective sintering by a laser beam or by an electron beam
Implementation Method 4
heating a predefined zone in the powder layer by means of a laser beam or an electron beam. The energy supplied by this beam causes local melting or sintering of the powder
Implementation Method 5
The energy supplied by this beam causes local melting or sintering of the powder, which solidifies to form a first layer of the part
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided for additive manufacturing of a wall for a turbine engine, the wall including a first cooling aperture. The manufacturing method includes additively manufacturing the wall by selective melting or selective sintering on a powder bed. The wall is manufactured at least partially around the first cooling aperture with at least one lower zone that has a minimum length between 0.01 and 0.4 mm and/or with a lower zone that has a total thickness between 0.06 and 0.22 mm.