U.S. patent application number 13/718134 was filed with the patent office on 2014-04-03 for method of manufacturing complex shaped component.
This patent application is currently assigned to United Technologies Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Grant O. Cook, III, Robert P. Delisle, Agnes Klucha, Sergey Mironets, Wendell V. Twelves, William J. Ward.
Application Number | 20140093384 13/718134 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50385403 |
Filed Date | 2014-04-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140093384 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mironets; Sergey ; et
al. |
April 3, 2014 |
Method of Manufacturing Complex Shaped Component
Abstract
A method of forming a complex shaped part includes the steps of
forming a polymer core by an additive manufacturing process. A
metal is plated about surfaces of the polymer core, and the polymer
core is removed, leaving hollows within a plate core. Metal powder
is deposited within the hollows. An integral blade rotor is also
disclosed.
Inventors: |
Mironets; Sergey;
(Charlotte, NC) ; Twelves; Wendell V.;
(Glastonbury, CT) ; Cook, III; Grant O.; (Tolland,
CT) ; Delisle; Robert P.; (Colchester, CT) ;
Klucha; Agnes; (Colchester, CT) ; Ward; William
J.; (Marlborough, CT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION |
Connecticut |
CT |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
United Technologies
Corporation
Connecticut
CT
|
Family ID: |
50385403 |
Appl. No.: |
13/718134 |
Filed: |
December 18, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61706839 |
Sep 28, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
416/241R ;
205/73; 419/8; 427/181 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F05D 2230/22 20130101;
C25D 1/02 20130101; B22F 5/04 20130101; B23P 15/006 20130101; B22F
2998/10 20130101; F01D 5/34 20130101; B33Y 80/00 20141201; B33Y
10/00 20141201; B22F 5/009 20130101; F01D 5/147 20130101; B22F
2998/10 20130101; B29C 67/00 20130101; C25D 1/00 20130101; B22F
2005/103 20130101; B22F 3/115 20130101; B22F 3/15 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
416/241.R ;
419/8; 427/181; 205/73 |
International
Class: |
F01D 5/14 20060101
F01D005/14 |
Claims
1. A method of forming a complex shaped part including the steps
of: (a) forming a polymer core by an additive manufacturing
process; (b) plating a metal about surfaces of said polymer core;
(c) removing said polymer core leaving hollows within a plating
core; and (d) depositing metal powder within said hollows.
2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a consolidation step
occurs after the depositing of the metal powder into the
hollows.
3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the consolidation
process is a hot isostatic pressurization process.
4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said plating metal
is a nickel based material.
5. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein said metal powder is
also a nickel based material.
6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said complex shaped
component is an integrally bladed rotor, and said integrally bladed
rotor having a hub and radially outwardly extending airfoils with
said hollows being formed in both said hub and said airfoils.
7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said plating occurs
utilizing electroplating.
8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said polymer core is
removed in a furnace.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein said polymer core is melted,
disintegrated or evaporated in said furnace.
10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said additive
manufacturing process includes one of selective lithography
analysis, selective laser sintering, fusion deposition of material
or laminated object manufacturing.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein a computer model of the complex
shaped component is utilized to control the additive manufacturing
process to form the polymer core.
12. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein dimensions of the
polymer core are selected to be slightly smaller than dimensions of
a desired final complex shaped part.
13. An integrally bladed rotor comprising: a hub having an inner
bore and an outer surface, and a plurality of airfoils extending
radially outwardly of said outer surface, said airfoils and said
hub having radially outer surfaces and axially outer surfaces
formed of a relatively thin metal plate layer, and there being
metal powder within hollows defined axially and radially inwardly
of said plate layer.
14. The integrally bladed rotor as set forth in claim 13 wherein
said plate layer is a nickel based material.
15. The integrally bladed rotor as set forth in claim 14, wherein
said metal powder is a nickel based material.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/706,839 filed Sep. 28, 2012.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This application relates to a method of making very complex
shaped components in a manner that is reliable and simplified
compared to the prior art.
[0003] Modern technology is called upon to make increasingly
complex shaped components. As one example, gas turbine engines are
often provided with an integrally bladed rotor. An integrally
bladed rotor includes a hollow hub with a plurality of complex
airfoil shapes extending radially outwardly of the hub.
[0004] Currently, integrally bladed rotors are often manufactured
using hot forging technologies and then other technologies, such as
milling, super abrasive machining, electro-chemical machining or
other types of machining.
[0005] In addition, joining technologies, such as linear friction
welding, may be utilized to secure the airfoils to the hub.
[0006] All of these processes are expensive and raise various
challenges.
[0007] In addition, laser powder deposition has been utilized for
deposing material on outer surfaces of the integrally bladed rotor.
However, these techniques have not always provided an acceptable
finished component.
SUMMARY
[0008] In a featured embodiment, a method of forming a complex
shaped part includes the steps of forming a polymer core by an
additive manufacturing process, plating a metal about surfaces of
the polymer core, removing the polymer core leaving hollows within
a plating core, and depositing metal powder within the hollows.
[0009] In another embodiment according to the previous embodiment,
a consolidation step occurs after the depositing of the metal
powder into the hollows.
[0010] In another embodiment according to any of the previous
embodiments, the consolidation process is a hot isostatic
pressurization process.
[0011] In another embodiment according to any of the previous
embodiments, the plating metal is a nickel based material.
[0012] In another embodiment according to any of the previous
embodiments, the metal powder is also a nickel based material.
[0013] In another embodiment according to any of the previous
embodiments, the complex shaped component is an integrally bladed
rotor. The integrally bladed rotor has a hub and radially outwardly
extending airfoils with the hollows that are formed in both the hub
and the airfoils.
[0014] In another embodiment according to any of the previous
embodiments, the plating occurs utilizing electroplating.
[0015] In another embodiment according to any of the previous
embodiments, the polymer core is removed in a furnace.
[0016] In another embodiment according to any of the previous
embodiments, the polymer core is melted, disintegrated or
evaporated in the furnace.
[0017] In another embodiment according to any of the previous
embodiments, the additive manufacturing process includes one of
selective lithography analysis, selective laser sintering, fusion
deposition of material or laminated object manufacturing.
[0018] In another embodiment according to any of the previous
embodiments, a computer model of the complex shaped component is
utilized to control the additive manufacturing process to form the
polymer core.
[0019] In another embodiment according to any of the previous
embodiments, dimensions of the polymer core are selected to be
slightly smaller than dimensions of a desired final complex shaped
part.
[0020] In another featured embodiment, an integrally bladed rotor
has a hub with an inner bore and an outer surface. A plurality of
airfoils extend radially outwardly of the outer surface. The
airfoils and hub have radially outer surfaces and axially outer
surfaces formed of a relatively thin metal plate layer. There is
metal powder within hollows defined axially and radially inwardly
of the plate layer.
[0021] In another embodiment according to the previous embodiment,
the plate layer is a nickel based material.
[0022] In another embodiment according to any of the previous
embodiments, the metal powder is a nickel based material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates an integrally bladed rotor.
[0024] FIG. 2A schematically illustrates an example additive
manufacturing machine, and further shows a first step in forming
the integrally bladed rotor.
[0025] FIG. 2B shows an intermediate step.
[0026] FIG. 2C shows another intermediate step.
[0027] FIG. 2D shows yet another intermediate step.
[0028] FIG. 2E shows yet another intermediate step.
[0029] FIG. 2F shows yet another manufacturing step.
[0030] FIG. 2G shows yet another step.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] An integrally bladed rotor 20 is illustrated in FIG. 1. As
known, a hub 22 has an outer surface 24, and a plurality of
airfoils 26 extend radially outwardly of the outer surface 24. The
integrally bladed rotor 20 has a very complex shape and raises
challenges to manufacture.
[0032] This application is directed to a method of making such an
integrally bladed rotor in a reliable and relatively simple manner
compared to the prior art. While an integrally bladed rotor is
specifically disclosed, any number of other complex shaped parts
will benefit from the teachings of this application.
[0033] FIG. 2A shows an initial step. A core 120 for forming an
integrally bladed rotor is illustrated being only partially formed.
A rapid prototyping process which utilizes additive manufacturing
techniques is preferably utilized to form the core 120 from an
appropriate polymer. A system 30 is shown schematically forming the
core 120 from a polymer in such a rapid manufacturing process.
Examples of such additive manufacturing processes include
stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering, fused
deposition modeling, laminated object manufacturing, or any other
rapid manufacturing. As known, core 120 is being built up from
layers. A CAD model of the desired integrally bladed rotor 20 can
be utilized to drive these processes.
[0034] FIG. 2B shows the final core 220. Core 220 is manufactured
to be of the general exact shape of the final integrally bladed
rotor 20 and has outer surface 224, inner surface 222, and airfoils
226.
[0035] FIG. 2C shows a subsequent step. A plating process (shown
schematically at 34) is utilized to plate an appropriate metal for
forming the integrally bladed rotor onto a polymer. The process
deposits a plating 326, 328 and 329 on the core 220. In fact, FIG.
2C is an oversimplification, in that the plating 328 would
typically only be found in the portions of the outer surface 224
intermediate blades 226 on the core. Further, while a blade 226 is
illustrated in FIG. 2C, in fact, the area 327 would also receive
the plating to form a lateral outer wall of the airfoils for the
final integrally bladed rotor. The thickness of the plating may be
exaggerated to show the plating layers. However, the purpose of
FIG. 2C is to make clear that the plating would cover the core 220,
and that there would be plated metal on outer surfaces of the core
220 after the step 2C.
[0036] One metal which may be plated is an appropriate nickel or
nickel alloy for forming the integrally bladed rotor 20. One
possible process 34 would be electroplating. The plating thickness
should be controlled and selected to achieve a structurally sound
configuration after the step 2D.
[0037] In step 2E, hollows are illustrated at areas 500 and 501. To
reach step 2E, the core 120 has been removed, as shown in FIG. 2D.
In one example, the combined core and plating, as shown at 601, may
be placed in a furnace 600 as shown schematically in FIG. 2D. The
polymer forming the core 220 may be melted, disintegrated, or
evaporated in any known manner.
[0038] What is left is a hollow configuration 320 as shown in FIG.
2E. A hollow structure 320 incorporates plating portions 326, 327,
328 and 329. Within this hollow structure 320 are hollows 500
within each of the airfoils and hollows 501 within the portions 328
and between the sides 329.
[0039] FIG. 2F shows a subsequent step. A metal powder fills the
hollows. The metal powder is shown at 400 and 401, and may be
deposited within the hollows in any known manner. A tool 610 is
illustrated schematically delivering the metal powder into the
hollows. The metal powder may be a nickel based powder that may be
similar to the plating material. To ensure that powder fills in all
areas of a hollow plated shell with complex shape configuration, a
feeder spruce system may be included.
[0040] After step 2F, an integrally bladed rotor 520 may be
subjected to some finishing operation. As an example, a hot
isostatic pressure operation 601 is illustrated in FIG. 2G and
provides very high pressure to the integrally bladed rotor 520. As
known, in the operation 601, a container is typically filled with a
fluid, and the fluid is pressurized to, in turn, pressurize the
enclosed part 520. Powder out gassing may be utilized prior to the
hot isostatic pressure operation.
[0041] Other finishing techniques, such as quasi-isostatic pressing
or dynamic compaction can be utilized in place of the hot isostatic
pressure.
[0042] A worker on this art may recognize that the CAD model
initially utilized to form the core at step 2A may be adjusted to
account for material shrinkage which might occur due to the
consolidation operation.
[0043] An integrally bladed rotor 520 has a hub with an inner bore
54 and an outer surface 522, and a plurality of airfoils 523
extending outwardly of the outer surface. The airfoils 523 and hub
have radially outer surfaces and axially outer surfaces formed of a
relatively thin metal plate layer. There is metal powder within
hollows defined axially and radially inwardly of the plated
layer.
[0044] The plate layer may be a nickel based material, and the
metal powder may be a nickel based material.
[0045] Although an embodiment of this invention has been disclosed,
a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain
modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For
that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine
the true scope and content of this invention.
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