Turbine airfoil process sequencing for optimized tip performance
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJoseph David Rigney, William Scott Walston, Richard John Grylls
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Optimized tip performance for turbine airfoils is obtained through a sequenced manufacturing process. The turbine airfoils are assembled into the dovetail slots of a turbine disk. The tips of the turbine airfoils assembled in the turbine disk are then measured to determine the turbine airfoils that do not have adequate tip clearance. The tips of those turbine airfoils that do not have adequate tip clearance are then machined to obtain adequate tip clearance. Once all the turbine airfoils have adequate tip clearance, environmental coatings and/or thermal barrier coatings are applied to the blade tips.
Claims20
A method of processing turbine blades to reduce wear of applied coatings from tips of the turbine blades during engine operation, the method comprising the steps of:
- assembling a plurality of turbine blades onto a turbine disk;
- determining a set of turbine blades of the plurality of turbine blades not having a predetermined adequate tip clearance;
- removing material from the set of turbine blades to achieve the predetermined adequate tip clearance;
- and
- applying a thermal barrier coating system to the plurality of turbine blades.
A method of processing turbine airfoils to reduce wear of applied coatings from tips of the turbine airfoils during engine operation, the method comprising the steps of:
- assembling a plurality of turbine airfoils onto a turbine disk;
- measuring each turbine airfoil of the plurality of turbine airfoils assembled on the turbine disk;
- manufacturing each turbine airfoil of the plurality of turbine airfoils to a length less than that required for a predetermined adequate tip clearance;
- and
- applying a thermal barrier coating system to the plurality of turbine airfoils to achieve the predetermined adequate tip clearance for each turbine airfoil of the plurality of turbine airfoils.
A method of processing turbine blades for a predetermined adequate tip clearance, the method comprising the steps of:
- applying a thermal barrier coating system to a plurality of turbine blades;
- assembling the plurality of turbine blades onto a turbine disk;
- removing material from a set of turbine blades not having the predetermined adequate tip clearance;
- and
- applying a protective coating to each turbine blade of the set of turbine blades to restore an environmental coating to each turbine blade of the set of turbine blades.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.