Miniaturized turbogenerator for the direct electrical propulsion of automotive, urban air mobility, and small marine vehicles

A reduced scale turbogenerator configured internal to a vehicle for the direct electrical propulsion of a vehicle comprising:

• a reduced scale gas turbine engine having a reduced scale compressor where each compressor includes a plurality of thin-walled blades on a disk that form narrow volutes with a complex spiraling surface;
• an electrical generator;
• a multi-spool shaft attaching the small-scale gas turbine engine to the electrical generator for producing electricity;
• and
• wherein the space occupied by small-scale gas turbine engine, electrical generator and multi-spool shaft is smaller than 1.5 cubic meters, and produces at least 200 kilowatts of electrical power at a thermal efficiency of at least 40 percent.

A miniaturized turbogenerator having a gas turbine engine where bladed disk components of the gas turbine engine are manufactured from a workpiece by a process comprising the steps of:

• a) providing an axially asymmetrical cutting tool having an angled or curved shaft as needed to clear previously machined features of the workpiece that is attached to a non-spindle multi-axis computer numerical control (CNC) machine tool;
• b) adjusting the position of the cutting tool at a sufficient distance from the workpiece so that the tool's acceleration is sufficient to induce controlled fracturing upon impact with the workpiece;
• c) accelerating the cutting tool to the point of impact with the workpiece;
• d) driving the cutting tool with sufficient linear force of at least 20,000 lbs/int to induce and maintain controlled fracturing for material removal;
• e) moving at a rate of motion through the workpiece at least one magnitude greater in feed rate than a rotating axially symmetric fluted cutting tool;
• f) following a three-dimensional tool path that removes material from the workpiece to produce a plurality of blades and volutes;
• g) adjusting the face of the cutting tool so that it is always normal to the tool path;
• and
• h) upon reaching the end of the toolpath, repeating steps a) to g) until the precise net shape of the blades and the volute surfaces between them are produced.