Method of forming internal passages within articles and articles formed by same
AssigneeSiemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
InventorBarry Lee McKinley
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Abstract
A method of producing numerous small passages within a turbomachinery component is disclosed. The method comprises providing a turbomachinery component substrate having grooves, filling the grooves with a filler, condensing a vapor onto the surfaces of the substrate and the filler, and removing the filler. The method enables the formation of small passages located close to the component surface without the low yield rate associated with conventional methods of turbomachinery component production. Turbomachinery components having numerous small passages for cooling are also disclosed. Such passages may diminish fluid pressure losses of a cooling medium passing therethrough.
Claims9
A method of producing passages within an article comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a substrate having a substrate surface having a plurality of grooves;
- (b) filling at least a portion of at least one of the grooves with a filler, the filler having a surface;
- (c) forming a vapor of an evaporant;
- (d) condensing the vapor onto the substrate surface and onto the filler surface, so as to form a skin thereon;
- and,
- (e) removing the filler from at least one of the grooves while leaving the skin substantially intact, thereby forming at least one passage within the substrate suitable for enabling a cooling medium to pass therethrough for removing heat from the substrate and the skin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.