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US 6,547,645 B2Granted
Method and backer inserts for blocking backwall water jet strikes
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorRobert Henry Devine, II
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of drilling holes in an component, such as a turbine airfoil or bucket platform, the method including disposing a protective insert including a water jet blocking material adjacent a backside of the structure to be drilled and water jet drilling at least one hole in the structure, through to the backside. In one embodiment, the jet blocking material is comprised of carbide or a similar material that is more resistant to water jet drilling forces than the structure being drilled.
Claims12
A method of forming drilled holes in a wall of a component having a hollow interior cavity, said method comprising:
- disposing a backer insert comprising a water jet blocking material in said hollow interior cavity adjacent to a back surface of said wall to be drilled;
- water jet drilling at least one hole in the wall through to the hollow interior cavity;
- and removing the backer insert.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.