Process for producing ceramic composite components

A process for producing a turbine blade comprising an airfoil, a tip shroud, and at least one seal tooth, the tip shroud having at least one off-axis geometric feature that results in the tip shroud having a more complex geometry than the airfoil, the process comprising:

• forming the airfoil of the turbine blade with plies containing a reinforcement material in a precursor of a ceramic material, the plies comprising at least a first set of plies between at least second and third sets of plies;
• splitting and/or trimming at least some of the plies of the second and third sets of plies thereby introducing voids;
• folding distal portions of the second and third sets of plies away from the first set of plies so that the folded distal portions of each of the second and third sets of plies are oriented transverse to the first set of plies within the airfoil of the component;
• filling the voids in the tip shroud between split portions and/or adjacent trimmed portions of the second and third sets of plies with additional insert ply sections sized and shaped to fill the voids;
• interleaving plies of a fourth set of plies among the folded distal portions of the second set of plies and among the folded distal portions of the third set of plies;
• forming at least the seal tooth of the turbine blade with a fifth set of plies containing reinforcement material in a precursor of a ceramic material, the fifth set of plies being applied to a surface defined by the folded distal portions of the second and third sets of plies and the fourth set of plies interleaved therewith, the fifth set of plies being folded to have first portions that overlie the folded distal portions of each of the second and third sets of plies and to have second portions that are aligned with the airfoil and are oriented transverse to the folded distal portions of the second and third sets of plies;
• and then
• consolidating and curing the first, second, third, fourth and fifth sets of plies so that the first set of plies and the portions of the second and third sets of plies that were not folded away from the first set of plies define the airfoil of the turbine blade, so that the folded distal portions of the second and third sets of plies and the fourth set of plies interleaved therewith define the tip shroud of the turbine blade, and so that the fifth set of plies define the seal tooth of the turbine blade.