A steel foam component includes a steel body having a plurality of pores. The plurality of pores forms a generally uniform pattern throughout the body and occupies at least 20 percent of a volume of the body.

A method of providing datum features on a ceramic article including the steps of providing a ceramic member having a plurality of substantially parallel holes extending into the ceramic member. Providing a plurality of tubular mounts, the cross-sectional area of each tubular mount being less than the cross-sectional area of the corresponding hole. Applying adhesive to the exterior surface of each one of the tubular mounts and inserting an adhesive covered tubular mount into each one of the holes. Providing a fixture member having a plurality of substantially parallel projections extending from predetermined positions. Positioning the ceramic member on the fixture member such that each projection locates in one of the tubular mounts and fixes the tubular mounts at the predetermined positions. The ceramic article may be removed from the fixture member or located in a machine tool using the fixture member and machining the ceramic article.

A foundry mixture for making molds used for molding cast metal parts includes foundry sand, a non-aqueous binder, and a cleaning agent that includes calcium oxide. Residual foundry mixture remaining on the cast part after removal from the mold is removed by electrolytic cleaning of the cast part.

The present disclosure generally relates to partial integrated core-shell investment casting molds that can be assembled into complete molds. Each section of the partial mold may contain both a portion of a core and portion of a shell. Each section can then be assembled into a mold for casting of a metal part. The partial integrated core-shell investment casting molds and the complete molds may be provided with filament structures corresponding to cooling hole patterns on the surface of the turbine blade or the stator vane, which provides a leaching pathway for the core portion after metal casting. The invention also relates to core filaments that can be used to supplement the leaching pathway, for example in a core tip portion of the mold.

A method of producing a steel foam component includes providing a mold defining a cavity. The method also includes positioning an insert within the cavity of the mold. The insert can be configured to form a generally uniform pattern of pores within the steel foam component, and in some cases occupies at least 20% of the cavity. The method can further include pouring molten steel into the cavity, cooling the molten steel into the steel foam component, and removing the steel foam component and the insert from the mold. Steel components having internal shapes corresponding to the insert(s) are also provided.

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention efficaciously implement robust gearbox housings. In one embodiment, a method of fabricating a gearbox housing includes: providing an alloy composition from which the gearbox housing will be fabricated from; casting the alloy composition around a solid body so as to form a part characterized by the inclusion of a cavity, where the cast part includes a metallic glass-based material; and nondestructively separating the cast part from the solid body.

A method of fabricating a two-component blade for a gas turbine engine, the method including in succession: obtaining a blade profile made of ceramic material having a hole passing right through the blade profile in its length direction so as to form a longitudinal channel opening out into a top cavity; positioning and maintaining the blade profile in a mold so as to form a bottom cavity communicating with the channel of the blade profile; casting molten metal into the blade profile so as to fill the top and bottom cavities and the channel interconnecting them; and cooling the metal so that the shrinkage of the metal cooled in the top and bottom cavities leads to the ceramic of the blade profile being subjected to compression prestress.

A stack molding pattern and a shell for manufacturing aircraft turbine engine blades via lost wax casting. The stack molding shell includes a plurality of shell blade elements, each intended for producing a blade, wire elements being arranged within the shell blade elements; and a metal feeder including a plurality of metal outlets, each one radially open towards one of the shell blade elements and connected with the second end portion of the element. The shell includes a protective screen, associated with each second end portion and intended to protect a sensitive portion of the wire elements against the direct impact of a flow of metal from the feeder. The sensitive portion is located in the second end portion, downstream from the protective screen.

A gas turbine engine, a blisk and methods of manufacturing are disclosed. The blisk includes a disk and a plurality of blades. Each blade includes a platform, an airfoil, and a shank portion radially extending between the platform and the disk. The airfoil includes cooling features. Cooling cavities are defined between shank portions of adjacent blades and are in communication to the internal of blades via cooling feed channels. A coverplate is coupled to a downstream side of the blisk to cover the cooling cavities. A plurality of inner tabs extends from an inner edge of the coverplate to securely couple the coverplate to the disk. The disk and the plurality of blades may be integrally formed or casted as a single unit. The platform, the airfoil, and the shank portion may be formed integrally as a single unit and bonded to the disk to form the blisk.

A method of making a hollow metal component comprising the steps of providing at least one core comprising a first side and a reverse side; utilizing a first metal spray process to apply at least one metal or metal alloy to the first side of the core, resulting in a partially-formed structure comprising a first side and a reverse side; and utilizing a second metal spray process to apply at least one metal or metal alloy to the reverse sides of the partially-formed structure and the core, resulting in a rough structure. A hollow metal component comprising a first side having interior and exterior surfaces, a reverse side having interior and exterior surfaces, the interior surfaces of the first side and the reverse side defining at least one cavity. The component is integrally formed and has regions comprising relatively different material compositions, the regions having gradual transitions of materials therebetween.