COMPONENT AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAID COMPONENT

Abstract

A component is disclosed, the component comprising a first material and a second material, wherein a second member made from the second material is embraced by a first member made from the first material. Further, a method is disclosed for manufacturing said component, the method comprising applying an additive manufacturing process, building up a first member from a first material by the additive manufacturing process, and adding a second member made from a second material during the additive manufacturing process and adding further first material to the first member thus embracing the second member.

Claims

1. A component, the component comprising a first material and a second material, characterized in that a second member made from the second material is embraced by a first member made from the first material.

2. The component according to claim 1, wherein the second member is fully enclosed by the first member.

3. The component according to claim 1, wherein the second member extends to a surface of the component.

4. The component according to claim 1, wherein the second material is chosen to have a higher thermal conductivity than the first material.

5. The component according to claim 1, wherein the second material is chosen to have a higher thermal expansion coefficient than the first material.

6. The component according to claim 1, wherein the first member is seamless.

7. The component according to claim 1, wherein the second member comprises at least one even surface and in particular has one of a constant or decreasing cross sectional dimension starting from at least one even surface.

8. The component according to claim 1, wherein the first member is producible by an additive manufacturing method.

9. A method for manufacturing a component according to claim 1, the method comprising applying an additive manufacturing process, building up a first member from a first material by the additive manufacturing process, adding a second member made from a second material during the additive manufacturing process and adding further first material to the first member thus embracing the second member.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising producing a first fragment of the first member, placing the second member, and subsequently adding further first material and covering the second member with first material such as to produce the first member to embrace the second member.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising producing the first fragment of the first member comprises producing the first member with a cavity, said cavity being accessible from outside the first fragment, and said cavity in particular being shaped as a complementary shape to the second member, further comprising inserting the second member into said cavity.

12. The method according to any of the preceding method claims, characterized in that adding the second member comprises placing the second member by means of a robot arm.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein producing the first member comprises disposing a powder of the first material, melting the powder at selected locations, and re-solidifying the resulting melt to form the first member.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising selecting the second member such as to comprise at least one even surface wherein a cross sectional dimension of the second member is constant or decreases starting from at least one even surface, and in particular placing the second member with said even surface on top.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein manufacturing the first member comprises one of a selective laser melting process and a selective electron beam melting process.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The subject matter of the present disclosure is now to be explained in more detail by means of exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The figures show

[0020] FIG. 1a is a prior art component;

[0021] FIG. 1b is a component according to the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 2a is a mode of manufacturing a component according to the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 2b is a mode of manufacturing a component according to the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 3 is a plan view of an intermediate state of the manufacturing process;

[0025] FIG. 4 is a further exemplary embodiment of a component according to the present disclosure; and

[0026] FIG. 5 is still a further exemplary embodiment of a component according to the present disclosure.

[0027] It is understood that the drawings are highly schematic, and details not required for the technical explanations may have been omitted for the ease of understanding and depiction. It is further understood that the drawings show only selected, illustrative embodiments by way of example, and numerous embodiments not shown may still be well within the scope of the herein claimed subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] FIGS. 1a and 1b each depict exemplary temperature distributions on the hot gas side and on the coolant side of a component according to the prior art and according to the present disclosure. In both, FIG. 1a) and FIG. 1b), a component 1 is shown which might be used in a hot gas path of a gas turbine engine. The component may in particular be made from a high temperature alloy, such as for instance a nickel base alloy. Component 1 comprises a hot gas side 2 which is intended to face a hot gas flow, and a coolant side 3, which is intended to face a coolant flow. Moreover, exemplary temperature distributions on the surfaces of hot gas side 2 and coolant side 3 are shown. The temperature T distribution on the hot gas side may be dominated by a hot spot, as indicated by the peak in the temperature distribution on the hot gas side. As is seen in the lower part of FIG. 1a), the temperature distribution only marginally evens out over the small distance from the hot gas side 2 to the coolant side 3 in the case of a component homogeneously consisting of one material only. FIG. 1b) depicts a component 1 according to the present disclosure. Component 1 comprises a first member 10 which is made from the same alloy as the prior art component shown in FIG. 1a). The first member 10 embraces a second member 4 made from a second material. The second member 4 being embraced by the first member 10 means, that the first member 10 form-locks the second member 4. As member 4 is held in place within member 10 by form-locking, no bonding connection between first member 10 and second member 4 is required. This means, that the second material of which second member 4 consists needs not to be compatible with the first material of which member 10 consists e.g. for welding. Also, no bonding agent which might be subject to fail at elevated temperatures needs to be applied for connecting the two members 4 and 10. Moreover, the structural strength of component 1, and in particular the structural strength of the component at elevated temperatures, may completely be provided by the first member 10. Summarizing, a great freedom of choice for the material used for second member 4 is provided. In particular, first member 10 may completely enclose second member 4, such that any external surface of component 1 is provided by first member 10, which in turn means, that only first member 10 consisting of the first material is in contact with the environment, which might be hot and/or aggressive fluids. Being completely enclosed by the first member means that the material used for second member 4 needs not to fulfill any requirements as to the durability of the second member under the conditions under which component 1 is used during operation. This further increases the freedom of choice for the material used for second member 4. Second member 4 may consist for instance of a material having a high thermal conductivity, that is in particular having a higher thermal conductivity than the first material. Such a second material may for instance be copper; also a non-metallic, e.g. ceramic, material might be chosen, or, if the second member 4 is completely enclosed by the first member 10, even a material might be chosen which would liquefy during operation of component 1 in the hot gas path of an engine. As a result of applying a plate- or layer-shaped second member 4 being embraced in a first member 10 to form a component 1, wherein second member 4 is made from a material having a higher heat conduction coefficient than the material from which the first member 10 is made, the heat conducted through component 1 from the hot gas side 2 to the coolant side 3 will be laterally distributed in case the component 1 is exposed to an uneven temperature distribution on its hot gas side. The temperature distribution on the coolant side, shown in the lower part of FIG. 1b) thus evens out, with the temperature peak being lowered and the temperature of lateral regions being elevated as compared to the case shown in FIG. 1a). The thermal loading of component 1 is thus more evenly distributed over the component, and moreover a coolant flow flowing over the coolant side 3 is more efficiently used. It should be noted that, dependent on the heat transfer characteristics between the hot gas flow and the hot gas side 2 of component 1, even the temperature distribution of the component on the hot gas side 2 might be less uneven due to the distribution of heat in second member 4.

[0029] In the following, a method for manufacturing a component according to the present disclosure is illustrated. In order to manufacture the component such that the second member is embraced or in particular enclosed by the first member, the first member needs to be manufactured in a way in which it is able to encase the second member during the manufacturing process. As the second member is embraced or enclosed by the first member 10, there is no access to insert the second member into the first member once the production of the first member is finished. One way of doing that might be to assemble the first member 10 from individual pieces. These might for instance be welded together. However, the process of assembling the component in that way might turn out expensive, and moreover the material used for the first member 10, such as for instance high temperature alloys, might be difficult to weld and/or to machine. Thus, it is proposed to manufacture the component 1 in applying an additive manufacturing process, such as for instance selective laser melting or selective electron beam melting.

[0030] FIG. 2 depicts exemplary modes (FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b) of manufacturing a component 1 in applying an additive manufacturing process to build the first member. Firstly, a first fragment 11 of the first member is manufactured on a build platform 20 by an additive manufacturing method. Examples of additive manufacturing methods are per se known in the art and thus do not require detailed explanations. The method may for instance comprise disposing a layer of metal powder on the build platform, selectively melting and re-solidifying the powder at selective locations, recoating the layer of solid material thus produced with a new layer of metal powder, and again melting and re-solidifying the material which has been disposed on the preceding layer of solidified material. After having repeated that disposing, melting and re-solidifying process a multitude of times, a first fragment 11 of the first member has been produced. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2a), a flat fragment 11 has been produced, while in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2b) a tub-shaped fragment 11 has been produced, which comprises a cavity. In the next step, a second member 4 consisting of a second material, being different from the material which is used to build the first member, is placed onto the fragment 11 in FIG. 2a), or into the cavity formed in tub-shaped fragment 11 in FIG. 2b). To this extent the cavity in fragment 11 may have been manufactured to exhibit a complementary shape to second member 4. As the additive manufacturing process might take place in a closed processing chamber, placing the second member 4 may in particular be done by a robot arm. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2b), the first fragment may be manufactured such, and the thickness of the second member 4 may be chosen such, that the second member 4 and the fragment 11 are flush with each other on their top ends. The cavity and the second member 4 might have shapes complementary to each other. This might facilitate a subsequent recoating step, that is, placing a layer of metal powder immediately onto the second member 4 and the fragment 11. To this extent, the second member 4 in the embodiment provided here has an even surface, in particular an even top surface. In consecutive steps, the additive production of the first member is continued, in placing consecutive layers of metal powder, which is the same material as used for manufacturing the fragment 11, besides the second member 4, or on top of it, respectively, and melting and re-solidifying the material in each layer. The resulting structure produced by the additive manufacturing process after the second member 4 has been placed is indicated at 12. FIG. 3 depicts a plan view onto the build platform after the second member 4 has been placed. The respective sections are marked accordingly in FIGS. 2a) and 2b). As is seen, after the production is finished, the second member 4 will be completely enclosed by the first member. In applying an additive manufacturing process to build the first member of component 1, said first member can be built in a seamless manner, that is, as a monolithic, one-piece member embracing the second member.

[0031] It should be noted, that due to the shrinking of material of the first member while it re-solidifies during the manufacturing process, a tight fit of the second member within the first member may be achieved. Moreover, if component 1 is intended for operation at elevated temperatures, and the thermal expansion coefficient of the second material of which the second member consists is higher than the thermal expansion coefficient of the first material of which the embracing first member consists, said tight fit will be fostered during operation. Eventual rattling of the second member inside the first member may thus be avoided.

[0032] FIGS. 4 and 5 show further embodiments of components 1 according to the present disclosure. In both cases, the second member 4 extends to the surface of component 1. Second member 4 is shaped such as to be still embraced by the first member 10, while not being completely enclosed. In particular, if a second member 4 being made from a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the material from which a first member 10 is made extends to a coolant surface or side 3 of the component 1, the conduction of heat towards the cooling side may be enhanced. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the second member 4 is roughly plate- or layer-shaped and extends to the coolant site 3. In the embodiment of FIG. 5 a multitude of pear-shaped second members are arranged and extend to the coolant side 3 of component 1.

[0033] While the subject matter of the disclosure has been explained by means of exemplary embodiments, it is understood that these are in no way intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention. It will be appreciated that the claims cover embodiments not explicitly shown or disclosed herein, and embodiments deviating from those disclosed in the exemplary modes of carrying out the teaching of the present disclosure will still be covered by the claims.