SBIR-STTR Award

Modern aircraft are constantly required to operate in harsh conditions, which result in accelerated turbine engine compressor blades damage by erosion or by foreign object debris. This damage causes loss of engine performance, increased fuel consumption, and damaged compressor hardware, resulting in decreased safety and mission performance. A significant effort is being made to find a cost effective and structurally sound method of blade repair. Conventional repair methods, such as tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) or laser powder deposition processes produce excessive heat input creating an excessive porosity between the build-up passes, degrade original parent metal properties and results in costly rejects and scrapping of components. The proposed advanced manufacturing process offers a low heat input metal deposition with a reliable metallurgical bond, while combining pre-and post-deposition machining operations in one automated repair process and machine. This promises to revolutionize the cost and time of repair of these complex geometry components. Recent advances with PMD low heat input flat wire metal deposition encompasses the metal deposition and pre-and post machining of components into one integrated system. Implementation of this technology would have significant technical and economic value for a myriad of US Government and commercial industrial applications. Benefit The technology resulting from this project is applicable to a vast array of US Government and commercial markets. Gas turbine engine maintenance and overhaul is a multibillion dollar industry. A low cost high value repair process would benefit numerous industries utilizing gas turbine engines, such as for example military and commercial aircraft, naval and commercial ships and power plants. Keywords Precision Metal Deposition, laser deposition, Low

Military aircraft are continuously required to operate in harsh conditions, which result in accelerated turbine engine compressor blade damage by erosion or by foreign object damage (FOD). These damaged blades reduce engine performance, increase fuel consumption, and damage compressor hardware resulting in decreased safety and mission performance. The desire to extend airworthiness of the navy’s air fleet requires continuous efforts in dealing with these damaged components. The replacement or repair of damaged compressor blades, and blade integrated disks called "blisks", constitutes a significant expense for Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) as well as the entire US military air fleet. The advanced manufacturing process that can offer a low heat input metal deposition with a reliable metallurgical bond, while combining pre-and post-deposition machining operations in one automated repair process and machine, promises to revolutionize the cost and time of repair of these complex geometry components. In Phase-II, HRT will refine the PMD™ repair system processes for producing repair of the leading edge on a specified compressor blade and/or blisk with quality acceptable to the engine OEMs and the NAVY.

Keywords:
Blade Leading Edge Repair, PMD™, Blisks, compressor blades, Laser repair