IP Library Granted Patent US 9,415,462
Granted Patent B2
US 9,415,462 · App. 14/114,836 · Granted Aug 16, 2016

Method for cleaning and stripping a turboshaft engine blade using a pulsed laser

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,415,462
App. No.
14/114,836
Filed
Oct 30, 2013
Granted
Aug 16, 2016
Kind
B2
Art Unit
3726
USPC
29/889.1
Abstract

A method for cleaning a turboshaft engine blade comprising a superalloy body covered with a coating, in which the coating of the blade is at least partially machined using a pulsed laser. At least the feed rate of the pulsed laser and the pulse frequency of the pulsed laser are parameterized such that the machined surface of the blade has a roughness of 4 μm to 10 μm.

Claims (18)

1. A method for cleaning and stripping a turboshaft engine blade comprising a superalloy body covered with a coating, comprising:

identifying a portion of the coating to remove, the coating including a metal layer covering the body of the blade and an external ceramic layer covering the metal layer; and

machining, at least partially, the coating of the blade using a pulsed laser to remove at least the external ceramic layer of the coating,

wherein a feed rate of the pulsed laser and a pulse frequency of the pulsed laser are parameterized such that a machined surface of the blade has a roughness of 4 μm to 10 μm.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pulsed laser is parameterized in order to remove only the external ceramic layer.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pulsed laser is parameterized in order to remove only the external ceramic layer and the metal layer.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pulsed laser is parameterized in order to remove the entire coating of the blade.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the feed rate of the pulsed laser is between 25 mm/s and 1000 mm/s.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the feed rate of the pulsed laser is between 100 mm/s and 600 mm/s.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pulse frequency of the pulsed laser is between 12 kHz and 50 kHz.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the pulse frequency of the pulse laser is less than or equal to 16 kHz.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the roughness is constant over the machined coating.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises a plurality of layers, the pulsed laser machines the layers of the coating by carrying out a plurality of machining passes, and the number of machining passes for a layer is defined as a function of a thickness of the layer and a hardness of a material of the layer.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pulsed laser is moved along machining lines on the coating, and two consecutive machining lines overlap.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a controller moves the pulsed laser in the course of the machining along a defined trajectory based on three-dimensional modeling of the blade to be cleaned.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the superalloy body of the blade is not removed by the machining.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a width of the pulsed laser is less than or equal to 0.05 mm.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metal layer has a thickness between 50 and 100 μm and the external ceramic layer has a thickness between 150 and 350 μm.

Assignments (3)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE COVER SHEET TO REMOVE APPLICATION NOS. 10250419, 10786507, 10786409, 12416418, 12531115, 12996294, 12094637 12416422 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 046479 FRAME 0807. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF NAME. Recorded Aug 24, 2018
From: SNECMA
To: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
Reel/Frame 046939/0336 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 23, 2018
From: SNECMA
To: SAFRAN AIRCRAFT ENGINES
Reel/Frame 046479/0807 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 30, 2013
From: HUGOT, JULIETTE; BOURDIN, FRANCK; FEVRIER, THIERRY; GESTIN, JEROME
To: SNECMA
Reel/Frame 031511/0438 →