IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,982,851
Granted Patent B2
US 10,982,851 · App. 15/706,860 · Granted Apr 20, 2021

Additively manufactured wall and floating ferrule having a frangible member between the floating ferrule and a build support arm

Inventor: Jason Joseph Bellardi (Cincinnati, OH)
Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
F23R3/002F23M5/00F23R3/06F23R3/283F23R2900/00018F23R2900/00019
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,982,851
App. No.
15/706,860
Granted
Apr 20, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine and a method of additively manufacturing the same are provided. A combustor dome includes a combustor wall defining a hole and a circumferential groove defined within the combustor wall around the hole. A floating ferrule assembly is additively manufactured with the combustor dome and includes a ferrule positioned at least partially within the hole and defining a radial lip that is received within the circumferential groove to inseparably position the ferrule within the combustor wall. A build support arm is attached to the ferrule by a frangible connecting member, the frangible connecting member being breakable for separating and removing the build support arm from the ferrule.

Claims (38)

1. An additively manufactured component, comprising:

a wall defining a hole and a circumferential groove defined within the wall around the hole; and

a floating assembly additively manufactured with the wall, the floating assembly comprising:

a floating member positioned at least partially within the hole and defining a lip that is received within the circumferential groove to inseparably position the floating member within the wall; and

a build support arm attached to the floating member by a frangible connecting member, wherein the frangible connecting member is structurally configured to be fractured more readily than the build support arm and is structurally configured to separate the build support arm from the floating member, wherein the frangible member defines at least one of:

a low density region of the floating assembly; and

a portion having a thickness that is less than a thickness of the build support arm.

2. The additively manufactured component of claim 1 , wherein a gap is defined between the floating member and the wall, the gap being less than 0.5 millimeters.

3. An additively manufactured combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine, the combustor assembly comprising:

a combustor dome comprising a combustor wall defining a hole and a circumferential groove defined within the combustor wall around the hole; and

a floating ferrule assembly additively manufactured with the combustor dome, the floating ferrule assembly comprising:

a ferrule defining an axial direction and a radial direction, the ferrule being positioned at least partially within the hole and defining a radial lip that is received within the circumferential groove to inseparably position the ferrule within the combustor wall;

and a build support arm attached to the ferrule by a frangible connecting member, wherein the frangible connecting member is structurally configured to be fractured more readily than the build support arm and is structurally configured to separate the build support arm from the ferrule, and wherein the frangible connecting member defines at least one of:

a low density region of the floating ferrule assembly; and

a portion having a thickness that is less than a thickness of the build support arm.

4. The additively manufactured combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the combustor wall further defines a build clearance hole passing into the circumferential groove, the floating ferrule assembly passing into the hole and the circumferential groove through the build clearance hole.

5. The additively manufactured combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the frangible connecting member is a low density region of the floating ferrule assembly.

6. The additively manufactured combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ferrule, the build support arm, and the frangible connecting member are integrally formed as a single monolithic component.

7. The additively manufactured combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein an axial gap is defined between the ferrule and the combustor wall along the axial direction.

8. The additively manufactured combustor assembly of claim 7 , wherein the axial gap is less than 0.5 millimeters.

9. The additively manufactured combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein a radial gap is defined between the ferrule and the combustor wall along the radial direction.

10. The additively manufactured combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ferrule defines a receiving channel extending along the axial direction and being substantially concentric with the hole defined in the combustor wall.

11. The additively manufactured combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the hole of the combustor wall defines a hole diameter and the radial lip of the ferrule defines a lip diameter, the lip diameter being larger than the hole diameter.

12. The additively manufactured combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ferrule defines a void space extending circumferentially within the ferrule.

13. The additively manufactured combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the additively manufactured combustor assembly defines a vertical direction, the combustor dome and floating ferrule assembly being additively manufactured on a build platform along the vertical direction, and wherein the build support arm is positioned below the ferrule along the vertical direction.

14. The additively manufactured combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the additively manufactured combustor assembly comprises a plurality of layers formed by: depositing a layer of additive material on a bed of an additive manufacturing machine; and selectively directing energy from an energy source onto the layer of additive material to fuse a portion of the additive material.

15. A method for manufacturing a combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine, the method comprising:

depositing a layer of additive material on a bed of an additive manufacturing machine and selectively directing energy from an energy source onto the layer of additive material to fuse a portion of the additive material and form the combustor assembly, the combustor assembly comprising:

a combustor dome comprising a combustor wall defining a hole and a circumferential groove defined within the combustor wall around the hole; and

a floating ferrule assembly additively manufactured with the combustor dome, the floating ferrule assembly comprising:

a ferrule defining an axial direction and a radial direction, the ferrule positioned at least partially within the hole and defining a radial lip that is received within the circumferential groove to inseparably position the ferrule within the combustor wall; and

a build support arm attached to the ferrule by a frangible connecting member, wherein the frangible connecting member is structurally configured to be fractured more readily than the build support arm and is structurally configured to separate the build support arm from the ferrule, wherein the frangible connecting member defines at least one of:

a low density region of the floating ferrule assembly; and

a portion having a thickness that is less than a thickness of the build support arm; and

breaking the frangible connecting member and removing the build support arm to permit relative motion between the combustor dome and the ferrule.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein an axial gap is defined between the ferrule and the combustor wall along the axial direction, wherein the axial gap is less than 0.5 millimeters.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the combustor assembly defines a vertical direction, the combustor assembly being additively manufactured on a build platform along the vertical direction, and wherein the build support arm is positioned below the ferrule along the vertical direction.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the ferrule, the build support arm, and the frangible connecting member are integrally formed as a single monolithic component.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2017
From: BELLARDI, JASON JOSEPH
To: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Reel/Frame 043611/0288 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190086081A1 · Mar 21, 2019