Blade Repair of Integrally Bladed Disks (IBDs)

ABSTRACT: Integrally bladed disks (IBDs) are highly desirable from a performance perspective and as such are now used in the fan and compressor sections of state-of-the-art military turbine engines. IBDs are unique in their design as the airfoil and the disk to which they are attached is of one piece construction. Unfortunately, they are also large, complex, extremely expensive, long lead items, which are subject to foreign object damage (FoD), making IBDs difficult to maintain affordably. Efficient sustainment of engines employing IBDs requires that damaged airfoils can be repaired.This proposed SBIR project will demonstrate IBD blade repair methods that have the capability to achieve 90 percent or greater of the parent metal properties and will be affordable for implementation at the military engine repair and overhaul depots.; BENEFIT: Successful completion of this proposed SBIR will position the repair technology for application to the repair of integrally bladed disk airfoils at military depots as well as for large repair houses having the capability to repair such components.The technology will also be useful to the engine OEMs for in-process repair of IBDs during their original manufacture.