Effective Processes to Manufacture Advanced Combustion Liners with Shaped Film Cooling Holes for Gas Turbine Engines

OMAX proposes to develop an abrasive-waterjet (AWJ) system for drilling angled shaped holes in TBC-coated metals and engine components. Waterjet technology has technological and manufacturing merits that are unmatchable by many existing machine tools. In particular, OMAX will take advantage of patents pending advancements in micro abrasives-waterjet ("AWJ) technology supported by an ongoing NSF SBIR Phase II grant, processes for mitigating AWJ piercing damage in delicate materials, and accessories for 3D AWJ machining. These advancements are essential for the proposed development. The Phase I R & D will include both basic and optional tasks. For the basic tasks, an AWJ system will be assembled by incorporating the above advancement to demonstrate the technical feasibility of meeting the Army's requirements for drilling angled shaped holes in TBC-coated metals and engine components. The Phase I optional tasks will be carried out provided the Phase I feasibility is demonstrated. A micro JetMachining Center ("JMC) currently being developed as a part of the NSF SBIR Phase III commercialization effort, with position accuracy 5 to 10 times better than those of OMAX's two production lines of high-pressure AWJ machining systems, will be incorporated into the design of a prototype AWJ system for Phase II R & D.