Laser Repair of Compressor Blades

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 PMDT 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.