The embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to wear protection.
BACKGROUND
In various systems, where parts touch, wear can occur. Wear is typically undesirable
because it can reduce the lifetime of equipment, increase equipment downtime and
increase cost. One example of a system in which parts wear is a gas turbine. Combustors
are used in a gas turbine to deliver hot combustion gases to a first stage of a turbine. Each
fg combustor used in the system typically includes a fuel injection system with one or more
fuel nozzles and a combustion chamber. A typical combustion chamber may include a
combustion liner, a transition piece which is connected to and extends between the
combustion chamber and the first stage of the turbine, and a flow sleeve. A passage is
created between the combustion liner and the flow sleeve which allows at least a portion of
the compressor discharge air to be introduced into the combustion liner for mixing with the
fuel injected into the system through the fuel nozzles and for cooling purposes.
Additionally, the transition piece directs and delivers the hot combustion gases to the first
stage of the turbine for power generation and expansion.
More specifically, a combustor and its associated transition piece are described with
^ respect to Figure 1. A combustor 2 for use in a gas turbine has a combustion chamber 4,
which is inside of a combustion liner 6 which may be cylindrical in shape. Fuel enters the
combustion chamber 4 via a nozzle(s) 12. The combustion liner 6 is surrounded by a
substantially cylindrical flow sleeve 8. However, a radial gap exists between the
combustion liner 6 and the cylindrical flow sleeve 8 which acts as an air flow passage to
introduce air into the combustion chamber 4 to be mixed with the fuel delivered through
the fuel nozzle 12. A transition piece 10 connects the combustion liner 6 with a first stage
of a turbine (not shown).
During operation, some combustion parts are affected by wear induced by, for example,
hardware vibrations. This wear generates maintenance and expense costs related to
downtime and replacement parts. While using gas turbine combustion parts as an example,
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other parts used in other types of machinery can also experience wear. One potential
method for reducing wear of parts is to spray a wear resistant coating on the surfaces of
these parts. These spray coating mechanisms are performed with the spray nozzle at
approximately a 90° angle to the desired coating surface. Some part geometries that it is
desirable to coat, e.g., corners and various curves, do not always allow for the required
angle (between the coating spray nozzle and the part surface) to be achieved which can
result in either a thin coating or possibly no coating at all.
Accordingly, systems and methods for reducing wear, increasing the lifetime of parts and
reducing costs are desirable.
™ SUMMARY
According to an exemplary embodiment there is a system for component surface physical
property enhancement. The system includes: a component configured to receive a coating;
a mirror component configured to be removable, wherein the mirror component has at least
one coated surface which substantially mirrors at least one surface on the component; and
the coating for enhancing a surface physical property of at least one surface of the
component, wherein the coating is transferred by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) from the
mirror component to the component.
According to another exemplary embodiment there is a method for surface physical
^ property enhancement of a component. The method includes: coating at least one surface
of a mirror component, wherein the at least one surface of the mirror component
substantially mirrors at least one surface on the component; transferring, by hot isostatic
pressing (HIP), the coating from the mirror component to the component, wherein the
coating is a coating for enhancing a surface physical property; and removing the mirror
component.
According to still another exemplary embodiment, there is a system surface physical
property enhancement of a component. The system includes: a component configured to
receive a coating; a mirror component configured to create a gap between the mirror
component and the component, wherein the mirror component has at least one surface
which substantially mirrors at least one surface on the component; and a coating powder
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disposed in the gap, the coating powder configured to enhance a surface physical property
of at least one surface of the component, wherein hot isostatic pressing is performed to
apply the coating powder to the at least one surface of the component.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments, wherein:
Figure 1 depicts a traditional combustor and a transition piece;
Figure 2 shows two parts in contact according to exemplary embodiments;
W Figure 3 illustrates an H-block attached to a flange according to exemplary embodiments;
Figure 4 illustrates a fork according to exemplary embodiments;
Figure 5 shows a combustor liner stop and its mating piece according to an exemplary
embodiment;
Figure 6 illustrates an H-shaped block according to exemplary embodiments;
Figure 7 shows spraying an anti-wear coating on a mirror component according to
exemplary embodiments;
Figure 8 illustrates transferring an anti-wear coating from a mirror component to an H-
4 9 shaped block according to exemplary embodiments;
Figure 9 depicts removing the mirror component according to exemplary embodiments;
Figure 10 shows an H-shaped block with an anti-wear coating according to exemplary
embodiments;
Figure 11 shows a wear component and a mirror component according to exemplary
embodiments;
Figure 12 illustrates a gap between a component and a mirror component according to
exemplary embodiments;
Figure 13 depicts filling a gap with a tungsten carbide powder according to exemplary
4
embodiments; and
Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for reducing wear according to exemplary
embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments refers to the
accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the
same or similar elements. Additionally, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
Also, the following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the scope of
mk the invention is defined by the appended claims.
Reference throughout the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means
that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an
embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed. Thus,
the appearance of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various
places throughout the specification is not necessarily referring to the same embodiment.
Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any
suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
According to exemplary embodiments, one or more surface physical properties on a part or
component can be enhanced. Examples of surface physical properties enhancements
f P include enhancements for components which may be used in wear environments, acidic
environments, corrosive environments and/or used as thermal barriers. These parts can
have multiple surfaces and be used in various applications, e.g., components in machinery,
piping, connectors and the like.
One example of a surface physical property which can be enhanced is wear reduction.
According to an exemplary embodiment, an anti-wear coating can be applied to a surface
or surfaces of a component which experience wear. The component can include at least
one surface which experiences wear from, for example, physical contact from another part.
This physical contact between the two parts can occur from a variety of mechanisms such
as, friction, contact caused by a start/stop motion, vibration and the like. A component can
be in most any shape or size. Examples of wear surface geometries can include, but are
5
not limited to, flat surfaces, shaped surfaces, interior surfaces, concave surfaces, convex
surfaces and other geometrically shaped surfaces. For example, any two mating
components can experience wear under various circumstances. An example of two parts in
contact with each other is shown in Figure 2, wherein a first part 14 is in contact with a
second part 16 and wear between the two parts occurs when a system in which they are
disposed is under operation due to, for example, vibration of the first part 14 and the
second part 18. The wear occurs on both parts on a shared contact surface 6.
According to exemplary embodiments, the wear characteristics of contact points and
surfaces associated with wear parts can be modified such that their useful lifetime is
A extended. Prior to discussing these exemplary embodiments, Figures 3-5 will be described
to provide context with respect to the components which tend to wear in a gas turbine
combustion system. While using a gas turbine combustion system as a purely illustrative
example of a system in which parts wear, it is to be understood that other components in
other systems can undergo wear. Various other parts, machinery and systems can benefit
from the exemplary embodiments described herein.
Initially, as seen in Figure 3, a transition piece 10 can have a flanged section 20 which has
an opening 22. Within the opening 22 and attached to the flanged section 20 is an Hshaped
block (or substantially H-shaped block) 24. While Figure 3 shows only a single Hshaped
block 24 and a single flanged section 20, there may be two of these pieces/sections
attached to the transition piece 10. Forks 26 and 28 are slidably received within the H-
^ shaped block 24 such that the opposed facing surfaces of the finger elements can engage
opposite sides of the cross piece 30 of the H-shaped block 24. Wear can occur on the
interior surfaces of the H-shaped block 24 where the forks 26 and 28 could rub or vibrate.
Wear can also occur on the facing surfaces of the forks 26 and 28 that contact the interior
surfaces of the H-shaped block 24. According to exemplary embodiments, Figure 4 also
shows the forks 26 and 28 including the interior U-shaped surface 32 which also can have
wear surfaces.
Figure 5 shows a combustor liner stop 34 and a male mating piece 36. Where these two
pieces mate are also locations where wear can occur during operation of the combustor 2.
Additionally, the H-shaped blocks 24, the combustor liner stops 34 and their respective
mating pieces can be made from a Cobalt based super alloy, e.g., L-605, Hastelloy X or
6
other so-called "super alloy".
When in operation some of the various wear components can have a relatively short life
time which can result in a higher than desired frequency of inspection and replacement.
According to exemplary embodiments, the application of an anti-wear coating can increase
the wear resistance of the various wear components, thus reducing the frequency of
inspection and replacement of various wear components. Considerations for the amount of
anti-wear coating to be used include, but are not limited to, brittleness, ductility and
hardness. Various alloying elements can be introduced to an anti-wear coating in order to
obtain the desired properties for the appropriate conditions.
^ According to exemplary embodiments, an anti-wear coating, can be sprayed onto an mirror
component, e.g., a low carbon steel insert, for application to a wear surface which cannot
be appropriately coated by direct spraying means. The geometry of a so-called "mirror
component" generally mirrors the geometry of a surface or surfaces of a component to
which the coating will be transferred. The thickness of the anti-wear coating sprayed on
the mirror component can vary based upon such factors as coating material, desired
thickness of transferred coating and expected transfer properties based on the temperature
and pressure used during the transfer, as well as the diffusion properties of the material
used in manufacturing the wear part. The tungsten carbide layer can be transferred from
the mirror component to one or more wear surfaces of a part via a hot isostatic pressing
(HIP) process.
According to exemplary embodiments, an example of a component which can benefit from
a coating is the H-shaped block 30 which can be machined to a shape as shown in Figure 6.
The H-shaped block 30 can include an overstock amount, e.g., 2mm. The H-shaped block
30 has three wear surfaces on the interior of each "half, with the halves of the H-shaped
block 30 being split by dashed line 38. The first half 40 of the H-shaped block 30 has
interior wear surfaces 44, 46 and 48. The second half 42 of the H-shaped block 30 has
three interior wear surfaces 50, 52 and 54. The wear surfaces can be the interior surfaces
to the H-shaped block 30 and can be described as a first surface 46 substantially
perpendicular to a second surface 44 which is substantially perpendicular to a third surface
48, the third surface 48 being substantially parallel to and having a substantially same
surface area as the first surface 46.
7
As described above, an anti-wear coating can be sprayed onto a wear surface. According
to exemplary embodiments, the anti-wear coating can be applied by high velocity oxygen
fuel (HVOF) spraying or plasma spraying via nozzles 58 onto an insert 56 as shown in
Figure 8. The geometry of the mirror component 56 generally mirrors the geometry of the
wear surface to be coated, in this instance, the wear surfaces 44, 46 and 48 of the H-shaped
block 30.
According to exemplary embodiments, the tungsten carbide coating 60 can then be
transferred to the wear surfaces 44, 46 and 48 of the H-shaped block 30 by the HIP process
as shown in Figure 8. The HIP process can be performed at approximately 1200°C and
100 MPa, however alternative temperatures and pressures can be used to ensure the desired
W diffusion of the tungsten carbide coating 60 into the H-shaped block 30 occurs.
Additionally, while not shown, this operation can be performed for both sides 40 and 42 of
the H-shaped block 30. Additionally, for different components, composition of the
components and different compositions of the anti-wear coating (or other type of coating),
various temperatures and pressures can be used for the HIP process.
According to exemplary embodiments, as shown in Figure 9, the mirror component 56 can
be removed by acid leaching (or etching) and/or by machining and/or other processes. The
dotted lines around the mirror component 56 indicate the removal of the mirror component
56 from the H-shaped block 30. Additionally, the presence of the tungsten carbide coating
60 on the wear surfaces 44,46 and 48 of the H-shaped block 30 indicate that those surfaces
4 k are covered by the tungsten carbide coating 60 which has diffused as desired into the Hshaped
block 30. After the acid leaching, overstock, e.g., approximately 2mm of material
from the unprotected and/or uncoated surfaces, altered by the acid leaching can be
removed by machining. The H-shaped block 30 can then be machined to its final
dimensions as desired. A completed H-shaped block 30 is shown in Figure 10 and
includes all interior wear surfaces 44-54 having the tungsten carbide coating. Similar
methods, as described above, can be used to transfer the anti-wear coating from a mirror
component to one or more wear surfaces of the forks 26 and 28, as well as on the wear
surface 32 of the combustor liner stops 26 and 28. The tungsten carbide coating 60 is to be
considered an example of a coating, however other coatings which provide a desirable
enhancement to surface physical property can be used as desired based upon, for example,
the environment in which the parts are used.
8
According to exemplary embodiments, another method of applying a coating to a surface
of a part can be performed as will now be described with respect to Figures 11-13. this
coating can be an anti-wear coating or a coating associated with another surface physical
property enhancement. Figure 11 shows a component 62 with three interior surfaces 64,
66 and 68. Also shown is a mirror component 70 which can be made of a low carbon steel
or other material as desired. The mirror component 70 generally mirrors the three interior
surfaces 64, 66 and 68 and the mirror component 70 is placed into the opening 72 of the
component 62 as shown in Figure 12. According to exemplary embodiments, there can be
a gap between three interior surfaces 64, 66, 68 and the mirror component 70. The desired
size of the gap 74 can be controlled by sizing the mirror component 70 as desired.
^f Additionally, the size of the gap 74 can be verified by various measurement means as
desired. This gap 74 can be filled with a powder which can provide wear resistance, or
other surface physical property enhancements, to the three interior surfaces 64, 66 and 68.
According to exemplary embodiments, as shown in Figure 13, the gap 74 can be filled with
a WC powder 76. Hot isostatic pressing can then be performed to render the WC powder
76 into a coating on the three internal surfaces 64, 66 and 68 of the component 62.
According to exemplary embodiments, acid leaching can then be used to remove the mirror
component 70 followed by a final machining of the component 62 to achieve desired final
dimensions and/or to remove overstock that was damaged by the acid leaching process.
According to an alternative exemplary embodiment, the mirror component can be made
A from two or more pieces, of which some may be mechanically removed. This can be done
to reduce the amount of acid leaching and final machining to be performed and may be
desirable based on the shape of the mirror component 70.
According to exemplary embodiments, as described above, a coating can be sprayed onto a
metal mirror component or applied as a powder prior to undergoing the HIP process. The
coating can be tungsten carbide. Alternatively, various other elements and alloys can also
be used as anti-wear coating as desired. For example cobalt and/or chromium could be
added to the tungsten carbide to achieve the desired characteristics of the coating.
According to an exemplary embodiment an inclusive composition range of tungsten
carbide with cobalt can be from 83% tungsten carbide and 17% cobalt to 91% tungsten
carbide to 9% cobalt. Alternatively, chromium could be added, e.g., 4% chromium, while
9
adjusting the tungsten carbide and/or cobalt percentages accordingly. It is to be understood
that these composition ranges are not to be considered limiting and that other composition
ranges (and/or materials) could be used to obtain the desired characteristics in the antiwear
coating. Additionally, other coatings which provide the desired mechanical/material
properties and can be applied via HVOF and/or thermal spraying technologies can be used.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the thickness of the coating can be of a
substantially uniform thickness on the surface(s). According to an alternative exemplary
embodiment, a variable thickness of the coating can be used.
As described above, mirror components can be shaped which substantially mirror other
A surfaces (or portions of the surface) where direct spraying of HVOF and/or plasma may not
be desirable or even performable. According to exemplary embodiments, other shapes
then previously described can benefit from the exemplary systems and methods disclosed
herein. For example, other surfaces which may be flat, may be curved, may be concave (or
even closed like an inner surface of a pipe) or other desired geometrical shape can have
coatings applied to them using these exemplary methods and systems.
Utilizing the above-described exemplary systems according to exemplary embodiments, a
method for surface physical property enhancement is shown in the flowchart of Figure 14.
A method for surface physical property enhancement of at least one component includes: a
step 78 of coating at least one surface of a mirror component; at step 80 transferring, by hot
isostatic pressing, the coating, which substantially mirrors at least one surface on the
component, from the mirror component to the component, wherein the coating is a coating
for enhancing a surface physical property; and at step 82 removing the mirror component.
The above-described exemplary embodiments are intended to be illustrative in all respects,
rather than restrictive, of the present invention. Thus the present invention is capable of
many variations in detailed implementation that can be derived from the description
contained herein by a person skilled in the art. All such variations and modifications are
considered to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the
following claims. No element, act, or instruction used in the description of the present
application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly
described as such. Also, as used herein, the article "a" is intended to include one or more
items.
10
This written description uses examples of the subject matter disclosed to enable any person
skilled in the art to practice the same, including making and using any devices or systems
and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the subject matter is
defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art.
Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

4
WE CLAIM :
1. A system for component surface physical property enhancement, the system
comprising:
a component (30) configured to receive a coating (60);
a mirror component (56) configured to be removable, wherein the mirror component
has at least one coated surface which substantially mirrors at least one surface on the
component (30); and
^ the coating (60) for enhancing a surface physical property of at least one surface of the
component (30), wherein the coating (60) is transferred by hot isostatic pressing (HIP)
from the mirror component (56) to the component (30).
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the coating is an anti-wear coating.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the anti-wear coating is a tungsten carbide (WC)
coating.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the component is a substantially H-shaped block
configured to secure a transition piece of a gas turbine combustor to a support piece and
wherein the at least one surface of the component includes a first surface substantially
perpendicular to a second surface which is substantially perpendicular to a third surface,
" the third surface being substantially parallel to and having a substantially same surface area
as the first surface.
5. A method for surface physical property enhancement of a component, the method
comprising:
coating at least one surface of a mirror component (78);
transferring, by hot isostatic pressing (HIP), the coating, which substantially mirrors at
least one surface on the component, from the mirror component to the component, wherein
the coating is a coating for enhancing a surface physical property (80); and
removing the mirror component (82).
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6. The method of claim 5, wherein the coating is an anti-wear coating.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the coating is a tungsten carbide (WC) coating.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the component is a substantially H-shaped block
configured to secure a transition piece of a gas turbine combustor to a support piece and
wherein the at least one surface of the component includes a first surface substantially
perpendicular to a second surface which is substantially perpendicular to a third surface,
the third surface being substantially parallel to and having a substantially same surface area
as the first surface.
A 9. A system for component surface physical property enhancement, the system
comprising:
a component (62) configured to receive a coating;
a mirror component (70) configured to create a gap (74) between the mirror component
(70) and the component (62), wherein the mirror component (70) has at least one surface
which substantially mirrors at least one surface on the component (62); and
a coating powder disposed in the gap (74), the coating powder configured to enhance a
surface physical property of at least one surface of the component (62), wherein hot
isostatic pressing is performed to apply the coating powder to the at least one surface of the
^ component (62).
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the component is a substantially H-shaped block
configured to secure a transition piece of a gas turbine combustor to a support piece and
wherein the at least one surface of the component includes a first surface substantially
perpendicular to a second surface which is substantially perpendicular to a third surface,
the third surface being substantially parallel to and having a substantially same surface area
as the first surface. (ADR/Pa)