THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS

86-GT-2
345 E. 47 St., New York, N.Y. 10017

Es The Society shall not be responsible for statements or opinions advanced in papers orin dis-
cussion at meetings of the Society or of its Divisions or Sections. or printed in its publications.
Discussion is printed only if the paper is published in an ASME Journal. Papers are available
q. from ASME for fifteen months after the meeting.
Printed in USA.
Copyright © 1986 by ASME

Power Turbine Vane Ring (PT6 Engine) Repair Development

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N. SOURIAL, Eng.
Chief, Service Centre
Engineering
Pratt & Whitney Canada
P.O. Box 10
Longueuil, Quebec
J4K 4X9

Today's high technology gas turbine engines incor-

porate the world's most exotic alloys and are built
to some of the most precise dimensional tolerances
encountered in any industry.
The constant drive for increased performance while PT6 Turboprop
substantially reducing fuel consumption and weight
has pushed engine components and their designers to
limits never before realized. To achieve these limits
new methods and materials have evolved; not exclusive-
ly in the production of the engines but also in the
repair and maintenance of them.
The typical problems encountered in repair and
maintenance are numerous and varied as are their sol-
utions. This paper, however, will concentrate on one
in particular and that is the typical damage encounter-
ed on a first stage power turbine vane ring and the
technology employed to repair such damage.
wunawwT Y *a' t
The vane ring was chosen because it is representa-
tive of a common problem encountered by all gas turbine
engine manufacturers and simultaneously involves some
of the most up to date repair techniques to restore
it.

THE REPAIR PROCESS FIG. 1 LOCATION OF VANE RING IN ENGINE

The turbine vane ring is located just downstream edges and the inner shroud.
from the single stage compressor turbine (Figure #1). After a thorough chemical cleaning and fluorescent
At this point, combustion gases have a temperature penetrant inspection all deviations are recorded and
of 1350 * F (732'C) and a high velocity. The vane is the vane ring is forwarded for solution heat treatment.
of a cast cobolt alloy, and composed of an assembly The heat treatment is required to improve this alloy's
of aerodynamic surfaces whose function is to direct ductility and weldability, which had deteriorated,
combustion gases on to the turbine blades at the most due to precipitation hardening, at engine operating
efficient impingement angle and velocity. In serving temperatures. A vacuum furnace (Figure #3) is used
this function it is subjected to a very harsh environ- to prevent oxidation during the annealing process,
ment in the form of a high velocity, high temperature, the temperatures attained during the cycle exceed 2000
corrosive discharge of combustion gases. 'F (1094'C) and total cycle time is approximately four
As a result, during the normal overhaul period, (4) hours, with a vacuum in the order of 10-4 torr.
the vane ring develops thermal fatigue cracks and ero- Now in an annealed condition, the vane ring is
sive wear on the airfoils and both shrouds. Also, securely restrained in a fixture and all open cracks
due to the cracking, the entire assembly may become and mislocated lugs are welded using the ttnrstem in-
distorted, rendering sealing surfaces ineffective and sert gas method and a suitable cobalt filler metal,
throwing locating lug position off. The vane ring the part is allowed to cool in the fixture, all excess
in Figure #2 shows typical cracking of airfoil trailing weld in the gas path is hand blended smooth and the

Presented at the International Gas Turbine Conference and Exhibit

Dusseldorf, West Germany—June 8-12, 1986
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I

FIG. 2 TYPICAL CRACK LOCATION FIG. 4 APPLICATION OF BRAZING COMPOUND
part is again fluorescent penetrant inspected.

4
I)
f
W
,
off

FIG. 5 CONTROL AND RECORDING OF FURNACE CYCLE

FIG. 3 SOLUTION HEAT TREATMENT CYCLE (VACUUM FURNACE)
It is now time to repair all minor hairline cracks flow of excess compound is relatively limited (Figure
in the airfoils and inner and outer rings. To accom- #6). A hand held pencil grinder can be used to care-
plish this we utilize a high temperature nickel brazing fully remove the excess brazing and the airfoil is
compound and apply it with a pressurized syringe to returned to its original smooth aerodynamic shape (Fig-
the cracked areas (Figure #4). This compound is more ure #7).
than just cosmetic as it must withstand the high tem- Now that all cracks have been repaired, the lugs
perature of engine operation and yet demonstrate suf- that were previously weld built are machined back to
ficient strength to prevent the cracks from reopening. blueprint requirements. As well the sealing faces
The vane ring is then returned to the vacuum fur- and shroud diameter are then pre-machined to remove
nace for the brazing cycle. This four (4) hour cycle irregularites and prepare them for plasma coat restor-
is conducted under a 1.0 torr. vacuum at temperature ation.
up to 2192 F (1200 C) . Refer to Figure #5 for the Figure #8 shows the internal area of a soundproof,
recording chart beside the furnace. Every cycle con- fireproof spray booth enclosure; housing the equipment
ducted in the furnace must be carefully monitored and required for the plasma spray process. Out of view
recorded to ensure accurate control of temperatures on the exterior of this spray booth are the powder
and pressures within. Upon removal from the furnace supply units and various bottled gases required, each
we find that although the brazing has completely pen- with power lines or supply lines leading into the con-
etrated the hairline cracks by capillary action, the trol console on the right.

2
 y r
N

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FIG. 6 BRAZE REPAIRED AIRFOILS FIG. 8 PLASMA SPRAY BOOTH AND EQUIPMENT
B) The two powder feeders shown, are a major link
in the powder delivery system and contain the coating
material (powder) under gas pressure. The feed rate
from these units is controlled by a metering wheel
device accurate to within 1 percent. The schedule
specifies required R.P.M. of these wheels to obtain
the proper lbs/hr. delivery rate to within 5oz/hr.
Also specified is the carrier gas pressure and flow
rate which as previously stated is controlled by the
master control panel. The powder is transported from
the powder feeder to the torch by the carrier gas in
a flexible, .250 inch diameter hose.
C) To the left of the powder feeders is a double
axis turntable which is capable of adapting to most
spraying requirements. The table shown has a variable
speed control mechanism which is regulated according
to the "schedule" to maintain the proper surface feet
per minute rate required for a particular coating.
Other equipment is available for automatic spraying
or when the part is stationary and the torch requires
precise and automated control.
D) In the foreground of the turntable is an aux-
illary cooling siphon which is used to control heat
on thin wall parts and is also regulated by the sche-
dule for pressures. Various types of gases can be
FIG. 7 BLENDING OF EXCESS BRAZING used for this cooling but generally clean compressor
air is satisfactory.
To control the quality of sprayed coatings on a E) Hanging suspended from the wall bracket in
consistent basis a complete master spray schedule, the far right hand corner of the booth is the plasma
detailing all parameters for each coating type on spec- flame spray torch or commonly called "gun". The sche-
ific base metals, is developed and kept in this spray dule specifies the type of interchangeable nozzle and
area for quick reference. These schedules are re- the type of powder injector to be used in the gun for
evaluated on a regular basis by complete micro-analy- any particular job. The nozzles vary in internal di-
sis in our materials control laboratory under strict mension and are of a converging/diverging form which
engineering specifications. regulates the velocity and internal pressure. The
The basic parameters specified in the schedule powder injectors are also manufactured in different
for the equipment in Figure #8 are as follows: geometric configurations which alter the distance and
A) For the master control panel on the right hand direction of the powder entry into the plasma energy
side of Figure #8 the types of, or combinations of, stream.
gases as well as their pressures and flow rates would I would like to digress for a moment and give a
be specified. This includes the fuel for the torch short introduction to the plasma coating process.
and the carrier gas which delivers coating material Plasma is the name which scientists have used to
to the torch nozzle through the powder feed system. describe vapors of materials which are raised to a
Also specified is the arc current control, indicating higher energy level than the customary gaseous state.
voltage and amperage which controls the K.W. (heat) In this system plasma is created by subjecting a gas
output of the plasma arc. or a mixture of gases to a high energy electric arc

3
 Prior to the grit blasting and plasma coat restor-
ation of sealing faces and the shroud diameter the
remainder of the vane ring is carefully masked to pre-
vent blasting media or plasma overspray from impinging

_iIir :
on other gas path surfaces (Figure #10). The tape
is a silicone rubber composition and as you will see
in later figures it has excellent ability to withstand
- punishment from grit blasting and plasma flame tem-
peratures.

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I^ 1 1

M
am
FIG. 9 CROSS SECTION OF PLASMA GUN

inside the plasma gun (Figure #9). Upon passing through

this arc the gas becomes completely ionized and dis-
associated. It is now a high velocity plasma flame
which will then exit from the gun through a nozzle.
Shortly after the flame is formed the gases begin to
reassociate and in so doing they release tremendous
amounts of energy making it possible to achieve tem-
peratures in excess of 30,000 F (16,650C). FIG. 11 GRIT BLASTING OPERATION
In the plasma system the metallic or ceramic powder
suspended in a carrier gas, is introduced into the One of the most important steps in the plasma coat-
plasma flame where it instantaneously becomes plastic ing process is proper preparation of the surface to
and is blown with the hot gases on to the surface of be coated. Absolute cleanliness is not always suf-
the workpiece. The higher technology coatings of today ficient to guarantee a good bond. In this example,
use spraying velocities up to and in excess of, Mach we ensure the best possible bond, by grit blasting
II (twice the speed of sound) which increases the ulti- the shroud diameter with silicon carbide media of 60
mate bond strength of the coating. The type of bonding mesh size (Figure #11). The blasting has a multipe
even today, is not fully understood but for lack of purpose in that it cleans the surface, exposes fresh
a better expression we call it a solid phase bond. base metal and roughens the surface, all of which
Typical bond strengths are in excess of 7,000 PSI (48 greatly enhance the bond strength of the plasma coat.
MPa). Blasting is done in an enclosed blasting cabinet com-
plete with its own dust filtration and grit recovery
systems. The blasting media is recovered and recycled
until such time as it is deemed too smooth and too
small to cut properly. For the vane ring, a pressure
type blasting unit is used and would typically operate
at 30 to 40 PSI air pressure.
In Figure #12, you can see the coarse mesh size
of the blasting media. A greatly magnified view would
show sharp irregular surfaces on the individual grains.
The general procedure for coating most surfaces
is to move the workpiece and maintain the gun ion-
ary. achieve this, the vane ring is mounted on
a double axis table and rotated at such a speed that
the surface to be sprayed is moving past the gun at
an optimum velocity for coating deposition, as des-
cribed earlier.
Additional preparation prior to spraying is pre-
heating of the part, typically to 200 'F (94' C) . The
purpose of the preheat is threefold. First, it removes
any moisture that may be present; second, within limits
the higher temperature of the substrate tends to im-
prove the bond and; third, tensile stresses, set up
in the coating during spraying, are greatly reduced
when the substrate cools and hence, reduces the tend-
ency of the coating to crack.
FIG. 10 VANE RING FULLY MASKED

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FIG. 12 BLASTING MEDIA (SILICON CARBIDE) FIG. 14 CLOSE-UP VIEW OF PLASMA FLAME

With all preparations complete the coating is ap-

plied with a standard 80 K.W. plasma gun.
You will note in Figure #13 that the operator is
required to wear a considerable amount of protective
clothing and must be connected to a clean, dry, exter-
nal air supply. This is required as considerable heat
and noise is generated along with certain highly toxic
fumes. Noise levels are in the neigborhood of 100
decibels.

.. I'+^^ • ^i 4.

FIG. 15 POWDER APPLIED TO VANE RING

(PWA 1318 COBALT ALLOY)

The powder used in the vane ring diameter and seal

ing face restoration is a cobalt base, chromium-nickel
tungsten alloy. As can be seen in Figure #15, the
powder is of very fine particle size, in the order
of 350 mesh. Melting temperature of the aggregate
is approximately 2300F (1260C).
FIG. 13 POWDER BEING DEPOSITED ON VANE RING Another major factor affecting coating quality
is the condition of the powders. They must be kept
A close up shot of the spraying operation shows completely dry and free of contaminants in order to
the intensity of light and heat in the plasma flame, obtain a smooth continuous flow from the powder feeder.
Figure #14. For this purpose the powders are packaged in air tight
Note the additional cooling siphon providing im- containers and as an additional precaution are stored
pingement cooling on the back face of the shroud dia- in a heated storage cabinet (Figure #16).
meter. Substrate temperature is maintained at less The types of powders available on the market today
than 400F (205'C) throughout the spraying operation, are numerous and varied, as are their applications.
and in some cases, to control thermal expansion of The temperature range achievable in the plasma gun
the part, less than 200F (94'C). allows everything from plastics through steels, various

5
 of curiosity, the sample in Figure #17 is curved to
better represent a diameter on a rotating component.
Under high magnification (Figure #18) the coating
is checked for oxide content, unreacted particles,
porosity, shrinkage cracks and other defects. Based
on these findings and the results of other tests a
decision is made as to the acceptability of the re-
paired parts. If required, the rejected part will
have the coating removed and, with the appropriate
corrective action, will be recoated. After depositing
a sufficiently thick coating and removing the masking
the excess coating is ground back to blueprint re-

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quirements.

t^ V

FIG. 16 STORAGE CABINET FOR POWDER

alloys and even ceramics to be sprayed.

With the correct combination of powder constit-
uents a plasma coating can be used for corrosion re-
sistance, abrasion resistance, erosion resistance,
impact resistance, dimensional restorations, thermal
barriers and many other applications. O4i

FIG. 18 COATING QUALITY BEING CHECKED

FIG. 17 SPRAYED TEST PANEL BEING CUT

The quality of all coatings must be routinely ver-

ified by conducting such things as cup tests, tensile
lug tests and microscopic examination of cross sec-
tions through test panels like the one shown in Figure
#17. In fact, it is standard practice to spray test
panels simultaneously with all critical rotating com-
ponents and that the part be held pending the accep- FIG. 19 FINISHED PRODUCT
tance of a complete microexamination of the test pan-
els. For cross section examination the test panel In Figure #19, we see the finish ground part ready
is initially cut with a saw and then the cut surface for flow checking and return to service.
is progressively ground and polished to prepare the The final operation of repair is the substanti-
surface for viewing under a microscope. As a matter ation of the correct flow characteristics through

6
the vane ring. This is checked by comparing flow rates
and pressures of the repaired vane ring against a cal-
ibrated nozzle in a flow rig (Figure #20). The flow
characteristics are categorized in classes, each of
which will have a different effect on engine perfor-
mance. If the vane ring class is found to be outside
predetermined limits, the individual vanes are care-
fully bent with special tools to open up or close down
the throat area of the air passages between vanes.
This is done successfully without causing recracking
in the vanes.

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The vane ring is now fully restored and ready for
reinstallation into an engine.

1
FIG. 20 FLOW CHECK AND CLASSIFICATION