Patent Publication Number: US-2018043504-A1

Title: Machining a cooled region of a body

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This disclosure relates generally to machining and, more particularly, to machining a body using a tool. 
     2. Background Information 
     Various methods and systems are known in the art for machining a body. While these methods and systems have various benefits, there is still room in the art for improvement. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided for manufacturing a component using a body comprising metal. This method includes: cooling the body to provide at least a cooled region of the body; and machining the cooled region using a tool that contacts the cooled region. 
     According to another aspect of the present disclosure, another method is provided for manufacturing a component. This method includes: cooling a body and a tool using cryogenic fluid; and machining a cooled region of the body using a cooled region of the tool, wherein the tool engages the body during the machining. 
     According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, a system is provided for manufacturing a component using a body comprising metal. This system includes a fixture configured to support the body. The system also includes a cooling system and a machining system. The cooling system is configured to cool the body being supported by the fixture to provide at least a cooled region of the body. The machining system includes a tool configured to engage and perform a machining operation on the cooled region of the body being supported by the fixture. 
     The cooling system may include cryogenic fluid. 
     The body may be cooled using cryogenic fluid. 
     The cryogenic fluid may be or include liquid nitrogen. 
     The cryogenic fluid may be or include liquid carbon-dioxide. 
     The cryogenic fluid may be directed to a first location during the cooling of the body. The tool may be at a second location behind (e.g., downstream process-wise of) the first location. 
     The cooling system may include a nozzle configured to direct the cryogenic fluid to a first location. The tool may be at a second location behind (e.g., downstream process-wise of) the first location. 
     The machining operation may be or include a milling operation, a turning operation, a drilling operation, a grinding operation and/or a cutting operation. 
     The cooling of the body may include cooling a select region of the body. 
     The cooling of the body may include cooling substantially an entirety of the body. 
     The method may include cooling the tool during the machining. 
     The machining of the cooled region may include milling the cooled region. 
     The machining of the cooled region may include turning the cooled region. 
     The machining of the cooled region may include drilling the cooled region. 
     The machining of the cooled region may include grinding the cooled region. 
     The machining of the cooled region may include cutting the cooled region. 
     The foregoing features and the operation of the invention will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a system for manufacturing a component. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of a method for manufacturing a component using a manufacturing system. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic illustration of an alternative cooling system for the manufacturing system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic illustration of another alternative cooling system for the manufacturing system of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure includes systems and methods for manufacturing a component. This component may be configured as a component of a gas turbine engine. The component, for example, may be a rotor disk, an engine case, a blade, a vane, a seal element or a shaft. The present disclosure, however, is not limited to the foregoing exemplary gas turbine engine component configurations. Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to gas turbine engine applications. For example, the component may alternatively be configured as a component of another type of rotational equipment such as, but not limited to, a wind turbine, a water turbine, an internal combustion (IC) engine or a vehicle drivetrain. The component may also be configured for non-rotational equipment or other apparatuses. 
     The component is manufactured from a body of material (e.g., see body  18  in  FIG. 1 ). This body may be configured as a substantially unformed mass (e.g., a billet) of material. Herein, the term “unformed” may describe a body of material that has not yet been shaped to resemble the component being manufactured. Alternatively, the body may be configured as a preform body of material. Herein, the term “preform” may describe a body of material that has been shaped to at least partially or substantially resemble the component being manufactured. For example, the body may be a near-net-shape (NSC) casting of the component. The body, of course, is not limited to the foregoing exemplary configurations. 
     The body material may be or otherwise include metal. This metal may be a pure metal, or a metal alloy. The metal may include, but is not limited to, aluminum (Al), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), steel and powder nickel. Alternatively, the body material may be a non-metal such as a ceramic, a composite, a polymer or any other material which would benefit from manufacturing systems/methods described herein. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a system  10  for manufacturing a component, such as the component described above. This manufacturing system  10  includes a fixture  12 , a cooling system  14  and a machining system  16 . 
     The fixture  12  is configured to support the body  18  during at least a portion of the manufacturing process. The fixture  12  of  FIG. 1  is configured to rotate the body  18  about a rotational axis  20 . This fixture  12  is also configured to translate the body  18  axially along the axis  20 . However, in other embodiments, the fixture  12  may be configured to hold the body  18  substantially static where, for example, one or more components of the systems  14 ,  16  move relative to the body  18  and the fixture  12 . Of course, in still other embodiments, the fixture  12  as well as component(s) of one or more of the other systems  14 ,  16  may be configured to move. 
     The cooling system  14  is configured to cool at least a region  22  of the body  18  supported by the fixture  12 . The cooling system  14  includes a cooling fluid source  24  and at least one nozzle  26 , which is fluidly coupled with and is adapted to receive cooling fluid from the cooling fluid source  24 . The nozzle  26  is configured to direct the cooling fluid onto the body  18  to cool at least the region  22  of the body  18  to be machined. The nozzle  26  of  FIG. 1 , for example, is configured to direct a stream  28  of the cooling fluid to a spatial first location  30 . This first location  30  is selected to be forward of a spatial second location  32  where a tool  34  of the machining system  16  engages the body  18 . The term “forward” is used herein to describe movement of the body  18  relative to the nozzle  26  and the tool  34 . For example, the body  18  may rotate and move axially relative to the nozzle  26  and the tool  34  such that at least the region  22  of the body  18  is cooled by the cooling fluid stream  28  before that now cooled region  22 ′ is engaged by the tool  34 . 
     The machining system  16  includes the tool  34 , which physically and directly engages (e.g., contacts) the body  18  of material at the second location  32 . The tool  34  may be a cutting tool, a bit, a blade, a media-disk, a media bit, or any other type of tool capable of removing material (e.g., chips, fragments, strips, particulates, etc.) from the body  18 . The machining system  16  may be configured to perform a turning operation as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The machining system  16  may also or alternatively be configured to perform a milling operation, a drilling operation, a grinding operation and/or a cutting operation. The present disclosure, however, is not limited to the foregoing exemplary machining operations. 
       FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of a method  200  for manufacturing a component such as the component described above. This method  200  may be performed using a manufacturing system such as the system  10  of  FIG. 1 . Of course, the method  200  is not limited to the exemplary component and/or system types or configurations described above. 
     In step  202 , the body  18  is moved relative to the nozzle  26  and the tool  34 . The fixture  12 , for example, may rotate the body  18  about the rotational axis  20 . The fixture  12  may also translate the body  18  axially along the rotational axis  20 . This rotational and axial movement may be coordinated such that the body  18  rotates about the rotational axis  20  in a helical manner. 
     In step  204 , the body  18  is cooled. The cooling system  14 , for example, directs the cooling fluid out of the nozzle  26  and towards the first location  30 . In this manner, the cooling system  14  cools at least the region  22  of the body  18  forward (e.g., upstream process-wise) of the tool  34 . This cooling step  204  may be a cryogenic cooling step, where the cooling fluid is a cryogenic fluid. Examples of a suitable cryogenic fluid include, but are not limited to, liquid nitrogen (N 2 ) and liquid carbon-dioxide (CO 2 ). By cooling the body  18  in this manner, the region  22  of the body  18  is subject to a temperature drop of, for example, at least negative three hundred degrees Fahrenheit (−300° F.); e.g., −321° F. Of course, the method  200  is not limited to such an exemplary temperature drop. For example, the temperature drop may alternatively be less than negative three hundred degrees Fahrenheit depending upon the body material and cutting dynamics. 
     In step  206 , the body  18  is machined. More particularly, the tool  34  engages the now cooled region  22 ′ of the body  18  to remove material from the body  18  within that cooled region  22 ′. 
     By cooling the region  22  of the body  18  before the machining step  206 , certain machining parameters may be adjusted to reducing machining time. For example, a depth-of-cut for the tool  34  may be increased and/or the speed the body  18  moves relative to the tool  34  may be increased. This, in turn, may increase material removal rate during the machining step  206 . In addition, the cooling step  204  may enable provision of an improved surface finish and/or an improved metallurgy following the machining step  206 . In contrast, machining warmer (uncooled) material may result in a rougher surface finish. Heat generated at a point of engagement between the tool  34  and the material may also cause the metallurgy of the material to change. Cooling the body  18  may also enable easier machining of the body material and thereby reduce wear of the tool  34 . 
     In some embodiments, one or more additional regions of the body  18  may be cooled by the cooling system  14 . These additional regions may be forward (e.g., upstream process-wise) of the tool  34 . One or more of the regions may also or alternatively be behind (e.g., downstream process-wise of) the tool  34 , to provide further material processing/conditioning. In still other embodiments, substantially the entire body  18  may be cooled by the cooling system  14 . 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  are schematic illustrations of alternatively cooling systems  14 B and  14 C for the manufacturing system  10  of  FIG. 1 . These cooling systems  14 B and  14 C are similar to the cooling system  14  described above. However, the cooling systems  14 B and  14 C are further configured to cool the tool  34  (and/or one or more other components of the machining system  16 ) during the machining step  206 . The cooling system  14 B of  FIG. 3 , for example, includes at least one additional nozzle  36  that directs the cooling fluid onto the tool  34 . In another example, the cooling system  14 C of  FIG. 4  is configured to flow the cooling fluid through at least one passage  38  within the tool  34 . By cooling the tool  34  in addition to the body  18  during the method  200 , the material removal rate may be further increased. Cooling the tool  34  may also strengthen the tool  34 , which may reduce tool  34  wear. 
     While various embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the present invention as described herein includes several aspects and embodiments that include particular features. Although these features may be described individually, it is within the scope of the present invention that some or all of these features may be combined with any one of the aspects and remain within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.