Manufacturable and inspectable cooling microcircuits for blade-outer-air-seals

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a cooling microcircuit in a blade-outer-air-seal is provided. The method broadly comprises the steps of forming a first section of the blade-outer-air-seal having a first exposed internal wall, forming a second section of the blade-outer-air-seal having a second exposed internal wall, and forming at least one cooling microcircuit on at least one of the first and second exposed internal walls.

1 - 12 . (canceled) 
   
   
       13 . A blade-outer-air-seal consisting of:
 a cast first section;   a cast second section;   at least one cooling microcircuit intermediate said first and second sections; and   a mating surface interlayer between said first and second sections.   
   
   
       14 . The blade-outer-air-seal according to  claim 13 , wherein said at least one cooling microcircuit has a leading edge microcircuit and a trailing edge microcircuit. 
   
   
       15 . The blade-outer-air-seal according to  claim 14 , wherein said at least one cooling microcircuit further has at least one side microcircuit which is independent of said leading edge microcircuit and said trailing edge microcircuit. 
   
   
       16 . The blade-outer-air-seal according to  claim 13 , wherein said at least one cooling microcircuit is located on only one of said sections and includes a cover plate over said at least one cooling microcircuit. 
   
   
       17 . The blade-outer-air-seal according to  claim 16 , wherein said at least one cooling microcircuit has a plurality of internal features and said cover plate is solid state diffusion bonded to said internal features. 
   
   
       18 . The blade-outer-air-seal according to  claim 15 , wherein each of said microcircuits has at least one cooling fluid inlet, at least one outlet, and a plurality of passageways formed by a plurality of internal features. 
   
   
       19 . The blade-outer-air-seal according to  claim 13 , wherein said interlayer comprises a bond region formed from an alloying metal with a composition close to that of a metal forming at least one of said first and second sections along with a melting point depressant. 
   
   
       20 . A method for manufacturing a cooling microcircuit in a blade-outer-air-seal comprising the steps of:
 casting a first section of the blade-outer-air-seal having a first exposed internal wall;   casting a second section of the blade-outer-air-seal having a second exposed internal wall;   forming at least one cooling microcircuit on at least one of the first and second exposed internal walls;   creating a mating interlayer by placing foils between said first section and said second section; and   joining said first section and said second section together by heating said foils and the first and second sections.   
   
   
       21 . A method according to  claim 20 , wherein the foils placing step comprises placing foils formed from a material having a composition close to a metal forming each of the first and second sections and having a melting point depressant. 
   
   
       22 . A method according to  claim 20 , further comprising subjecting said blade-outer-air-seal to a post bond heat treatment.