Why is Laser Cladding used in Turbine Blades?
High-value, crucial turbine blades are utilized in aerospace and ground-based industrial gas turbine (IGT) components in the cladding process. These blades operate in an insensitive environment that includes high temperatures, heavy mechanical loads, and ongoing corrosion and erosion by air and fuel impurities.
These turbine blades’ leading edges and curves experience severe degradation over time. The ideal solution is to extend the service life of the turbine blades using surface treatment techniques like cladding and hardening because replacing these turbines is expensive and must be done while the system is not operating.
Benefits of Laser Cladding Process:
For the repair of turbine blades, several traditional cladding/welding techniques, such as PTA and GTAW, are available. The issue is the considerable heat input in these conventional technologies, which results in component deformation.
In a laser cladding machine, a cladding powder is melted onto the part to form a metallurgical bond using a laser beam with the proper spot size. The blade’s likelihood of deforming while clad is relatively minimal due to the low and carefully controlled heat input. High hardness can be attained in the cladding layer due to the faster cooling rates, lengthening the part’s lifespan.
Depending on the base material of the turbine, laser cladding allows for various metal powder combinations. The damaged turbine can be easily covered with different innovative nickel- and cobalt-based superalloys, which is sometimes impossible with traditional welding/overlay processes. When rebuilding a blade using a method like TIG, an overhang up to a few millimetres is generated on the blade’s sides, so more material is deposited before removal.
A Summary of Blade Design
Typically, wind turbine nacelles and blades are made of composite materials. Metals are used in the manufacturing of towers, generators, etc. The edges are the most crucial composite-based component of a wind turbine and the most expensive section of the machine.
One or more integrated (shear) webs connecting the upper and lower portions are used to attach and stiffen the two faces of a wind turbine blade (on the suction side and the pressure side). Tension-compression loads are applied to the laminates at the leading and trailing edges that support the bending moments brought on by the gravitational loads. The sandwich-constructed aeroshells are primarily meant to prevent elastic buckling. It may be helpful to employ diverse materials for various regions of the blade. Laser Cladding Services in India are provided in various places across the country.
Laser cladding technology offers a very practical, reliable, and repeatable option for repairing damaged turbine blades, resulting in a shorter turnaround time and less downtime for the customer at a fraction of the price of the original edges. Get in touch with the Endurance Wear Solutions LLP to acquire professional cladding technology and solutions.