Patents by Inventor Ramgopal Darolia

Ramgopal Darolia has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20060078432
    Abstract: A coating system and coating method for damping vibration in an airfoil of a rotating component of a turbomachine. The coating system includes a metallic coating on a surface of the airfoil, and a ceramic coating overlying the metallic coating. The metallic coating contains metallic particles dispersed in a matrix having a metallic and/or intermetallic composition. The metallic particles are more ductile than the matrix, and have a composition containing silver and optionally tin. The method involves ion plasma cleaning the surface of the airfoil before depositing the metallic coating and then the ceramic coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2004
    Publication date: April 13, 2006
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ramgopal Darolia, Matthew Weaver, Dennis Corbly, Boris Movchan, Anatolii Ustinov
  • Patent number: 7019537
    Abstract: A non-destructive method of detecting and measuring machining induced surface defects on gas turbine engine components is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes positioning an evanescent microwave microscope probe adjacent a turbine component surface, and scanning the turbine component surface by moving at least one of the evanescent microwave microscope probe and the component surface in an x-y plane while maintaining a predetermined distance between the probe and the component surface constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brian Thomas Hazel, Ramgopal Darolia
  • Publication number: 20060057406
    Abstract: Thermal barrier coating (TBC) and a method of depositing a TBC having a modulated columnar microstructure that exhibits increased impact resistance. The TBC is deposited to have a columnar microstructure in which columns extend from a substrate surface. The columns having inner regions contacting the surface, outer regions near an outermost surface of the TBC, and interior regions therebetween. The inner regions of the columns are substantially normal to the substrate surface and at least one of the interior and outer regions of the columns are nonaligned with its respective inner regions, so that the columns of the columnar microstructure are continuous but modulated between the inner and outer regions to reduce tensile stresses within the columns resulting from particle impact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2004
    Publication date: March 16, 2006
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ramgopal Darolia, Brett Boutwell, Brian Hazel, Bangalore Nagaraj, Joseph Rigney, Roger Wustman
  • Publication number: 20060039820
    Abstract: An article includes a substantially single crystal piece having a composition consisting essentially of, in weight percent, from 0.4 to 6.5 percent ruthenium, from 3 to 8 percent rhenium, from 5.8 to 10.7 percent tantalum, from 4.25 to 17.0 percent cobalt, from 0.1 to 2.0 percent hafnium, from 0.02 to 0.4 percent carbon, from 0.001 to 0.005 percent boron, from 0 to 0.02 percent yttrium, from 1 to 4 percent molybdenum, from 1.25 to 10 percent chromium, from 0.5 to 2.0 percent niobium, from 0.05 to 0.5 percent zirconium, from 5.0 to 6.6 percent aluminum, from 0 to 2.0 percent titanium, from 3.0 to 7.5 percent tungsten, and from 0.1 to 6 percent of platinum, iridium, rhodium, and palladium, and combinations thereof, balance nickel and incidental impurities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2004
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ramgopal Darolia, William Walston, Kevin O'Hara, Christine Govern
  • Publication number: 20060040129
    Abstract: A protected article includes a substrate having a surface and a substrate aluminum content. A first protective layer overlies a first region of the surface of the substrate, wherein the first protective layer has a composition having a first-protective-layer aluminum content at least 3 atomic percent greater than the substrate aluminum content. A second protective layer overlies a second region of the surface of the substrate different from the first region, wherein the second protective layer has a composition with at least about 60 percent by weight of platinum, rhodium, or palladium, and combinations thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2004
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ramgopal Darolia, Mark Gorman, Joseph Rigney
  • Publication number: 20060040128
    Abstract: A protected article has a substrate and a protective structure overlying a surface of the substrate. The protective structure includes a protective layer overlying the surface of the substrate and having an aluminum content greater than that of the substrate, and a bond-coat layer of a bond-coat-layer metal. The bond-coat-layer metal has a bond-coat initial composition having at least about 60 percent by weight platinum, rhodium, palladium, or combinations thereof. There may be a diffusion-barrier layer between the surface of the substrate and the protective layer, and there may be a ceramic thermal barrier coating overlying the bond-coat layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2004
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Mark Gorman, Ramgopal Darolia
  • Publication number: 20060035102
    Abstract: A strengthened bond coat for improving the adherence of a thermal barrier coating to an underlying metal substrate to resist spallation without degrading oxidation resistance of the bond coat. The bond coat comprises a bond coating material selected from the group consisting of overlay alloy coating materials, aluminide diffusion coating materials and combinations thereof. Particles comprising a substantially insoluble bond coat strengthening compound and having a relatively fine particle size of about 2 microns or less are dispersed within at least the upper portion of the bond coat in an amount sufficient to impart strengthening to the bond coat, and thus limit ratcheting or rumpling thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2005
    Publication date: February 16, 2006
    Inventors: Ramgopal Darolia, Joseph Rigney, Gillion Marijnissen, Eric Richard Vergeldt, Annejan Kloosterman
  • Patent number: 6998172
    Abstract: A thermal barrier coating (TBC 26) and method for forming the TBC (26) on a component (10) characterized by a stabilized microstructure that resists grain growth, sintering and pore coarsening or coalescence during high temperature excursions. The TBC (26) contains elemental carbon and/or a carbon-containing gas that increase the amount of porosity (32) initially within the TBC (26) and form additional fine closed porosity (32) within the TBC (26) during subsequent exposures to high temperatures. A first method involves incorporating elemental carbon precipitates by evaporation into the TBC microstructure. A second method is to directly incorporate an insoluble gas, such as a carbon-containing gas, into an as-deposited TBC (26) and then partially sinter the TBC (26) to entrap the gas and produce fine stable porosity within the TBC (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Boris A. Movchan, Yuriy E. Rudoy, Leonella M. Nerodenko, Ramgopal Darolia, Irene Spitsberg, Anthony Mark Thompson, Curtis Alan Johnson, David John Wortman
  • Publication number: 20060029723
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the invention, a method for repairing a coated high pressure turbine blade, which has been exposed to engine operation, to restore coated airfoil contour dimensions of the blade, and improve upon the prior bond coat is disclosed. The method comprises providing an engine run high pressure turbine blade including a base metal substrate made of a nickel-based alloy and having thereon a thermal barrier coating system. The thermal barrier coating system comprises a diffusion bond coat on the base metal substrate and a top ceramic thermal barrier coating comprising a yttria stabilized zirconia material. The top ceramic thermal barrier coating has a nominal thickness t. The method further comprises removing the thermal barrier coating system, wherein a portion of the base metal substrate also is removed, and determining the thickness of the base metal substrate removed. The portion of the base metal substrate removed has a thickness, ?t.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Publication date: February 9, 2006
    Inventors: Joseph Rigney, Ching-Pang Lee, Ramgopal Darolia
  • Patent number: 6982126
    Abstract: A thermal barrier coating (TBC) for a component intended for use in a hostile thermal environment. The TBC has an interior region and an outer surface region on and contacting the interior region. Both regions are formed of a ceramic material, with the interior region having a lower thermal conductivity than zirconia partially stabilized by about seven weight percent yttria. The interior region constitutes more than half of the thickness of the TBC, and the outer surface region constitutes less than half of the thickness of the TBC. The TBC has a columnar microstructure whereby the interior region and the outer surface region comprise columns of their ceramic materials. The outer surface region is more erosion and impact resistant than the interior region at least in part as a result of the columns thereof being more closely spaced than the columns of the interior region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ramgopal Darolia, Irene Spitsberg, Brett Allen Rohrer Boutwell, Mark Daniel Gorman, Curtis Alan Johnson, Venkat Subramaniam Venkataramani
  • Patent number: 6979498
    Abstract: A strengthened bond coat for improving the adherence of a thermal barrier coating to an underlying metal substrate to resist spallation without degrading oxidation resistance of the bond coat. The bond coat comprises a bond coating material selected from the group consisting of overlay alloy coating materials, aluminide diffusion coating materials and combinations thereof. Particles comprising a substantially insoluble bond coat strengthening compound and having a relatively fine particle size of about 2 microns or less are dispersed within at least the upper portion of the bond coat in an amount sufficient to impart strengthening to the bond coat, and thus limit ratcheting or rumpling thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ramgopal Darolia, Joseph David Rigney, Gillion Herman Marijnissen, Eric Richard Irma Carolus Vergeldt, Annejan Bernard Kloosterman
  • Patent number: 6974636
    Abstract: A turbine engine component comprising a substrate made of a nickel-base or cobalt-base superalloy and a protective coating overlying the substrate, the coating formed by electroplating at least two platinum group metals selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium and iridium. The protective coating is typically heat treated to increase homogeneity of the coating and adherence with the substrate. The component typically further comprises a ceramic thermal barrier coating overlying the protective coating. Also disclosed are methods for forming the protective coating on the turbine engine component by electroplating the platinum group metals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ramgopal Darolia, Mark Daniel Gorman, Melvin Robert Jackson, Ji-Cheng Zhao
  • Patent number: 6974637
    Abstract: An article and TBC coating system thereon that in combination exhibit significantly improved spallation resistance. The article comprises a substrate formed of a metal alloy containing ruthenium and one or more refractory elements (e.g., tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, rhenium, hafnium, etc.). The substrate is protected by a coating system comprising an aluminum-containing bond coat on the surface of the substrate and a ceramic coating bonded to the substrate by the bond coat. The bond coat, preferably an aluminide, is deposited so as to be substantially free of ruthenium, though ruthenium is present in the bond coat as a result of diffusion from the substrate into the bond coat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allan Pfaendtner, Deborah A. Schorr, Ramgopal Darolia, Joseph David Rigney, Irene Spitsberg, William Scott Walston
  • Publication number: 20050271514
    Abstract: A coating and coating process for incorporating surface features on an air-cooled substrate surface of a component for the purpose of promoting heat transfer from the component. The coating process generally comprises depositing a first metallic coating material on the surface of the component using a first set of coating conditions to form a first environmental coating layer, and then depositing a second metallic coating material using a second set of coating conditions that differ from the first set, such that an outer environmental coating layer is formed having raised surface features that cause the surface of the outer environmental coating layer to be rougher than the surface of the first environmental coating layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Publication date: December 8, 2005
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Robert Schafrik, Ramgopal Darolia, Joseph Rigney
  • Publication number: 20050266266
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, a NiAl overlay bond coating composition comprises a NiAl alloy. The alloy comprises Zr and at least one modifying element in an amount effective to form a stabilized oxide structure comprising stabilized zirconia including a substantially tetragonal structure upon oxidation of the alloy. The tetragonal structure is stabilized such that it does not change phases and revert to a monoclinic or monoclinic and tetragonal structure, which is not substantially tetragonal, upon thermal cycling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2004
    Publication date: December 1, 2005
    Inventors: Joseph Rigney, David Clarke, Ramgopal Darolia
  • Patent number: 6968730
    Abstract: A non-destructive method of detecting subsurface defects in thermal barrier coatings applied to gas turbine engine components is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes positioning a evanescent microwave microscope probe adjacent a turbine component surface coated with a thermal barrier coating, and scanning the thermal barrier coating by moving at least one of the evanescent microwave microscope probe and the component surface in relation to one another in an x-y plane while maintaining a predetermined distance between the probe and the thermal barrier coating constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert E. Schafrik, Matthew B. Buczek, Ramgopal Darolia, Steven R. LeClair, John F. Maguire, William C. Fitzgerald
  • Patent number: 6964818
    Abstract: A coated article includes formed of an alloy having a composition including nickel and aluminum, and a protective coating overlying and contacting the substrate. The protective coating is a mixture of a quasicrystalline metallic phase, and a non-quasicrystalline metallic phase comprising nickel and aluminum. The aluminum is present in an amount of from about 3 to about 35 percent by weight of the non-quasicrystalline metallic phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ramgopal Darolia
  • Publication number: 20050238894
    Abstract: Ceramic compositions comprising a main ceramic component comprising from about 63 to about 99 mole % zirconia and from about 1 to about 37 mole % hafnia. These compositions further comprise at least about 4 mole % of a stabilizer metal oxide selected from the group consisting of yttria, calcia, ceria, scandia, magnesia, india, lanthana, gadolinia, neodymia, samaria, dysprosia, erbia, ytterbia, europia, praseodymia, and mixtures thereof. These ceramic compositions are useful in preparing thermal barrier coatings having reduced thermal conductivity for the substrate of articles that operate at, or are exposed to, high temperatures, as well as good producibility and impact/erosion resistance. Inclusion of hafnia also maintains the reduced conductivity of the thermal barrier coating after thermal exposure due to better sintering resistance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Publication date: October 27, 2005
    Inventors: Mark Gorman, Irene Spitsberg, Brett Boutwell, Ramgopal Darolia, Robert Bruce, Venkat Venkataramani
  • Publication number: 20050202168
    Abstract: A thermal barrier coating (TBC 26) and method for forming the TBC (26) on a component (10) characterized by a stabilized microstructure that resists grain growth, sintering and pore coarsening or coalescence during high temperature excursions. The TBC (26) contains elemental carbon and/or a carbon-containing gas that increase the amount of porosity (32) initially within the TBC (26) and form additional fine closed porosity (32) within the TBC (26) during subsequent exposures to high temperatures. A first method involves incorporating elemental carbon precipitates by evaporation into the TBC microstructure. A second method is to directly incorporate an insoluble gas, such as a carbon-containing gas, into an as-deposited TBC (26) and then partially sinter the TBC (26) to entrap the gas and produce fine stable porosity within the TBC (26).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2004
    Publication date: September 15, 2005
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Boris Movchan, Yuriy Rudoy, Leonella Nerodenko, Ramgopal Darolia, Irene Spitsberg, Anthony Thompson, David Wortman, Curtis Johnson
  • Patent number: 6933052
    Abstract: A turbine engine component comprising a substrate made of a nickel-base or cobalt-base superalloy, a non-metallic oxide or nitride diffusion barrier layer overlying the substrate, and a protective coating overlying the barrier layer, the protective coating comprising at least one platinum group metal selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium and iridium. The diffusion barrier layer may be a deposited or thermally grown oxide material, especially aluminum oxide. The protective coating may be heat treated to increase homogeneity of the coating and adherence with the substrate. The component typically further comprises a ceramic thermal barrier coating overlying the protective coating. Also disclosed are methods for forming a protective coating system on the turbine engine component by forming the non-metallic oxide or nitride diffusion barrier layer on the substrate and then depositing the platinum group metal on top of the barrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Daniel Gorman, Bangalore Aswatha Nagaraj, Ramgopal Darolia