Abstract: A thermal barrier coating (TBC) system and method for forming the TBC system on a component designed for use in a hostile thermal environment, such as superalloy turbine, combustor and augmentor components of a gas turbine engine. The TBC system exhibits improved spallation resistance as a result of having a bond coat formed to contain a dispersion of oxide particles in its outer surface region. A method for preferentially entrapping oxide particles in a bond coat entails depositing the oxide particles on the surface of the component prior to forming the bond coat, which may be a diffusion aluminide or an aluminized overlay coating. Deposition of the bond coat causes the oxide particles to become dispersed in the outer surface region of the bond coat. A particular feature of this invention is the ability to preferentially entrap oxides of elements that are not present in the bond coat or a substrate region of the component on which the bond coat is formed.

Abstract: A thermal barrier coating (TBC) system and method for improving the thermal fatigue life of a thermal barrier coating. The invention entails modifying the surface morphology of an aluminide bond coat that adheres the thermal barrier coating to a substrate of a superalloy component. The aluminide bond coat has columnar grains, such that grain boundaries are exposed at the surface of the bond coat and define ridges. The surface of the bond coat is then treated so that a sufficient amount of material is removed from the grain boundary ridges and other surface peaks to flatten the bond coat surface, i.e., the ridges and peaks are replaced with flattened surfaces that are nearly parallel to the diffusion zone of the bond coat. By removing these surface irregularities, it is believed that a more stable bond coat surface is created where the critical alumina-bond coat interface will exist following a thermal treatment, such as TBC deposition.

Abstract: A turbine disk for a gas turbine engine differentially heat treated so as to produce a dual property disk. The process is applicable to superalloy disks, and achieves substantially uniform yet different temperatures in the rim and hub of the disk during heat treatment, so as to attain specific and different properties for the rim and hub. The process includes the steps of heat treating the entire disk to achieve a uniform structure having a fine grain size and fine precipitates. A device for heating the rim of the disk is then disposed at the disk's periphery, such that the rim is maintained at a substantially uniform temperature above the gamma prime solvus temperature of the superalloy so as to dissolve gamma prime precipitates present in the rim and cause grain growth in the rim.

Abstract: Micromachine fluidic apparatus incorporates a free-standing tube section and electrodes to actuate or control the movement of the tube section, or to sense the movement of the tube section, or both. Electronic circuitry, which may be disposed on the same substrate as the fluidic portion of the apparatus, is used in conjunction with the tube and electrodes in conjunction with a variety of different applications, including fluid flow measurement, fluid density measurement, fluid viscosity measurement, fluid transport, separation and/or mixing. According to a particular embodiment, the free-standing section of the tube is resonated for fluid flow and density measurements according to the Coriolis effect. Capacitive/electrostatic actuation techniques are used to control or resonate the free-standing section of the tube, and to detect variations in tube movement.

Abstract: A protective coating and coating method for protecting a thermal barrier coating (TBC) on a component, such as a component of a gas turbine engine. The protective coating comprises alumina particles in a silica-containing matrix, and may be substantially homogeneous or formed of multiple layers having different compositions. The composition and relative amounts of alumina and matrix material in the protective coating enable the coating to react with molten compounds containing calcia, magnesia, alumina and/or silica (CMAS), forming a compound with a melting temperature that is significantly higher than CMAS. As such, infiltration of molten CMAS into the TBC is significantly reduced or entirely avoided.

Abstract: A method of forming extruded structures from a polycrystalline material and structures formed thereby. The method generally entails forming a structure that comprises a polycrystalline material constrained by a second material in all but one direction, with the polycrystalline material having a patterned surface that is normal to the one direction. The polycrystalline material is then selectively heated, during which the second material restricts thermal expansion of the polycrystalline material in all but the one direction normal to the surface of the polycrystalline material. As a result, stresses are induced in the polycrystalline material that cause grain growth from the surface of the polycrystalline material in the one direction. The growth of an individual grain produces an extruded structure that projects above the surface of the polycrystalline material.

Abstract: A thermal barrier coating system and a method for forming the coating system on a component designed for use in a hostile thermal environment, such as superalloy turbine, combustor and augmentor components of a gas turbine engine. The method is particularly directed to a thermal barrier coating system that includes a thermal insulating ceramic layer and a diffusion aluminide bond coat on which an aluminum oxide scale is grown to protect the underlying surface of the component and to chemically bond the ceramic layer. The bond coat is formed to contain an additive metal of platinum, palladium, rhodium, chromium and/or silicon, and an additive element of yttrium and/or zirconium, with possible additions of hafnium. The bond coat may be formed by codepositing aluminum with the active element, or by depositing the additive metal and active element on the surface of the component, and then aluminizing to form the diffusion aluminide bond coat.

Abstract: A heat exchanger manifold comprising tank and header members secured together, each of the tank and header members having an interior surface facing the interior of the manifold. The header member comprises at least one raised surface feature on its interior surface so as to define longitudinal channels in the interior surface of the header member, and longitudinal passages within the manifold. One or more openings extend through the header plate and the raised surface feature. The width of at least one of the openings through the surface feature is less than the remainder of the opening, so that a portion of the surface feature defines a tube stop that limits the extent to which a tube received in the opening can extend into the interior of the manifold.

Abstract: A dual damascene process capable of reliably producing aluminum interconnects that exhibit improved electromigration characteristics over aluminum interconnects produced by conventional RIE techniques. In particular, the dual damascene process relies on a PVD-Ti/CVD-TiN barrier layer to produce aluminum lines that exhibit significantly reduced saturation resistance levels and/or suppressed electromigration, particularly in lines longer than 100 micrometers. The electromigration lifetime of the dual damascene aluminum line is strongly dependent on the materials and material fill process conditions. Significantly, deviations in materials and processing can result in electromigration lifetimes inferior to that achieved with aluminum RIE interconnects. In one example, current densities as high as 2.5 MA/cm2 are necessary to induce a statistically relevant number of fails due to electromigration.

Abstract: A method for producing a thermal barrier coating system on an article that will be subjected to a hostile environment. The thermal barrier coating system is composed of a metallic bond coat and a ceramic thermal barrier coating having a columnar grain structure. The method generally entails forming the bond coat on the surface of a component, and then grit blasting the bond coat with an abrasive media having a particle size of greater than 80 mesh. The component is then supported within a coating chamber containing at least two ingots of the desired ceramic material. An absolute pressure of greater than 0.014 mbar is established within the chamber containing oxygen and an inert gas. Thereafter, the ceramic ingots are vaporized with an electron beam such that the vapor deposits on the surface of the component to form a layer of the ceramic material on the surface.

Abstract: A gate structure for a semiconductor device, and particularly a MOSFET for such applications as CMOS technology. The gate structure entails an electrical insulating layer on a semiconductor substrate, over which a polysilicon gate electrode is formed. The gate structure further includes a gate conductor that is electrically connected with the gate electrode through a diffusion barrier layer having semi-insulating properties. The composition and thickness of the diffusion barrier layer are tailored so that the barrier layer is effective to block diffusion and intermixing between the gate conductor and polysilicon gate electrode, yet provides sufficient capacitive coupling and/or current leakage so as not to significantly increase the gate propagation delay of the gate structure.

Abstract: A coating system for Si-containing material, such as those used to form articles exposed to high temperatures, including the hostile thermal environment of a gas turbine engine. The coating system is a compositionally-graded thermal/environmental barrier coating (T/EBC) system that exhibits improved mechanical integrity for high application temperatures that necessitate thick protective coatings. The T/EBC system includes an intermediate layer containing YSZ and BSAS, mullite and/or alumina, which is preferably used in combination with a mullite-containing layer that overlies the surface of the Si-containing material, a layer of BSAS between the mullite-containing layer and the intermediate layer, and a thermal-insulating top coat of YSZ overlying the intermediate layer.

Abstract: A thermal barrier coating system and a method for forming the coating system on a component designed for use in a hostile thermal environment, such as superalloy turbine, combustor and augmentor components of a gas turbine engine. The coating system includes a diffusion aluminide bond coat whose oxide growth rate is significantly reduced to improve the spallation resistance of a thermal barrier layer by forming the bond coat to include a dispersion of aluminum, chromium, nickel, cobalt and/or platinum group metal oxides. The oxides preferably constitute about 5 to about 20 volume percent of the bond coat. A preferred method of forming the bond coat is to initiate a diffusion aluminizing process in the absence of oxygen to deposit a base layer of diffusion aluminide, and then intermittently introduce an oxygen-containing gas into the diffusion aluminizing process to form within the bond coat the desired dispersion of oxides.

Abstract: A process for making a fluid-tight connection between a tube and a plate-shaped member. The process entails inserting one end of a tube into a correspondingly-sized hole in a plate-shaped member so that the tube end contacts the plate-shaped member and extends beyond a surface of the plate-shaped member. A mandrel is then inserted and pressed into the tube end while heating the mandrel to a temperature sufficient to soften and deform the tube end and increase contact between the tube end and the plate-shaped member, such that the tube is secured to the plate-shaped member and a fluid-tight seal is formed therebetween.

Abstract: A three-dimensional puzzle cube that offers multiple solutions, each presenting multiple composite images. The composite images are assembled by appropriately arranging individual blocks of the puzzle cube. The blocks are not interconnected, but free to be arranged in a manner required to display the images. The picture puzzle cube generally entails a three-dimensional array of blocks that are arrangeable to form a number of the composite images. The picture puzzle cube has six composite faces defined by the three-dimensional array of blocks, each composite faces being formed by a two-dimensional array of the blocks. Each block has six faces, each face having a fragmentary image of one of the composite images. Six composite images are visible on the six composite faces of the picture puzzle cube at any give time, with the picture puzzle cube having multiple solutions in which a given combination of six composite images are visible.

Abstract: An extraction device comprising a sheath, distal legs that project from the sheath, and actuating means for retracting the legs into the sheath and deploying the distal legs from the sheath. The distal legs are formed to have a parabolic curved shape, such that the distal legs automatically deploy radially outward and away from each other when deployed outside the sheath with the actuating means. As such, a plunger is not required to operate the legs. When retracted into the sheath with the actuating means, the distal legs elastically deform, collapsing radially toward each other to acquire a mid-deployed position in which the legs define a basket. The legs can be further retracted into the sheath, providing a stowed position in which the legs are substantially parallel to each other.

Abstract: A method of enriching the surface of a substrate with a solute material that was originally dissolved in the substrate material, to yield a uniform dispersion of the solute material at the substrate surface. The method generally entails the use of a solvent material that is more reactive than the solute material to a chosen reactive agent. The surface of the substrate is reacted with the reactive agent to preferentially form a reaction compound of the solvent material at the surface of the substrate. As the compound layer develops, the solute material segregates or diffuses out of the compound layer and into the underlying substrate, such that the region of the substrate nearest the compound layer becomes enriched with the solute material. At least a portion of the compound layer is then removed without removing the underlying enriched region of the substrate.

Abstract: A method of repairing a thermal barrier coating on a component designed for use in a hostile thermal environment, such as turbine, combustor and augmentor components of a gas turbine engine. The method more particularly involves repairing a thermal barrier coating on a component that has suffered localized spallation of the thermal barrier coating. After cleaning the surface area of the component exposed by the localized spallation, a ceramic paste comprising a ceramic powder in a binder is applied to the surface area of the component. The binder is then reacted to yield a ceramic-containing repair coating that covers the surface area of the component and comprises the ceramic powder in a matrix of a material formed when the binder was reacted. The binder is preferably a ceramic precursor material that can be converted immediately to a ceramic or allowed to thermally decompose over time to form a ceramic, such that the repair coating has a ceramic matrix.

Abstract: A cabinet hardware configured for attachment to the lower end of a cabinet door, including conventional sliding and hinged doors. The hardware projects from the edge of the door to be readily accessible with the foot of a person wishing to open the door, and therefore enables the door to be opened without the use of hands. Accordingly, the hardware enables a user to open the door while his or her hands are occupied, such as when holding trash or recyclable items that are intended to be placed in a bin within the cabinet, or when the user's hands are wet or soiled with foodstuffs while trying to get a towel or additional cooking utensils or equipment.

Abstract: A medical specimen tote assembly containing a coolant. The assembly is configured with wells sized to individually receive and safely support one or more specimen tubes. At least one of the components of the assembly or a portion thereof is formed to contain a temperature-sensitive material that causes the component or portion to change color when a preselected temperature is exceeded. More preferably, the material causes a color change to occur at or near freezing, so as to indicate if the temperature of the component, and therefore specimens contained by the assembly, is near 0° C. or slightly higher.