Reinforced gas-turbine blade or vane

Claim 1

A COMPOSITE REINFORCED TURBINE BLADE STRUCTURE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) AN ELONGATED CASTING OF A REFRACTORY METALLIC ALLOY OF THE SM SERIES KNOWN TO BE DEFICIENT IN MECHANICAL STRENGTH AS COMPARED WITH KNOWN STRUCTURAL METALS, (B) SAID ALLOY HAVING HIGH OXIDATION AN THERMAL FATIGUE RESISTANCE, (C) SAID CASTING HAVING A CURVED CROSS SECTION, (D) ALL EXPOSED SURFACES OF SAID CASTING BEING CONSTITUTED OF THE SAID REFRACTORY METALLIC ALLOY OF HIGH OXIDATION AND THERMAL FATIGUE RESISTANCE, (E) REINFORCEMENT AND STIFFENING INSERT MEANS CAST WITHING SAID CASTING AND BONDED THERETO, (F) SAID INSERT MEANS COMPRISING A METAL ALLOY OF THE GROUP OF METALS INCLUDING TANTALUM, MOLYBDENUM, COLUMBIUM AND TUNGSTEN AND BEING LESS REFRACTORY BUT MECHANICALLY STRONGER THAN THE SAID ALLOY OF THE SM SERIES, (G) SAID INSERT MEANS BEING COATED WITH A METALLIC SUBSTANCE OF THE GROUP OF METALS INCLUDING NOBLE METALS, ALUMINUM, AND THE NICKEL SERIES, BY WHICH THE INSERT MEANS IS BONDED TO THE CASTING, (H) SAID INSERT MEANS HAVING A LESSER COEFFICIENT OF EXPANSION THAN THAT OF THE ALLOY OF THE CASTING, (I) SAID INSERT MEANS BEING CONTINUOUS AND UNBROKEN THROUGHOUT VIRTUALLY THE FULL LENGTH OF THE CASTING AND COMPRISING STIFF ELONGATE ELEMENTS EACH RESISTANT TO BENDING FORCES APPLIED TO IT ADJACENT THE ENDS OF THE CASTING AND EACH EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF AND FOR THE FULL LENGTH OF THE CASTING AND HAVING SURFACES AT THEIR END PORTIONS WHICH SURFACES ARE ADJACENT THE ENDS OF THE CASTING AND WHICH FACE TOWARD THE CENTER PORTIONS OF THE ELEMENTS, (J) SAID CASTING INCLUDING INTEGRAL PORTIONS DISPOSED BETWEEN AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID ELONGATE ELEMENTS AT ALL POINTS BETWEEN THE EXTREMITIES OF THE LATTER, (K) SAID ELONGATE ELEMENTS BEING UNDER CONTINUAL LATERAL COMPRESSION FROM THE CASTING WHEN COLD, (1) SAID CASTING BEING UNDER CONTINUAL LONGITUDINAL COMPRESSION FROM THE SAID END-PORTION SURFACES OF THE ELONGATED ELEMENTS WHEN THE CASTING IS AT OPERATING TEMPERATURE, (M) SAID CASTING INCLUDING SUPPORTING FORMATIONS AT ITS ENDS, (N) THE SAID END-PORTION SURFACES OF THE SAID ELONGATE REINFORCING ELEMENTS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT THE SAID SUPPORTING FORMATIONS OF THE CASTINGS, THEREBY TO MAINTAIN MAJOR PORTIONS OF THE CASTING UNDER LONGITUDINAL COMPRESSION.