Method of making gas turbine engine blades

Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a gas turbine engine blade or vane comprising two halves includes the steps of providing a first female mould the interior mould surface of which defines the internal surface of one blade half, providing a second female mould, the interior mould surface of which defines the external surface of the one blade half, providing a common intermediate member interposed between the first and second moulds, injecting wax to form patterns within the two mould cavities formed by the first and second moulds together with the common intermediate member, removing the first and second moulds from the common intermediate member to leave the wax patterns attached to the common intermediate member, applying a layer or layers of ceramic material to the wax patterns, firing the ceramic such as to rigidify it and remove the wax therefrom, removing the ceramic portions from the common intermediate member and locating them together to define a casting cavity therebetween, providing a runner system to communicate with the casting cavity and applying a further ceramic layer or layers to the exterior surfaces of the two ceramic portions to secure them together, subsequently firing the assembly and thereafter casting it with liquid metal to form a blade half and furthermore forming a second blade half portion using a further set of moulds and a common, intermediate member by repeating the above steps, and thereafter securing the two completed blade halves together to form a blade.

Claim 2

A method of manufacturing a gas turbine engine blade or vane comprising two halves includes the steps of providing a first female mould the interior mould surface of which defines the internal surface of one blade half, providing a second female mould, the interior mould surface of which defines the external surface of the one blade half, providing a common intermediate member interposed between the first and second moulds, injecting wax to form patterns within the two mould cavities formed by the first and second moulds together with the common intermediate member, removing the first and second moulds from the common intermediate member to leave the wax patterns attached to the common intermediate member, applying a layer or layers of ceramic material to the wax patterns, firing the ceramic such as to rigidify it and remove the wax therefrom, removing the ceramic portions from the common intermediate member and locating them together to define a casting cavity therebetween, providing a runner system to communicate with the casting cavity and applying a further ceramic layer or layers to the exterior surfaces of the two ceramic portions to secure them together, subsequently firing the assembly and thereafter casting it with liquid metal to form a blade half and furthermore forming a second blade half portion using a further set of moulds and a common, intermediate member by repeating the above steps, and thereafter securing the two completed blade halves together to form a blade.