MIXER FOR COMBUSTOR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING

摘要

A method 500 for fabricating a unitary mixer 100 is disclosed, said method comprising the steps of determining three-dimensional information of the unitary mixer 100 having at least one swirler 140, converting the three-dimensional information into a plurality of slices that each define a cross-sectional layer of the unitary mixer 100, and successively forming each layer of the unitary mixer 100 by fusing a metallic powder. Exemplary embodiments are disclosed, showing unitary mixer 100 comprising an annular housing 120 and a swirler 140, 160 having a unitary construction wherein unitary mixer 100 is made by using a rapid manufacturing process. In one aspect of the invention, the rapid manufacturing process is a laser sintering process. In another aspect of the invention, a mixer 300 having a unitary construction is disclosed comprising a swirler 380 having a plurality of radial vanes 382 arranged circumferentially around an axis 111 and oriented at least partially in a radial direction. In another exemplary embodiment, a unitary mixer 300 having circumferentially adjacent vanes 151, 152 forming at least one flow passage 154, 156 that is oriented at least partially in an axial direction with respect to the axis 111 is disclosed.