59652 - Manufacturing Technologies for Fir Tree Slots: A Technological and Economic Evaluation
Fir tree slots in engine disks pose a great challenge to the production process, especially due to the use of increasingly filigree geometries. Broaching with high-speed steel (HSS) as cutting tool material has been established as the state-of-the-art process. However, this manufacturing process obtains the disadvantages of high tool costs and long waiting times in case of geometry adaptations. Alternative manufacturing technologies, namely electrochemical machining (ECM) and wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) offer the potential to replace broaching. Because of their removal mechanism being independent of the mechanical properties of the material, these processes are not hindered by increasingly higher thermomechanical material properties. Furthermore, the tool in WEDM is not specific to geometry, allowing fast adaptations. Nevertheless, the technology specific white layer may reduce the mechanical integrity of the engine disk. ECM in contrast has no negative impact on the rim zone of the workpiece but the tool is still specific to the slot geometry. Consequently, this paper experimentally investigates the three different manufacturing technologies in order to evaluate their capability to manufacture fir tree slots with respect to geometric accuracy and surface integrity. Subsequently, the technology specific manufacturing costs are considered to outline the economic potential of each process while taking into account the influence of the batch size.
Manufacturing Technologies for Fir Tree Slots: A Technological and Economic Evaluation
Paper Type
Technical Paper Publication
Description
Session: 18-02 Subtractive Manufacturing
Paper Number: 59652
Start Time: June 9th, 2021, 09:45 AM
Presenting Author: Lukas Heidemanns
Authors: Lukas Heidemanns Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University
Ugur Küpper (Tombul) Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University
Tobias Seelbach Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University
Martin Seimann Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
Thomas BergsLaboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University