LEAN

Development of light-weight steel castings for efficient aircraft engines

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The aim of the proposed project is to develop castable steel alloys for aero engine applications and to refine the process to be able to cast thin-walled, light-weight and durable cast steel components. Today, cast titanium components is the predominant choice over alternatives like nickel base alloys and stainless steels for critical components in the aero engine. The main downside of using cast titanium components is the additional cost accompanied with the material. Using a technically equivalent, but cheaper construction material leaves more economical headroom for using higher performing light-weight materials in other part of the air craft, thereby making it possible to manufacture lighter air crafts producing less emission during its active usage cycle. In the proposed project the possibility to cast thin-walled cast steel components will be investigated using an iterative process of performing casting trials and tuning simulation parameters for simplified geometries. After a successful methodology has been developed and validated, complex aerospace-engine components will be cast and simulated where section sizes down to 1 mm are combined with thicker sections. In this work the steel alloy 17-4PH will be investigated. This alloy is a common engineering material and is used in cast components today. Another important part of the proposed work is the investigation of the possibility to cast steel alloys which are not commonly cast today. These alloys possess material properties that make the suitable for aerospace applications, but are today only produced as forged components or sheet metal. The above mentioned tasks will be performed in collaboration between the research institutes Swerea SWECAST and FRI, Foundry Research Institute together with the investment casting foundry TPC Components AB. The participating institutes play active roles in European research networks, which will provide efficient communication paths for dissemination of the project results.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

EU-funded scientists have paved the way to use of an ancient casting process to produce aero engine components from less expensive materials. The extra money could be used to buy lightweight materials for the rest of the aircraft.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Overall reductions in aircraft weight are critical to the EU's green aircraft goals, since decreasing the weight of an aircraft has significant impact on fuel consumption and emissions. Titanium is the material of choice for critical aero engine components, but the high cost financially limits weight-reduction solutions for other parts of the aircraft.

The use of thinner steel components is one way to reduce the cost of aero engine components without comprising quality. This frees up money for lightweight but more expensive materials in other places. However, conventional casting methods are not well-suited to producing large, thin-walled pieces. The EU-funded project 'Development of light-weight steel castings for efficient aircraft engines' (LEAN) investigated the use of an ancient and recently revived casting method, the investment casting or lost wax process.

Investment casting is a complex, multi-step process. Wax is used to make a mould, which is melted and removed and then replaced by molten metal. After the metal hardens, the mould is broken to remove the final component. It enables the manufacture of complex geometries, very thin sections and very tight resolutions, making it particularly appropriate for the aerospace sector.

Researchers carried out numerous casting trials to evaluate one common and several uncommon materials, two different geometries and two types of casting systems. The team assessed processing parameters and their effects on the fluidity of thin-walled investment castings. Scientists also evaluated the porosity and strength of cast products and compared experimental results to those of simulations.

LEAN has significantly increased EU knowledge of the investment casting process for the production of thin-walled durable steel castings. Currently, the expertise regarding investment castings for the aerospace sector is much greater outside the EU than in it and, as such, the majority of such castings are produced outside as well. LEAN has laid the experimental and theoretical foundations for capturing an important share of that market sector.