Machining the Integral Impeller and Blisk of Aero-Engines:A Review of Surface Finishing and Strengthening Technologies

The integral impeller and blisk of an aero-engine are high performance parts with complex structure and made of difficult-to-cut materials. The blade surfaces of the integral impeller and blisk are functional surfaces for power transmission, and their surface integrity has signif- icant effects on the aerodynamic efficiency and service life of an aero-engine. Thus, it is indispensable to finish and strengthen the blades before use. This paper presents a comprehensive literature review of studies on finishing and strengthening technologies for the impeller and blisk of aero-engines. The review includes independent and inte- grated finishing and strengthening technologies and dis- cusses advanced rotational abrasive flow machining with back-pressure used for finishing the integral impeller and blisk. A brief assessment of future research problems and directions is also presented.

Application of Improved Hybrid Interface Substructural Component Modal Synthesis Method in Vibration Characteristics of Mistuned Blisk

The large and complex structures are divided into hundreds of thousands or millions degrees of freedom（DOF） when they are calculated which will spend a lot of time and the efficiency will be extremely low. The classical component modal synthesis method （CMSM） are used extensively, but for many structures in the engineering of high-rise buildings, aerospace systemic engineerings, marine oil platforms etc, a large amount of calculation is still needed. An improved hybrid interface substructural component modal synthesis method（HISCMSM） is proposed. The parametric model of the mistuned blisk is built by the improved HISCMSM. The double coordinating conditions of the displacement and the force are introduced to ensure the computational accuracy. Compared with the overall structure finite element model method（FEMM）, the computational time is shortened by23.86%–31.56%and the modal deviation is 0.002%–0.157% which meets the requirement of the computational accuracy. It is faster 4.46%–10.57% than the classical HISCMSM. So the improved HISCMSM is better than the classical HISCMSM and the overall structure FEMM. Meanwhile, the frequency and the modal shape are researched, considering the factors including rotational speed, gas temperature and geometry size. The strong localization phenomenon of the modal shape’s the maximum displacement and the maximum stress is observed in the second frequency band and it is the most sensitive in the frequency veering. But the localization phenomenon is relatively weak in 1st and the 3d frequency band. The localization of the modal shape is more serious under the condition of the geometric dimensioning mistuned. An improved HISCMSM is proposed, the computational efficiency of the mistuned blisk can be increased observably by this method.

A special CAD/CAM software for electro-discharge machining of shrouded turbine blisks

In this paper, a special-purpose CAD/CAM software package, BliskCad/Cam, based on a commercial CAD/CAM software Unigraphics is developed to reduce difficulties in CNC-EDM of the shrouded turbine blisks. The software package consists of five modules such as electrode design, path searching, and machining simulation module. Functions of BliskCad/Cam include parametrical reconstruction of 3-D model of the blisk, intelligent design of complex shaped electrode, automatic generation of NC codes, search of interference-free tool path for multi-axis NC-EDM and machining simulation, etc. Experimental verification is conducted by using BliskCad/Cam and the results show that it satisfies the requirements, and can realize precision machining and reduce accessorial time remarkably.

3D FEM analysis of welding residual stress and deformation of aero-engine blisk

Aero-engine blisk welded by electron beam welding（EBW） method is a complicated structure. Fixtures were used to control the deformation of blisk during its manufacturing process. Finite element method was utilized to study the evolution of the welding residual stress and deformation of this structure. In which an attenuation function was applied to the double ellipsoid heat source model based on the characteristic of EBW, and the effects of fixtures on the welding residual stresses and deforamtion were also reserached. The simulation results showed that the temperature contour of weld cross section vertical to the weld centerline followed a ＇＂ V＂ shape. Moreover, large welding residual stress and distortion were found in the interface between blisk and fixtures. The stress concentration was reduced sufficiently in starting and end part of weldment as the fixtures were renmved after welding process, while the removing operation had almost no effects on the welding residual stress in the middle section of weld bead.

Development of an in-situ measuring system for blisk manufacturing

In order to solve the in-situ measurement problem of workpiece with complex structures,a cantilever coordinate measuring machine(CCMM)is proposed to adapt to the finite space constraints of the 5-axis computer numerical control(CNC)processing site.Structure design of dense ball bearing shafting is analyzed and optimized.Factors affecting measurement accuracy of CCMM are analyzed,and measurement accuracy is validated by experiments.Results show that the structure of CCMM is able to satisfy requirements of technical specification,and the in-situ measurement of blisk manufacturing is realized.The CCMM developed is of important significance for machining quantity improvement of blisk and development of large aircraft production.

Finite element analysis of welding residual stress of aero engine blisk by controlling heat input

In order to improve aero engine performance, it is necessary to reduce the welding residual stress of aero engine blisk. In this paper, finite element method was employed to simulate electron beam welding process of blisk, in accordance with the deducing formula（ p = kh ） , the heat input is changed with the weld depth to control welding residual stress of blisk. The calculation results show that welding residual stress of blisk can be controlled effectively by reducing the heat input on the conditions of meeting the demand of weld penetration and guaranteeing the welding quality, a new theoretical method and some numerical data are provided for controlling welding residual stress of blisk.

Efflcient machining of a complex blisk channel using a disc cutter

For rough machining of a complex narrow cavity,e.g.,a complex blisk channel on an aero-engine,the typically used cutting tools are the slender cylindrical cutter and conical cutter.Nevertheless,as neither of the two is particularly suited for rough machining,wherein the main purpose is to remove a large volume as quickly as possible,the machining efficiency is low,especially when the part materials are of hard-to-cut types(e.g.,Titanium-alloy)for which it often takes days to rough machine a blisk.Fortunately,disc machining provides a new and efficient roughing solution,since a disc cutter with a large radius enables a much larger cutting speed and thus a larger material removal rate.However,due to the large radius of the disc cutter,its potential collision with narrow and twisted channels becomes a serious concern.In this paper,we propose a novel twophase approach for efficiently machining a complex narrow cavity workpiece using a disc-shaped cutter,i.e.,3+2-axis disc-slotting of the channel by multiple layers(rough machining)+five-axis disc-milling of the freeform channel side surfaces(semi-finish machining).Both simulation and physical cutting experiments are conducted to assess the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed method.The experimental results show that,with respect to a same cusp-height threshold on the channel side surfaces,the total machining time of the tested part by the proposed method is about only 36%of that by the conventional approach of plunging-milling(for roughing)plus milling by a slender cylindrical cutter(for semi-finishing).

Deep learning-based modeling method for probabilistic LCF life prediction of turbine blisk

Turbine blisk is one of the typical components of gas turbine engines.The fatigue life of turbine blisk directly affects the reliability and safety of both turbine blisk and aeroengine whole-body.To monitor the performance degradation of an aeroengine,an efficient deep learning-based modeling method called convolutional-deep neural network(C-DNN)method is proposed by absorbing the advantages of both convolutional neural network(CNN)and deep neural network(DNN),to perform the probabilistic low cycle fatigue(LCF)life prediction of turbine blisk regarding uncertain influencing parameters.In the C-DNN method,the CNN method is used to extract the useful features of LCF life data by adopting two convolutional layers,to ensure the precision of C-DNN modeling.The two close-connected layers in DNN are employed for the regression modeling of aeroengine turbine blisk LCF life,to keep the ac-curacy of LCF life prediction.Through the probabilistic analysis of turbine blisk and the com-parison of methods(ANN,CNN,DNN and C-DNN),it is revealed that the proposed C-DNN method is an effective mean for turbine blisk LCF life prediction and major factors affecting the LCF life were gained,and the method holds high efficiency and accuracy in regression modeling and simulations.This study provides a promising LCF life prediction method for complex structures,which contribute to monitor health status for aeroengines operation.

Predicting the evolution of electrochemical trepanning for inner blisks with a chamfer structure at blade tip

Electrochemical trepanning(ECTr)is an effective electrochemical machining(ECM)technique that can be used to manufacture the integral components of aero-engine compressors.This study focused on the dynamic evolution of ECTr for production of inner blisks(bladed disks)with a special chamfer structure at blade tip.Due to the existence of chamfer,the ECTr process of inner blades is in a non-equilibrium state during the early stages,and the physical field changes in the machining gap are complex,making it difficult to predict the forming process.In this paper,a dynamic evolution model(DEM)of inner blade ECTr with a special chamfer at blade tip structure is proposed,and an ECTr multi-physical fields simulation study was carried out.The evolution of the chamfer at blade tip was analyzed and data related to chamfer were predicted based on the dependence of anode boundary properties with machining time and feed rate.In addition,the dis-tributions of current density,electrolyte flow rate,bubble volume fraction,temperature rise,and electrolyte conductivity in the machining area at different times were obtained by combining them with the multi-physical fields simulation results.Subsequently,a series of ECTr experiments were conducted,in which,as the feed rate increased,the surface quality and machining accuracy of the inner blades were improved.Compared with the simulation results,the error in machining accu-racy of the chamfer profile is controlled within±2%,and the machining accuracy of the blade full profile was controlled within±0.2 mm,indicating that the model proposed in this study was effec-tive in predicting the evolution of inner blades ECTr with chamfer structures at blade tip.

Design method and experimental study of a cathode tool with an extremely high leveling ratio for electrochemical machining of blisk

To obtain final parts with the desired dimensional accuracy and repeatability via electrochemical machining(ECM), the machining process must enter an ECM balanced state. However,for the ECM processing of blisk, a key component of aerospace engines, the surface of the blade blank often has an uneven allowance distribution due to the narrow passage of the cascade. It is difficult to remedy this issue in subsequent processing steps, which is necessary to ensure the dimensional accuracy and repeatability of the final blade profile. To solve this problem, electrolytic machining must be preceded by electrolytic shaping, which requires cathode tools with large leveling ratios to quickly homogenize the blank surface of the blade. In this study, to obtain a cathode tool with an extremely high leveling ratio, a design method based on the variation in the electrode gap in the non-equilibrium electrolytic state is proposed, and a dissolution model based on the nonequilibrium state is established. In this design method, the allowance on the blank to be machined is first divided into many discrete allowances with the normal direction. The initial machining clearance, feed rate, and total machining time are then calculated using classical ECM equilibrium state theory based on the maximum allowance. Meanwhile, the point coordinates of the cathode tool at maximum allowance can be determined. The non-equilibrium model can then be used to calculate the relative coordinate positions corresponding to the remaining discrete allowances. Finally, the entire cathode tool profile is designed. Simulations, fundamental experiments, and blisk unit workpiece experiments were carried out to validate the design approach. In the simulated processing of the plane workpiece, the leveling ratio of the cathode tool designed by the proposed method(0.77)was 83% higher than that of the cathode tool designed using the traditional method. The simulation results were confirmed by processing experiments. In the machining of blisk unit workpieces with complex curved surfaces, the leveling ratios of the convex and concave parts of the blade machined using the proposed cathode tool respectively reached 0.75 and 0.54, which are 75% and 38% higher than those obtained using the traditional method. This new cathode design method and machining technology can significantly improve the surface allowance distribution of blank before electrolytic finishing. It is helpful for finishing machine to enter electrolytic equilibrium state. Finally, the final blade profile accuracy can be guaranteed and repeated errors can be reduced.

Improving profile accuracy and surface quality of blisk by electrochemical machining with a micro inter-electrode gap

Electrochemical machining(ECM)has emerged as an important option for manufacturing the blisk.The inter-electrode gap(IEG)distribution is an essential parameter for the blisk precise shap-ing process in ECM,as it affects the process stability,profile accuracy and surface quality.Larger IEG leads to a poor localization effect and has an adverse influence on the machining accuracy and surface quality of blisk.To achieve micro-IEG(<50 lm)blisk finishing machining,this work puts forward a novel variable-parameters blisk ECM strategy based on the synchronous coupling mode of micro-vibration amplitude and small pulse duration.The modelling and simulation of the blisk micro-IEG machining have been carried out.Exploratory experiments of variable-parameters blisk ECM were car-ried out.The results illustrated that the IEG width reduced with the progress of variable parameter pro-cess.The IEG width of the blade’s concave part and convex part could be successfully controlled to within 30 lm and 21 lm,respectively.The profile deviation for the blade’s concave surface and convex surface are 49 lm and 35 lm,while the surface roughness reaches R_(a)=0.149 lm and R_(a)=0.196 lm,respectively.The profile accuracy of the blisk leading/trailing edges was limited to within 91 lm.Com-pared with the currently-established process,the profile accuracy of the blade’s concave and convex profiles was improved by 50.5%and 53.3%,respectively.The surface quality was improved by 53.2%and 50.9%,respectively.Additionally,the machined surface was covered with small corrosion pits and weak attacks of the grain boundary due to selective dissolution.Some electrolytic products were dispersed on the machined surface,and their components were mainly composed of the carbide and oxide products of Ti and Nb elements.The results indicate that the variable-parameters strategy is effective for achieving a tiny IEG in blisk ECM,which can be used in engineering practice.

含呼吸式裂纹的整体叶盘的固有特性

基于ANSYS软件创建了含呼吸式裂纹整体叶盘的有限元模型,在裂纹处通过创建接触对来模拟裂纹的呼吸效应;然后,对整体叶盘和含呼吸裂纹的整体叶盘进行了模态分析,得到了其固有频率及振型,并通过对完好的整体叶盘进行模态试验验证了有限元模型的有效性;最后,对比分析不同长度、不同位置的裂纹对整体叶盘静频、动频、频率转向及振型转换的影响,为避免共振和监测整体叶盘裂纹故障提供参考依据。

电解辅助磁力研磨整体叶盘试验研究

针对航空发动机整体叶盘结构复杂和材料难以加工的特性,在磁力研磨技术的基础上引入电解作用作为辅助手段。通过电解作用产生易于处理的钝化膜,然后再引入磁力研磨加工技术,加快了对叶盘表面纹理的去除,同时使表面加工质量更加均匀。通过3D超景深电镜观测叶盘表面形貌,结果显示:经复合研磨20 min,叶盘表面纹理基本去除,表面更加细密、均匀。表面粗糙度值R_(a)由1.5μm降至0.4μm。

砂布页轮柔性抛光表面微观形貌建模与预测

柔性抛光技术广泛应用于航空发动机整体叶盘叶片的精密加工。系统深入研究柔性抛光过程,了解抛光加工表面微观形貌生成的内涵,成为柔性抛光加工技术的重要研究内容之一。以砂布页轮为柔性磨具,通过空间几何坐标变换建立了砂布页轮表面磨粒的空间运动学模型及磨粒-工件几何学干涉模型,并研究了砂布页轮柔性变形对工件表面磨粒运动轨迹的影响。基于磨具表面形貌模型,利用MATLAB软件进行砂布页轮柔性抛光表面微观形貌生成过程仿真,并得到不同工艺参数下工件表面三维形貌及其影响规律,抛光实验结果验证了该仿真算法的正确性和有效性。

Experimental research on electrochemical machining of titanium alloy Ti60 for a blisk

Ti60 （Ti-5.6A1-4.8Sn2Zr-1Mo-0.35Si-0.7Nd） is a high-temperature titanium alloy that is now used for important components of aircraft engines. Electrochemical machining （ECM） is a promising technique that has several advantages, such as a high machining rate, and can be used on a wide range of difficult-to-process materials. In this paper, orthogonal experiments are conducted to investigate ECM of Ti60, with the aim of determining the influences of some electrochemical pro- cess parameters on the surface roughness. The most important parameter is found to be the frequency of the pulsed power supply. It is found that using suitably optimized parameters for ECM can greatly decrease the surface roughness ofa workpiece. A surface roughness of approximately 0.912 μm can be obtained with the following optimal parameters： NaC1 electrolyte concentration 13wt%, voltage 20 V, pulse frequency 0.4 kHz, duty cycle 0.3, temperature 23 ℃, and anode feed rate 0.5 mm/min. Furthermore, blisk blades have been successfully processed using these optimized parameters

Four-axis trochoidal toolpath planning for rough milling of aero-engine blisks

The Blade Integrated Disk(Blisk) is one of the key components in the aero-engine, it is generally manufactured by the multi-axis milling and almost 90% raw materials are removed. To avoid the full immersion of a cutter in the rough machining of a blisk channel, the trochoidal milling is a promising strategy since it can keep a small immersion angle in the rough milling process while maintaining the high machining efficiency. However, while toolpaths are being planned for the trochoidal milling process, the conventional methods are mainly for the planar machining area with fixed tool orientations, which cannot be used for complex channels where the multi-axis machining should be employed. To this end, this paper presents a four-axis trochoidal toolpath planning method with a ball-end cutter, and thus the blisk channel can be machined efficiently.For this to happen, the trochoidal paths are planned in the parametric domain and then mapped into the physical domain, with tool orientations controlled by the quaternion interpolation method to have smooth tool movement along the toolpaths. Both geometric simulation and physical milling experiments of the proposed method have convincingly demonstrated the validation of the proposed method.

压气机整体叶盘修复再制造的研究进展

压气机整体叶盘的应用,是高性能发动机的典型技术之一,但整体叶盘接触包含各种固体物的高速气流,频繁出现多种不同形式的结构损伤和性能衰退,严重制约发动机高性能、高可靠和长寿命运行。基于深度维修的整体叶盘再制造技术,是解决上述难题的有效途径。本文针对压气机整体叶盘修复再制造过程中的共性基础问题,总结国内外整体叶盘修复再制造的历史沿革和技术发展,根据整体叶盘几何结构损伤形式和服役损伤形式,从损伤可修复评估与设计、熔焊修复技术、压力焊修复技术、钎焊及激光增材修复及技术、表面加工及优/强化技术等五个部分进行系统阐述,并探讨整体叶盘修复再制造中评估设计、技术发展和深度修复等重要问题,旨在推动整体叶盘再制造技术快速发展和应用。

面向全型面精加工的整体叶盘铣磨组合加工技术研究

整体叶盘由多个叶片呈圆周阵列布置在轮毂上,由于叶身型面为弱刚性零件,精加工时刀具磨损、颤振及让刀变形较为严重,影响了加工质量的进一步提高。提出一种面向全型面精加工的整体叶盘铣磨组合加工工艺,叶片型面采用磨削加工工艺,叶根、流道区域采用铣削加工工艺,通过控制磨削与铣削刀轨重叠区域的接刀误差实现叶盘全型面加工。试验结果表明,铣磨组合加工工艺表现出较好的加工质量,接刀误差控制在0.01 mm以内,轮廓误差小于0.04 mm,并通过加工试验验证了多主轴阵列加工的可行性,在保证加工质量的同时可大幅度提升加工效率。

Research on vibration suppression of a mistuned blisk by a piezoelectric network

The work aims to provide a further investigation of the dynamic characteristics of an integral bladed disk（also called ‘blisk＇） with a Parallel Piezoelectric Network（PPN）. The PPN is constructed by parallelly interconnecting the piezoelectric patches distributed in the blisk. Two kinds of PPN are considered, namely mono-periodic PPN and bi-periodic PPN. The former has a piezoelectric patch in each sector, and the later has one patch every few sectors. The vibration suppression performance of both kinds of PPN has been studied through modal analysis, forced response analysis, and statistical analysis. The research results turn out that the PPN will only affect mechanical frequencies near the electrical frequency clusters slightly, and the bi-periodic PPN will make the nodal diameter spectrum of the modes more complex, but the amplitude corresponding to the new nodal diameter component is much smaller than that of the nodal diameter component corresponding to the mono-periodic system. The mechanical coupling between the blades and the disk plays an important role in the damping effect of the PPN, and it should be paid attention to in applications. The mono-periodic PPN can effectively suppress the amplitude magnification of the forced response induced by the mistuning of the blisk; meanwhile, it can mitigate the vibration localization of the mistuned electromechanical system. If piezoelectric patches are set only in part of the sectors, the bi-periodic PPN still has a vibration suppression ability, but the effect is related to the number and spatial distribution of the piezoelectric patches.

Adaptive sliding mode control of the A-axis used for blisk manufacturing

As a key assembly in the 5-axis CNC machine tools, positioning precision of the A-axis directly affects the machining accuracy and surface quality of the parts. First of all, mechanical structure and control system of the A-axis are designed. Then, considering the influence of nonlin- ear friction, backlash, unmodeled dynamics, uncertain cutting force and other external disturbance on the control precision of the A-axis, an adaptive sliding mode control （ASMC） based on extended state observer （ESO） is proposed. ESO is employed to estimate the state variables of the unknown system and an adaptive law is adopted to compensate for the input dead-zone caused by friction, backlash and other nonlinear characteristics. Finally, stability of the closed-loop system is guaran- teed by the Lyapunov theory. Positioning experiments illustrate the perfect estimation of ESO and the stronger anti-interference and robustness of ASMC, which can improve the control precision of the A-axis by about 40 times. Processing experiments show that the ASMC can reduce the waviness, averaKe error and roughness of the nrocessed surface by 35.63%, 31.31% and 30.35%, respectively.