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.

Determination of efficient superfinishing conditions for mirror surface finishing of titanium

To determine mirror surface finishing conditions and efficient and economical superfinishing conditions for pure titanium and titanium alloys, an abrasive film is used when superfinishing is performed under varying conditions. These conditions include the workpiece rotation speed, the oscillation speed, the contact pressure of the roller, the hardness of the roller, and the type of abrasive film. The superfinishing device is applied to polishing a thin and long cylindrical bar. A micro-finishing film and a lapping film were used as abrasive films. A1203 grains or SiC grains were used as abrasives. The surface roughness of a polished workpiece was measured using a stylus-type surface-roughness measuring instrument. As a result, the conditions to improve the polishing surface efficiently include high values for the workpiece rotation speed, oscillation speed and contact pressure. The roller hardness has no effect on the efficient polishing conditions. The mirror finish of a surface can be created using lapping film of 3 μm with Al2O3 grains after polishing to a steady surface roughness under the efficient polishing conditions.

Influence of Surface Finishing on High-Temperature Oxidation of AISI Type 444 Ferritic Stainless Steel Used in SOFC Stacks

This research is focused on the study of the samples, approximatively 15 × 30 mm^2 sized, that were mechanically cut from two sheets （0.4 and 0.2 mm thick, respectively） of AIS1444 Type ferritic stainless steel （FSS） （DIN 1.4521, Eu designation X2CrMoTil8-2）; this material was in the ＇as-rolled＇ state. Part of these specimens were treated superficially on one side using abrasive SiC papers with different average grit sizes （i.e., 46.2, 30.2, 18.3 gm） and diamond suspension （up to 1 tim） in order to obtain various surface roughness. Both the ＇as-rolled＇ and superficially treated samples were then aged in a muffle fumace in static air according to a thermal cycle corresponding to the curing phase of an experimental glass used as sealing in the solid oxide fuel cell stacks. After aging, the chemical compositions and mor- phological peculiarities of the scale formed depending on the thickness of the samples and their surface state were studied by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, bright field light optical microscopy. The obtained results show that all scales formed consist of an inner Cr2O3 subscale and an outer （Mn,Cr）3O4 spinel layer; the relationship between FSS grain size and scale microstructural features is consistent on the samples with mirror-like surface only; the scale thicknesses on SiC grinded samples are comparable; the scales covering the ＇as-rolled＇ surfaces are morphologically similar to those grown on the surfaces finished with the 30.2 and 18.3 μm SiC papers, and their thicknesses show an intermediate situation between the abraded and the mirror-like specimens. The last described characteristics depend mainly on the surface and microstructural peculiarities resulting from the rolling process.

Effects of surface finish and treatment on the fatigue behaviour of vibrating cylinder block using frequency response approach

This paper presents the effects of surface finish and treatment on the high cycle fatigue behaviour of vibrating cylinder block of a new two-stroke free piston engine at complex variable amplitude loading conditions using frequency response approach. Finite element modelling and frequency response analysis was conducted using finite element analysis software Package MSC.PATRAN/MSC.NASTRAN and fatigue life prediction was carded out using MSC.FATIGUE software. Based on the finite element results, different frequency response approach was applied to predict the cylinder block fatigue life. Results for different load histories and material combinations are also discussed. Results indicated great effects for all surface finish and treatment. It is concluded that polished and cast surface finish conditions give the highest and lowest cylinder block lives, respectively; and that Nitrided treatment leads to longest cylinder block life. The results were used to draw contour plots of fatigue life and damage in the worst or most damaging case.

Parametric Optimization to Minimise the Surface Roughness on the Machining of GFRP Composites

The present investigation focuses on the parametric influence of machining parameters on the surface finish obtained in turning of glass fiber reinforced polymer （GFRP） composites. The experiments were conducted based on Taguchi＇s experimental design technique. Response surface methodology and analysis of variance （ANOVA） were used to evaluate the composite machining process to perform the optimization. The results revealed that the feed rate was main influencing parameter on the surface roughness. The surface roughness increased with increasing the feed rate but decreased with increasing the cutting speed. Among the other parameters, depth of cut was more insensitive. The predicted values and measured values were fairly close to each other, which indicates that the developed model can be effectively used to predict the surface roughness on the machining of GFRP composites with 95% confidence intervals. Using such model could remarkablely save the time and cost.

Surface finish of micro punch with ion beam irradiation

Ion beam irradiation was adopted for surface treatment of the micro punch manufactured by precision machining.Ar plasma was used for the ion irradiation process,which was generated by the electron cyclotron resonance(ECR)equipment.The surface finish processes of micro punch were carried out at irradiation angles of 45°and 10°,respectively.The surface roughness and topography were measured to estimate the quality of surface finish.The results show that the ion irradiation is very effective to reduce the surface roughness,which can be improved more significantly at irradiation angle of 10°than at 45°.The technology of surface finish with ion beam irradiation is suitable for the surface treatment of micro die.

Surface finish effect on dry sliding wear behavior of thermally oxidized commercially pure zirconium

The effect of surface polishing on the wear behavior of thermally oxidized commercial pure zirconium (CP-Zr) under dry sliding conditions was investigated. Surface ground CP-Zr with a roughness of 0.21 μm (Ra) was thermally oxidized (TO) at 650 °C for 6 h. After TO, some samples were polished to smoothen the surface with a finish of 0.04 μm (Ra). The response of the polished and unpolished TO samples to dry sliding wear was investigated under unidirectional sliding conditions. The results show that surface polishing after TO affects the dry sliding wear behavior of TO CP-Zr in several aspects, including coefficient of friction, wear rate, crack formation and oxide layer breakdown. In particular, it is found that smoothening the TO surface favors the formation of semi-circular cracks in the wear track and accelerates oxide layer breakdown during dry sliding. A slightly rough TO surface helps to reduce the tendency of the oxide layer towards cracking and to increase the wear resistance at high contact loads. The mechanisms involved are discussed in terms of asperity contacts, crack formation, propagation and final fracture.

An Expert System for the Prediction of Surface Finish in Turning Process

Prediction of surface finish in turning process is a difficult but important task. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) can reliably pred ict the surface finish but require a lot of training data. To overcome this prob lem, an expert system approach is proposed, wherein it will be possible to predi ct the surface finish from limited experiments. The expert system contains a kno wledge base prepared from machining data handbooks and number of experiments con ducted by turning steel rods, over a wide range of cutting parameters. With this knowledge base, the expert system predicts surface finish for different tool-w ork-piece combinations, by carrying out few experiments for each case. The prop osed expert system model is validated by carrying out a number of experiments.

Influence of surface finish and annealing treatment on oxidation behavior of Ti-48Al-8Cr-2Ag alloy

The effect of surface finish and annealing treatment on the oxidation behavior of Ti-48Al-8Cr-2Ag (molar fraction, %) alloy was investigated at 900 and 1 000 ℃, respectively in air. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) was conducted for the characterization of oxidation kinetics. The microstructures of oxide scales were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission election microscopy (TEM) techniques. Unfavorable effect of the annealing treatment on the oxidation behavior of the coating was also investigated. The results indicate that the oxidation behavior of the alloy is influenced by surface finish and annealing treatment. The oxidation rate of ground sample is lower than that of the polished alloy at 1 000 ℃ in air. The former forms a scale of merely Al2O3, and the latter forms a scale of the mixture of Al2O3 and TiO2. Annealing can improve the formation of TiO2.

A Computer-Controlled Polishing Machine

Describes a computer controlled polishing machine utilizing a small polisher with specified movement to figure optical surfces having strict dimensional requirements. The system is especially applicable in figuring aspherical surfaces, beginning with the best fit sphere if the departure from the desired surface is not large. An interferometric measuring system is desiigned to form a closed loop control during processing.

INFLUENCE OF COLD NITROGEN GAS AND OIL MIST IN MACHINING NICKEL-BASE K424 ALLOY WITH CERAMIC CUTTING TOOLS

The role of cold nitrogen gas and oil mist on tool wear and surface roughness is investigated in turning the K424 nickel-base super alloy with Sialon and SiC whisker-reinforced alumina ceramic tools. A new cooling system is developed and used to lower the temperature of the compressed nitrogen gas. Experiments are performed in three different cooling/lubrication modes, i.e. the dry cutting, the cold nitrogen gas （CNG）, and the cold nitrogen gas and oil mist （CNGOM）. Experimental results show that the depth-of-cut notching severely limits the tool life in all the cooling/lubrication modes. Compared with the dry cutting, the use of CNG and CNGOMcan yield higher wear rate of depth-of-cut notching and worse surface finish.

Comparison of Different Approaches to Force Controlled Precision Honing of Bores

Honing is a machining process which can economically produce exact bores regarding form, geometry and surface quality. During the honing process, the tool, equipped with one or several abrasive honing stones, combines three movement components： rotation, oscillation in axial direction and radial feed movement of the honing stone. The feed movement is a decisive factor for the results of the honing process and can be controlled either by a gradual lining in fixed time intervals or by the regulation of the occurring forces. The presented studies show different approaches for the regulation of force controlled honing and their effects on the measured forces, the torque and the quality parameters of the process.

Direct Rapid Prototyping of Metal Parts by Hybrid of Plasma Deposition and Milling Machine

General principle and layout of the prototype machine is introduced. Primary results of producing a metal vase to investigate the proper selection of numerous technical parameters are presented.

Evaluation of significant manufacturing parameters in lost foam casting of thin-wall Al-Si-Cu alloy using full factorial design of experiment

Controlling process parameters of lost foam casting （LFC） enables this process to produce defect-free complex shape castings. An experimental investigation on lost foam casting of an A1-Si-Cu cast alloy was carried out. The effects of pouting temperature, slurry viscosity, vibration time and sand size on surface finish, shrinkage porosity and eutectic silicon spacing of thin-wall casting were investigated. A full two-level factorial design of experimental technique was used to identify the significant manufacturing factors affecting the properties of casting. Pouring temperature was found as the most significant factor affecting A1-Si-Cu lost foam casting quality. It was shown that flask vibration time interacted with pouring temperature influenced euteetic silicon spacing and porosity percentage significantly. The results also revealed that the surface quality of the samples cast in fine sand moulds at higher pouring temperatures was almost unchanged, while those cast in coarse sand moulds possessed lower surface qualities. Furthermore, variation in slurry viscosity showed no significant effect on the evaluated properties compared to other parameters.

Electrical discharge machining of 6061 aluminium alloy

The wire electrical discharge machining（EDM） of 6061 aluminium alloy in terms of material removal rate,kerf/slit width,surface finish and wear of electrode wire for different pulse on time and wire tension was studied.Eight experiments were carried out in a wire EDM machine by varying pulse on time and wire tension.It is found that the material removal rate increases with the increase of pulse on time though the wire tension does not affect the material removal rate.It seems that the higher wire tension facilitates steady machining process,which generates low wear in wire electrode and better surface finish.The surface roughness does not change notably with the variation of pulse on time.The appearance of the machined surfaces is very similar under all the machining conditions.The machined surface contains solidified molten material,splash of materials and blisters.The increase of the pulse on time increases the wear of wire electrode due to the increase of heat input.The wear of wire electrode generates tapered slot which has higher kerf width at top side than that at bottom side.The higher electrode wear introduces higher taper.

Geant4 Comparative Study of Affecting Different Parameters on Optical Photons Related to the Plastic Scintillation Detector

In this research, different parameters of plastic scintillator detector were investigated by Geant4 simulation toolkit. These parameters consisted of radius, length and position of PMT as well as surface reflective type and finish options. Furthermore, response time distributions of two organic plastic materials were studied. The results indicated that collecting optical photons has a linear relationship with PMT radius head. Also, the vertical location of PMT has a non-linear relationship with the optical photons collection. However, the collection decreased by increasing PMT length or moving PMT head horizontal position. The response functions of two plastic scintillator materials were in good agreement with experimental published results. Also, Geant4 radiation transport code can simulate incident radiation photon and predict subsequent events to the PMT head very well. The results indicated that BC-404 has faster scintillation properties versus BC-400 organic scintillator materials. Comparison between Geant4 outputs illustrates that the best reflector material and surface finish type for optical photons is ground TiO2.

Comprehensive Study on Machinability of Titanium Composite

Metal framework composites have higher mechanical properties in examination to metals over an extensive variety of working conditions. This makes them an alluring alternative in swapping metals for different building applications. The present review is a study on the influence of composite titanium on the cutting parameters, mechanical behavior, reinforcements, structure and nanostructure. This review will provide an understanding into selecting the optimum machining parameters for machining titanium composites. It’s also an attempt to give brief explanation by suitably machining the titanium composite which can be made reasonable.

Surface processing for iron-based degradable alloys:A preliminary study on the importance of acid pickling

The formation of a heterogeneous oxidized layer,also called scale,on metallic surfaces is widely recognized as a rapid manufacturing event for metals and their alloys.Partial or total removal of the scale represents a mandatory integrated step for the industrial fabrication processes of medical devices.For biodegradable metals,acid pickling has already been reported as a preliminary surface preparation given further processes,such as electropolishing.Unfortunately,biodegradable medical prototypes presented discrepancies concerning acid pickling studies based on samples with less complex geometry(e.g.,non-uniform scale removal and rougher surface).Indeed,this translational knowledge lacks a detailed investigation on this process,deep characterization of treated surfaces properties,as well as a comprehensive discussion of the involved mechanisms.In this study,the effects of different acidic media(HCl,HNO_(3),H_(3)PO_(4),CH_(3)COOH,H_(2)SO_(4) and HF),maintained at different temperatures(21 and 60℃)for various exposition time(15-240 s),on the chemical composition and surface properties of a Fe-13Mn-1.2C biodegradable alloy were investigated.Changes in mass loss,morphology and wettability evidenced the combined effect of temperature and time for all conditions.Pickling in HCl and HF solutions favor mass loss(0.03-0.1 g/cm^(2))and effectively remove the initial scale.

Finished surface morphology, microstructure and magnetic properties of selective laser melted Fe-50wt% Ni permalloy

This work focuses on the structure and magnetic properties of Fe-50wt% Ni permalloy manufactured from the pre-alloyed powder by selective laser melting (SLM). The selective laser melted (SLMed) alloys were characterized by a 3D profilometer,optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, etc. The effects of the volume energy density of laser(LVED) on structure, and magnetic properties with coercivity ( H), remanence ( B), and power losses ( P), were evaluated and discussed systematically. The results show that the relative porosity rate and the surface roughness of the SLMed specimens decreased with the increase in LVED. Only the γ-(FeNi) phase was detected in the X-ray diffraction patterns of the SLMed permalloys fabricated from the different LVEDs. Statistical analysis of optical microscopy images indicated that the grain coarsened at higher LVED. Furthermore, the microstructure of the SLMed parts was a typical columnar structure with an oriented growth of building direction. The highest microhardness reached 198 HV. Besides, the magnetic properties including B, H, and Pof SLMed samples decreased when the LVED ranged from 33.3 to 60.0 J/mm ~3 firstly and then increased while LVED further up to 93.3 J/mm, which is related to the decrease in porosity and the increase in grain size, while the higher residual stress and microcracks presented in the samples manufactured using very high LVED. The observed evolution of magnetic properties and LVED provides a good compromise in terms of reduced porosity and crack formation for the fabrication of SLMed Fe-50 wt% Ni permalloy. The theoretical mechanism in this study can offer guidance to further investigate SLMed soft magnetic alloys.

Controlled preparation of PAMS hollow core microcapsules with high uniformity and its application in the production of GDP fuel capsules for ICF engineering

Uniform poly-α-methylstyrene(PAMS)hollow core microcapsules(HCMs)are widely used as templates to fabricate glow discharge polymer(GDP)fuel capsules,which are fundamental devices for inertial confinement fusion(ICF)engineering.The sphericity and surface finish uniformity of PAMS HCMs are critical for achieving highquality GDP fuel capsules.In this work,millimeter-scale PAMS HCMs were fabricated by a microencapsulation technique.The sphericity and surface finish uniformity were concurrently improved using di-t-butyl peroxide(DTBP).The mechanisms of these effects were also experimentally and theoretically investigated.The results show that DTBP distributes at the O-W2 interface of W1/O/W2 compound droplets,which resists the diffusion of molecules through the O-W2 interface bidirectionally.The resisted diffusion of H_(2)O molecules into the O phase eliminates PAMS HCM surface defects.Additionally,the resistance of fluorobenzene(FB)molecules from diffusing from the O phase into the W2 phase can effectively extend the solidification of W1/O/W2 compound droplets and thus improve the spherical uniformity of the HCMs.Using these improved PAMS HCMs,GDP fuel capsules meeting the stringent requirements for ICF engineering are prepared,and the quality of which is beyond the National Ignition Facility standard.