Elimination of cracks in stainless steel casings via 3D printed sand molds with an internal topology structure

The important supporting component in a gas turbine is the casing,which has the characteristics of large size,complex structure,and thin wall.In the context of existing 3DP sand casting processes,casting crack defects are prone to occur.This leads to an increase in the scrap rate of casings,causing significant resource wastage.Additionally,the presence of cracks poses a significant safety hazard after the casings are put into service.The generation of different types of crack defects in stainless steel casings is closely related to casting stress and the high-temperature concession of the sand mold.Therefore,the types and causes of cracks in stainless steel casing products,based on their structural characteristics,were systematically analyzed.Various sand molds with different internal topology designs were printed using the 3DP technology to investigate the impact of sand mold structures on high-temperature concession.The optimal sand mold structure was used to cast casings,and the crack suppression effect was verified by analyzing its eddy current testing results.The experimental results indicate that the skeleton structure has an excellent effect on suppressing cracks in the casing.This research holds important theoretical and engineering significance in improving the quality of casing castings and reducing production costs.

Comparison of the Sound Power Levels of an Aerodynamically Designed EGV and a State-of-the-Art EGV

Within previous EU projects, possible modifications to the engine components have been investigated, that would allow for an optimised aerodynamic or acoustic design of the EGV （exit guide vanes） of the TEC （turbine exit casing）. However, the engine weight should not be increased and the aerodynamic performance must be at least the same. This paper compares the sound power level of a state-of-the-art TEC （reference TEC） with typical EGVs with an aerodynamically optimised TEC configuration for the engine operating point approach. It is shown that a significant weight reduction （only bladings considered） and reduction in engine length can be achieved but the sound power level for the fundamental tone （lst blade passing frequency） for this acoustically important operating point is increased. It is also shown that the losses of the aerodynamical optimised EGVs are higher for this off design point but significantly lower at the aero design point. Measurements were conducted in the STTF （subsonic test turbine facility） at the Institute for Thermal Turbo machinery and Machine Dynamics, Graz University of Technology. The inlet guide vanes, the LPT （low pressure turbine） stage, and the EGVs have been designed by MTU Aero Engines.