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Abstract<br />

<strong>An</strong> Integrated Cost-Effective Approach <strong>to</strong> Blisk Manufacturing<br />

This paper describes an <strong>approach</strong> <strong>to</strong> technically/commercially<br />

optimized blisk <strong>manufacturing</strong><br />

that integrates design and <strong>manufacturing</strong> technologies.<br />

The use <strong>of</strong> optimized <strong>manufacturing</strong> process chains<br />

and design-<strong>to</strong>-<strong>cost</strong> <strong>approach</strong>es enables significant<br />

<strong>cost</strong>-savings <strong>to</strong> be achieved.<br />

Abbreviations<br />

ECM Electrochemical Machining<br />

PECM Precise Electrochemical Machining<br />

HSC High Speed Cutting<br />

Blisk Bladed <strong>integrated</strong> Disk<br />

IBR Integrated Bladed Ro<strong>to</strong>r<br />

LFS Linear Friction Welding<br />

IHFP Inductive High Frequency Pressure-<br />

Welding<br />

LPC Low pressure Compressor<br />

HPC High pressure Compressor<br />

AM Adaptive Milling<br />

CP Chemical Polishing<br />

NDT None Destructive Testing<br />

1 Introduction<br />

Blisks (bladed <strong>integrated</strong> disks), or IBRs (bladed<br />

<strong>integrated</strong> ro<strong>to</strong>rs), are among the most innovative and<br />

challenging components in modern gas turbine engines<br />

(Fig 1). Initially used in small helicopter engines,<br />

blisks soon invaded the military engine field<br />

and are now carving out new terri<strong>to</strong>ry in the commercial<br />

turb<strong>of</strong>an (e.g. PW6000) and turboprop engine<br />

(e.g. TP400 D6) markets and replace the conventional<br />

blade assembled disk (Fig. 2).<br />

Blisk technology is finding use notably when requirements<br />

for high compressor power density need<br />

<strong>to</strong> be harmonized with demands for maximum engine<br />

thrust-<strong>to</strong>-weight ratio [1, 2].<br />

Martin Bußmann & Dr. Jürgen Kraus & Dr. Erwin Bayer<br />

MTU Aero Engines, Munich, Germany<br />

1<br />

ISABE 2005<br />

Fig. 1: LPC 1-3 in blisk construction (EJ200)<br />

Fig. 2: LPC separate blades and disk (J79)<br />

Speaking for the use <strong>of</strong> blisks essentially is that they<br />

reduce weight by as much as 20% and significantly<br />

improve efficiency, compared with their separably<br />

assembled blade-and-disk counterparts, and that they<br />

so help reduce fuel consumption and emissions. If<br />

further <strong>integrated</strong>, as in<strong>to</strong> welded blisk drums or tandem<br />

blisks, they will again enhance compactness and<br />

weight savings.


%<br />

%<br />

120<br />

100<br />

80<br />

60<br />

40<br />

20<br />

0<br />

120<br />

100<br />

80<br />

60<br />

40<br />

20<br />

0<br />

Fig. 3 Blisk forecast 2001 – 2020<br />

As can be readily appreciated, the weight savings<br />

afforded by blisks result from their lower rim loads,<br />

blade roots and disk lugs being eliminated, and from<br />

the fact that they allow more performance <strong>to</strong> be<br />

squeezed in<strong>to</strong> the same design and weight envelope.<br />

The blisk construction also mitigates aerodynamic<br />

losses by reducing leakage flows.<br />

A forecast for the development <strong>of</strong> the blisk market is<br />

shown in Fig. 3. There will be a distinct increase in<br />

produced Blisk within the next years.<br />

Presently, these advantages still compare with disadvantages<br />

like the laborious <strong>manufacturing</strong> and repair<br />

processes and elaborate quality assurance measures<br />

that blisks require and that primarily reflect in relatively<br />

high <strong>manufacturing</strong> and repair <strong>cost</strong>s.<br />

Among other drawbacks, the direct blade-<strong>to</strong>-disk joint<br />

comes with a locally stiffened fillet radius which<br />

appreciably narrows the <strong>to</strong>lerance <strong>of</strong> dimensional<br />

deviations at the airfoil [2]. To precisely generate<br />

complex 3D airfoil geometries with fillet radii reaching<br />

in<strong>to</strong> the disk body imposes <strong>to</strong>ugh challenges for<br />

<strong>manufacturing</strong> machines and <strong>to</strong>ols and, moreover, the<br />

entire CAX chain.<br />

Also, compared with conventional repairs on individual<br />

blades, repairs on blisk airfoils are more difficult<br />

<strong>to</strong> perform since repair processes must not be allowed<br />

Blisk forecast 2001 - 2020<br />

2001-2005 2006-2010 2011-2015<br />

Year<br />

2016-2020 Sum<br />

Blisk forecast - Main Airfoiling Processes<br />

2001-2005 2006-2010 2011-2015<br />

Year<br />

2016-2020 Sum<br />

2<br />

mil. EU<br />

mil. USA<br />

Civil Blisk<br />

ECM<br />

HSC<br />

Jo in in g<br />

<strong>to</strong> negatively affect the disk body, and accessibility is<br />

a problem, <strong>to</strong>o.<br />

2 Motivation<br />

As performance requirements for modern engines<br />

grow but the design and weight envelope remains the<br />

same or is even narrowed, stage loads and compression<br />

ratios necessarily grow along with them and<br />

service temperatures generally rise. This calls for the<br />

use <strong>of</strong> blisk constructions and, in the aft stages <strong>of</strong> the<br />

high-pressure compressor, <strong>of</strong> (heavier) nickel-base<br />

alloys, again in the weight-conscious blisk construction,<br />

which in turn compels the development <strong>of</strong> <strong>cost</strong>efficient<br />

machining processes <strong>to</strong> cope with these<br />

difficult-<strong>to</strong>-machine materials.<br />

As service temperatures keep rising, temperature<br />

gradients at the airfoil-<strong>to</strong>-disk transition tend <strong>to</strong> induce<br />

high, no longer manageable local stresses. This<br />

is where blisks are presently bumping in<strong>to</strong> utility<br />

limits and engineers will likely have <strong>to</strong> revert <strong>to</strong> conventional,<br />

separably assembled ro<strong>to</strong>r stages. This<br />

indicates a need <strong>to</strong> develop cooled hollow-blade<br />

blisks.<br />

To foster cus<strong>to</strong>mer acceptance <strong>of</strong> blisk constructions,<br />

development efforts have been initiated in an attempt<br />

<strong>to</strong> reduce blisk <strong>manufacturing</strong> <strong>cost</strong>s. Since these are<br />

still appreciably higher than for separably assembled<br />

blade-<strong>to</strong>-disk joints, it will not be sufficient <strong>to</strong> optimize<br />

individual <strong>manufacturing</strong> steps. Rather, a de-


sign-based <strong>integrated</strong> <strong>approach</strong> is needed that involves<br />

the entire process chain from material selection<br />

<strong>to</strong> <strong>manufacturing</strong> and repair.<br />

Blisk <strong>manufacturing</strong> <strong>cost</strong>s roughly break down in<strong>to</strong><br />

three nearly equal wedges; one third being material<br />

<strong>cost</strong>s, another third airfoiling, and the last third disk<br />

machining and quality assurance.<br />

Materia<br />

l<br />

30%<br />

Airfoilin<br />

g<br />

30%<br />

Fig. 4 Blisk main <strong>cost</strong><br />

Machining,<br />

Quality<br />

assurance<br />

&…<br />

In a <strong>cost</strong>-cutting <strong>integrated</strong> process chain <strong>approach</strong>,<br />

activities need <strong>to</strong> be defined for all three <strong>cost</strong> wedges.<br />

Apart from indirectly influencing the <strong>cost</strong>s <strong>of</strong> raw<br />

materials or semifinished parts through material selection<br />

and design, and directly influencing <strong>manufacturing</strong><br />

<strong>cost</strong>s through these disciplines, most likely<br />

candidates for direct <strong>manufacturing</strong> <strong>cost</strong> reduction are<br />

airfoiling and quality assurance.<br />

In these deliberations, engineers are increasingly<br />

recognizing that there is no such thing as an optimum<br />

<strong>manufacturing</strong> process, especially not for airfoiling.<br />

Which process is best-suited, technically / commercially,<br />

rather depends on a variety <strong>of</strong> geometric and<br />

material-related parameters.<br />

Technology and<br />

Predesign<br />

Technology Projects<br />

New Constructions<br />

Production and QS-<br />

Technologies<br />

Innovative Production<br />

and QS- Technologies<br />

Performance<br />

Engine Cycle<br />

Materialtechnology<br />

Material Design<br />

Damage <strong>An</strong>alysis<br />

Aerodynamics<br />

Efficiency<br />

Surge Margin<br />

Noise<br />

↔<br />

Engineering Support<br />

CAD, EDM<br />

Standardisation<br />

Documentation<br />

3<br />

3 Design-<strong>to</strong>-<strong>cost</strong> as an integral part <strong>of</strong> the<br />

process chain<br />

The relentlessly mounting <strong>cost</strong> pressure on turbine<br />

engine components these past several years has led <strong>to</strong><br />

a change in paradigms in development departments<br />

worldwide. If in earlier days, the emphasis clearly<br />

used <strong>to</strong> be on performance and aerodynamics, along<br />

with accordingly stringent component quality requirements,<br />

entirely novel processes with shifted<br />

priorities have since won the day. Where development<br />

requirements once were unconditionally implemented<br />

on the shop floor, <strong>manufacturing</strong> and development<br />

goals <strong>to</strong>day are now assessed both technically<br />

and commercially and implemented for optimum<br />

compliance with specifications. Fig. 5 illustrates the<br />

process steps unfolding within development. Design<br />

engineering here serves an integrating function across<br />

all disciplines and therefore constitutes the interface<br />

with <strong>manufacturing</strong>.<br />

In component design, the simulation and assessment<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>manufacturing</strong> processes has since become a crucial<br />

<strong>cost</strong> containment <strong>to</strong>ol. This is illustrated below by<br />

way <strong>of</strong> several typical cases.<br />

3.1 Optimization <strong>of</strong> annulus <strong>manufacturing</strong><br />

<strong>cost</strong>s<br />

For blisk blade <strong>manufacturing</strong>, three different techniques<br />

are presently available: milling the entire airfoil<br />

from the solid for mid- and small-size blades;<br />

joining blade and disk <strong>to</strong>gether by linear friction<br />

welding for large blades, with subsequent adaptive<br />

milling <strong>of</strong> the transitional area; and using electrochemical<br />

material removal processes. In the first two<br />

cases, the gas duct area between the airfoils is milled.<br />

At this point, considerable <strong>cost</strong> savings can be<br />

achieved by adapting the aerodynamic surface finish<br />

requirements <strong>to</strong> the <strong>manufacturing</strong> process. For the<br />

purpose, the following procedure has become accepted<br />

practice:<br />

Process Chain<br />

Development<br />

Input Manufacturing<br />

Design<br />

Design Integration<br />

Producibility<br />

Mountability<br />

Fig.5: Development Process Chain<br />

Structural Mechanics<br />

Ro<strong>to</strong>r Dynamics<br />

Component Integrity<br />

Life Management<br />

SAS and Oilsystem<br />

Cooling Air Supply<br />

Lubricant Supply<br />

Sealing Systems<br />

Thermal Mechanics<br />

Temperatures<br />

Cooling Systems


The <strong>manufacturing</strong> department, through simulation<br />

<strong>of</strong> the finish milling process, specifies the number,<br />

lay and height <strong>of</strong> milling crests that would have <strong>to</strong><br />

be <strong>to</strong>lerated on the finished part <strong>to</strong> make the design<br />

<strong>cost</strong>-efficient. In this, one <strong>of</strong> the key constraints is<br />

the specified airfoil-<strong>to</strong>-annulus fillet radius, which<br />

from <strong>cost</strong> aspects should be held as wide as possible.<br />

The design engineers then translate these specifications<br />

in<strong>to</strong> CAD models <strong>to</strong> be assessed by the structural<br />

mechanics and aerodynamics departments, for<br />

which see Fig. 6 - 7.<br />

For structural mechanics purposes, the assessment<br />

criteria here is the severity <strong>of</strong> stress concentrations,<br />

and assurance must be provided that after subsequent<br />

etch and compaction peening processes, inspectability<br />

is preserved, or that no crimped material<br />

(elephant tails) will occur at the edges. Aerodynamically,<br />

assurance must be provided that through the<br />

milling crests, no additional in<strong>to</strong>lerable losses will<br />

occur from flow separation or secondary flow. Final<br />

definition <strong>of</strong> <strong>to</strong>lerable crest geometry is usually<br />

achieved by iterative process.<br />

Fig. 6: Representation <strong>of</strong> annulus milling crests<br />

Fig 7: Milling crests in the annulus area<br />

4<br />

3.2 Optimization <strong>of</strong> surface-related airfoil<br />

<strong>manufacturing</strong> <strong>cost</strong>s<br />

The picture is much the same regarding surface<br />

finish requirements for the airfoil, although the<br />

aerodynamic effects <strong>to</strong> be considered here are notably<br />

more critical. Coming out <strong>of</strong> the milling operation,<br />

the airfoil still exhibits various form errors that<br />

may give rise <strong>to</strong> considerable losses, for which see<br />

Fig. 8. Apart from roughness, these are the height<br />

and spacing <strong>of</strong> milling crests and the lay <strong>of</strong> milling<br />

crests relative <strong>to</strong> the main flow. The aerodynamics<br />

department, in keeping with specification requirements<br />

(overall efficiency, surge limit), computes the<br />

major <strong>manufacturing</strong> requirements, such as blade<br />

count, roughness, allowable milling lines remaining<br />

from milling operations after surface finishing, <strong>to</strong>lerance<br />

bands for stripe milling, etc. The <strong>manufacturing</strong><br />

department uses this data <strong>to</strong> define the necessary<br />

milling parameters and surface finish methods <strong>to</strong> use<br />

(vibra<strong>to</strong>ry grinding with and without chemical additions).<br />

The aim should be <strong>to</strong> generate the milling<br />

surfaces preferably so that they do not require subsequent<br />

manual surface finishing. If after this first<br />

iteration, the process is not yet within target <strong>cost</strong>s,<br />

the <strong>manufacturing</strong> department develops <strong>cost</strong> reduction<br />

proposals for renewed assessment. Typically,<br />

such proposals relate <strong>to</strong> widening the fillet radius<br />

and raising the residual milling crest <strong>to</strong>lerance or<br />

roughness.<br />

Fig. 8: Typical scoring texture on airfoil after finish<br />

milling and before grinding<br />

3.3 Optimization <strong>of</strong> airfoil <strong>to</strong>lerances<br />

As previously mentioned, the direct blade-<strong>to</strong>-disk<br />

joint increases stiffness and may lead <strong>to</strong> stress concentrations<br />

at the fillet radius if deviations from


allowable <strong>to</strong>lerances exist. This is caused by a displacement<br />

<strong>of</strong> the airfoil center <strong>of</strong> gravity. Involved<br />

are con<strong>to</strong>ur, angular and airfoil thickness <strong>to</strong>lerances,<br />

fillet radius <strong>to</strong>lerance and those <strong>to</strong>lerances that define<br />

the orientation <strong>of</strong> the stacking line. Extreme<br />

positions <strong>of</strong> these parameters within the <strong>to</strong>lerance<br />

band will not by themselves jeopardize the structural<br />

integrity <strong>of</strong> the blisk. However, critical situations<br />

may arise from unfavorable <strong>to</strong>lerance combinations,<br />

e.g. when the fillet radius was machined <strong>to</strong> minimum<br />

value and the airfoil thickness is a minimum at<br />

the inner annulus and a maximum at the blade tip.<br />

The occurrence <strong>of</strong> such combinations naturally is<br />

rather unlikely, but must not be dismissed from<br />

consideration. Attempts <strong>to</strong> narrow the <strong>to</strong>lerance<br />

bands <strong>to</strong> a point where also these special cases are<br />

covered would result in extremely high <strong>manufacturing</strong><br />

<strong>cost</strong>s.<br />

Therefore, reasonable alternative <strong>approach</strong>es need <strong>to</strong><br />

be developed and are indeed being explored in ongoing<br />

projects. The aim is <strong>to</strong> strike a balance between<br />

<strong>cost</strong>-conscious blade <strong>manufacturing</strong> and warranted<br />

quality assurance <strong>cost</strong>s. In the future, probabilistic<br />

methods will be used <strong>to</strong> determine optimized <strong>to</strong>lerance<br />

limits. Probabilistic evaluation will invariably<br />

base on a deterministic model, such as a parameterized<br />

structural mechanical FE model that describes<br />

the interdependency <strong>of</strong> the various variables. Monte<br />

Carlo simulation can be used <strong>to</strong> vary the parameters<br />

at random and adequately minimize the probability<br />

<strong>of</strong> critical <strong>to</strong>lerance combinations.<br />

The difficulty embarrassing this <strong>approach</strong> is that it<br />

assumes the <strong>manufacturing</strong> distribution <strong>to</strong> be known.<br />

Therefore, when the blisk is redesigned, resort must<br />

be made <strong>to</strong> existing data, which involves a relatively<br />

great deal <strong>of</strong> uncertainty. For that reason, quality<br />

assurance plays an important role in minimizing the<br />

remaining risk. However, the classical <strong>approach</strong> <strong>to</strong><br />

mapping airfoil geometries presently<br />

Ni-<br />

Blis<br />

Ti -<br />

Blis<br />

Preparation<br />

airfoiling<br />

core airfoiling<br />

rough machining finishing<br />

LRS LFW /<br />

EC HS LRS LFW /<br />

IHFP<br />

EC ECM / HS IHFP +<br />

AM<br />

X X<br />

X X<br />

X X<br />

: : : : : :<br />

X<br />

X X<br />

5<br />

still resorts <strong>to</strong> coordinate measuring techniques,<br />

which are very time-consuming and can be used<br />

only locally and partially. It represents, therefore, no<br />

<strong>cost</strong>-<strong>effective</strong> solution for mapping complete airfoils.<br />

Accordingly, efforts are made <strong>to</strong> press ahead<br />

with the adoption <strong>of</strong> optical measuring methods,<br />

which <strong>to</strong>day provide adequate accuracy and short<br />

measuring times for the purpose. This measuring<br />

technology permits the 100% inspection <strong>of</strong> all airfoils<br />

in a <strong>cost</strong>-<strong>effective</strong> manner. To assess nonconformities,<br />

the data can be played back, by reverse<br />

engineering, in<strong>to</strong> the development department,<br />

where judicious component lifing decisions can be<br />

made as required.<br />

4 Toolbox <strong>approach</strong> as a component <strong>of</strong><br />

process chain generation<br />

As previously mentioned, the technically / commercially<br />

optimum blisk <strong>manufacturing</strong> process depends<br />

on a plurality <strong>of</strong> material, geometric and aerodynamic<br />

parameters. The <strong>to</strong>olbox <strong>approach</strong> is an attempt<br />

<strong>to</strong> provide the optimum <strong>manufacturing</strong> technology<br />

or combination <strong>of</strong> technologies for all current<br />

and anticipated requirements.<br />

This <strong>approach</strong> essentially comes in<strong>to</strong> play at the time<br />

<strong>of</strong> airfoiling, with differentiation being made between<br />

generating a rough geometry with machining<br />

allowance, machining <strong>to</strong> final drawing dimension<br />

and surface finishing.<br />

For processing the disk body, which essentially<br />

involves conventional cutting, surface compaction<br />

and finishing processes, decades <strong>of</strong> experience have<br />

been accumulated on the conventional blade-<strong>to</strong>-disk<br />

construction. It is only in the case <strong>of</strong> joined blisks<br />

(blades welded in<strong>to</strong> place) that several technically /<br />

commercially optimum variants for generating the<br />

preliminary stages need <strong>to</strong> be considered.<br />

Fig 9: Schematic arrangement <strong>of</strong> a blisk <strong>to</strong>olbox for<br />

production<br />

X<br />

Surfac -<br />

treatmen<br />

CU Grinding,<br />

etc.<br />

-<br />

treatmen<br />

CU Grinding,<br />

etc.<br />

X<br />

X<br />

X<br />

: :<br />

: : : : :<br />

: : :<br />

: : : : : : :<br />

: : :<br />

:<br />

: : : : : :<br />

: :<br />

:<br />

X<br />

Surface<br />

finishing, finishing,<br />

ND


Material properties<br />

4.1 Core airfoiling processes<br />

The core airfoiling processes break down in<strong>to</strong> three<br />

major categories (Fig.10):<br />

• joining processes<br />

• cutting processes<br />

• electrochemical processes<br />

ECM ECM / / PECM<br />

PECM<br />

HSC<br />

current<br />

Blisk spectrum<br />

Blade aspect ratio<br />

Fig. 10; Core airfoiling processes for blisk<br />

4.1.1 Joining processes<br />

LFW / IHFP<br />

Linear friction welding (LFW)<br />

Inductive high-frequency pressure welding (IHFP)<br />

These processes refer <strong>to</strong> joining the airfoil with the<br />

disk by means <strong>of</strong> pressure or friction welding processes.<br />

Fig. 11: Linear friction welding (LFW) (joining<br />

zone)<br />

6<br />

In LFW, the joining zone is heated by rubbing the<br />

joining faces one against the other; in IHFP welding,<br />

by means <strong>of</strong> induction. Material is expelled from the<br />

joining zone and after a predetermined reduction in<br />

length, the energy supply is halted and the joined<br />

parts are allowed <strong>to</strong> cool under post-forging pressure.<br />

The expelled material and material allowance are<br />

removed by adaptive rework process.<br />

Fig. 12 Inductive high-frequency pressure (IHFP)<br />

welding (diagrammatic sketch)<br />

The <strong>approach</strong> is used primarily on large-diameter<br />

blisks, hollow-blade blisks and blisks <strong>of</strong> large chamber<br />

volumes and low blade count, or when blades are<br />

replaced by way <strong>of</strong> repair, where also generative<br />

processes like laser cladding may be options.<br />

From these constraints, the use <strong>of</strong> the <strong>approach</strong>—<br />

apart from repair work—is indicated primarily on<br />

titanium blisks in the engine's LPC section.<br />

4.1.2 Cutting processes - High Speed Cutting<br />

(HSC)<br />

This refers <strong>to</strong> cutting processes used <strong>to</strong> manufacture<br />

airfoils on 5- or 6-axis machine <strong>to</strong>ols (Fig. 13), with<br />

differentiation being made between rough and finish<br />

cutting.<br />

Typical processes <strong>of</strong> the kind are circular stagger<br />

milling in conjunction with high-performance <strong>to</strong>ols<br />

and high-pressure internal cooling for the rough cut,<br />

and stripe or flank milling, etc., for the finish cut.


Fig. 13: Blisk milling on a 5-axis machine<br />

In an attempt <strong>to</strong> achieve maximally high material<br />

removal rates in the roughing process, several rough<br />

milling strategies have been developed. In conventional<br />

milling, the space between blades is cleared<br />

gradually by cutting ever deeper in<strong>to</strong> the full section.<br />

<strong>An</strong> alternative process would be circular stagger milling<br />

[Fig. 14], where the cutter center is guided<br />

through the space in-between blades on a trochoid<br />

fitted <strong>to</strong> the airfoil con<strong>to</strong>ur. In flow-wise milling,<br />

plunge cutting is used <strong>to</strong> remove a preferably large<br />

amount <strong>of</strong> material from the blade gap in the direction<br />

<strong>of</strong> flow.<br />

Fig 14: Circular ‘Stagger Milling /<br />

Conventional rough milling<br />

Circular<br />

Stagger<br />

Milling<br />

Conventional<br />

rough<br />

milling<br />

For finish milling <strong>to</strong> generate the final con<strong>to</strong>ur, <strong>to</strong>o,<br />

various milling strategies have been developed <strong>to</strong><br />

produce a 3D con<strong>to</strong>ur. The most common practice is<br />

point milling using a ball-end cutter. Alternatively,<br />

use is made <strong>of</strong> stripe or flank milling.<br />

7<br />

The new milling strategies are made possible by the<br />

use <strong>of</strong> highly dynamic multiaxis machines. Tool lives<br />

have been significantly extended using high-pressure<br />

cooling and novel milling cutter geometries.<br />

These processes are used primarily on mediumdiameter<br />

blisks and medium blade counts, which puts<br />

applications for titanium blisks in the LPC/IPC section.<br />

4.1.3 Electrochemical machining (ECM)<br />

processes<br />

These processes serve <strong>to</strong> generate blade geometries<br />

by electrochemically removing material or selectively<br />

generating airfoil surface textures.<br />

Typical processes <strong>of</strong> the kind are electrochemical<br />

machining (ECM) for caving or precon<strong>to</strong>uring, and<br />

precise electrochemical machining (PECM) for generating<br />

the finished con<strong>to</strong>ur or selectively generating<br />

surface textures.<br />

In ECM work (Fig. 15,16), an electrode (cathode) is<br />

moved <strong>to</strong>ward the workpiece. <strong>An</strong> electrolyte flows<br />

though the gap between the workpiece and electrode<br />

(~ 1mm). The electrode replicates its shape in the<br />

workpiece, with some minor variations. The feed rate<br />

is approximately 2 mm per minute.<br />

Fig 15: ECM blisk<br />

Fig. 16: ECM facility for blisk airfoils<br />

The PECM process (Fig. 17) is an improved ECM<br />

technique, with the gap between workpiece and cathode<br />

appreciably reduced and the size <strong>of</strong> the gap controlled.<br />

This much improves the electrode mapping


accuracy but slows the material removal rate compared<br />

with ECM. To keep the electrolyte renewal<br />

flow going in the narrow gap, the electrode is made <strong>to</strong><br />

vibrate, the current flow being clocked.<br />

These processes are used primarily for medium- <strong>to</strong><br />

small-diameter blisks, high blade counts and high<br />

operating temperatures; hence for blisks in nickelalloy<br />

/ nickel powder metallic materials in the HPC<br />

area.<br />

Fig. 17: Experimental single-axis PECM facility<br />

The individual application <strong>of</strong> a technically / commercially<br />

meaningful combination <strong>of</strong> these technologies<br />

as a building block in the process chain design will<br />

achieve substantial, 20-25% <strong>cost</strong> reductions in airfoiling.<br />

This is illustrated below:<br />

The thermal load on a titanium HPC blisk may be<br />

close <strong>to</strong> allowable limits. Therefore a highly heatresistant<br />

forging alloy <strong>of</strong> adequate HCF strength for<br />

the airfoil should be welded <strong>to</strong> an equally highly heatresistant<br />

forging alloy <strong>of</strong> adequate LCF fatigue<br />

strength for the hub. A suitable joining process for the<br />

purpose would be IHFP welding. To minimize the<br />

airfoil preforging effort, it would be helpful <strong>to</strong> weld<br />

blades with machining allowance <strong>to</strong> the disk. The<br />

allowance material can then be removed by a cutting<br />

or combined ECM/PECM process. This is where the<br />

decision between milling and electrochemical material<br />

removal will depend, apart from price, also on the<br />

stiffness <strong>of</strong> the blades. While during milling, deflection<br />

forces will invariably have <strong>to</strong> be expected, they<br />

average out when simultaneously machining pressure<br />

and suction sides by PECM.<br />

To reduce the quality assurance wedge <strong>of</strong> overall<br />

<strong>cost</strong>s, resort must be made along the <strong>manufacturing</strong><br />

8<br />

chain <strong>to</strong> combinations <strong>of</strong> various quality assurance<br />

<strong>to</strong>ols and new metrological developments. Owing <strong>to</strong><br />

the high criticality <strong>of</strong> blisks in the engine, methods <strong>to</strong><br />

reduce <strong>manufacturing</strong> effort, such as SPC methods,<br />

can be used only conditionally and if so, only as a<br />

concomitant <strong>to</strong> quality assurance. Conceivable <strong>cost</strong>reduction<br />

options, apart from stable <strong>manufacturing</strong><br />

processes, would appear <strong>to</strong> be mainly close-<strong>to</strong>process<br />

or in-process measurement and concurrent<br />

updating <strong>of</strong> qualified <strong>manufacturing</strong> staff on critical<br />

process trends. Promising additional, approximately<br />

30% savings potential is the use <strong>of</strong> innovative optical<br />

blisk mapping techniques in preference <strong>to</strong> contacting<br />

methods.<br />

5 Blisk repair<br />

While in the <strong>manufacturing</strong> <strong>of</strong> blisks a <strong>manufacturing</strong><br />

chain individually optimized <strong>to</strong> suit the particular<br />

type <strong>of</strong> blisk involved seems indicated, (airfoil) repair<br />

considerations tend <strong>to</strong>ward a universally applicable<br />

repair method that lends itself <strong>to</strong> a high degree <strong>of</strong><br />

standardization and, <strong>to</strong> some degree, au<strong>to</strong>mation.<br />

Apart from the relatively simple blending <strong>of</strong> minor<br />

airfoil flaws by grinding or milling and the cladding<br />

<strong>of</strong> blade leading and trailing edges and tips, the development<br />

<strong>of</strong> a universally applicable joining technique<br />

<strong>to</strong> use in the replacement <strong>of</strong> blades, with subsequent<br />

adaptive con<strong>to</strong>ur dressing or generative techniques<br />

(such as laser cladding <strong>to</strong> build up the blade)<br />

seems indicated.<br />

6 Generation <strong>of</strong> optimized blisk <strong>manufacturing</strong><br />

process chains<br />

To be able <strong>to</strong> generate a technically / commercially<br />

optimized <strong>manufacturing</strong> process chain for a certain<br />

blisk type, several different aspects need validating<br />

and optimizing. The methods and <strong>approach</strong>es described<br />

in chapters 3) and 4) provide the major requirements<br />

<strong>to</strong> govern this generation process.<br />

This <strong>approach</strong> closely meshes design engineering and<br />

<strong>manufacturing</strong> technology development and moreover<br />

differs from legacy <strong>approach</strong>es primarily in that it<br />

also anticipates <strong>manufacturing</strong> technologies still in<br />

their planning or implementation phases. It so reflects<br />

the extremely long program lives <strong>of</strong> 20 years and<br />

more common in the engine industry (Fig 18).<br />

Picking up on the engineering constraints, the <strong>approach</strong><br />

first identifies applicable technologies. The<br />

choice is made easier by the use <strong>of</strong> process catalogs<br />

highlighting the properties and limitations <strong>of</strong> the<br />

major processes. Combinational <strong>to</strong>ols are then used <strong>to</strong><br />

piece <strong>to</strong>gether conceivable, generally applicable process<br />

chain combinations and distill them using techni-


cal/commercial filter criteria. Surviving variants will<br />

then be evaluated in-depth.<br />

The advantage afforded by this <strong>approach</strong> is that for<br />

each component type, all conceivable <strong>manufacturing</strong><br />

chains are considered and assessed from scratch.<br />

Net present value calculation considers the time base<br />

<strong>of</strong> the associated engine programs. It will show which<br />

selected variants are optimal also against the background<br />

<strong>of</strong> fluctuating annual quantities, long program<br />

lives and a conceivable development risk in production<br />

engineering. For this process step, the reliability<br />

<strong>of</strong> market numbers and forecasts is a crucial fac<strong>to</strong>r.<br />

The outcome, apart from the currently optimum<br />

<strong>manufacturing</strong> process chain, simultaneously constitutes<br />

a technology roadmap indicating which novel<br />

<strong>manufacturing</strong> technology will have <strong>to</strong> be ready for<br />

production use by what point in time—also after<br />

program launch—<strong>to</strong> still achieve a significant commercially<br />

<strong>effective</strong> impact for the respective engine<br />

programs/blisk types.<br />

At MTU, the method here presented is currently finding<br />

use for blisks. Generally, however, it should be<br />

suitable also for other engine components whenever<br />

base value, criticality and individuality in respect <strong>of</strong><br />

potential <strong>manufacturing</strong> variants warrant the effort.<br />

input design,…<br />

Data Acquisition<br />

- current situation -<br />

• drawings<br />

• pre-calculation<br />

•etc.<br />

Next Steps:<br />

• determination R & D<br />

• quotation <strong>cost</strong>ing<br />

input engineering<br />

Core Technologies<br />

Milling <br />

ECM <br />

PECM <br />

…<br />

Optimal<br />

Process Chain<br />

Rohmaterial<br />

ProzessschrittPS<br />

1<br />

ProzessschrittPS<br />

...<br />

ProzessschrittPS<br />

2<br />

ProzessschrittPS<br />

n<br />

Fig. 18: Process Chain Manufacturing<br />

input engineering<br />

General Technology<br />

Combinations<br />

Net Present Value<br />

Kapitalwert [T€]<br />

300,0<br />

200,0<br />

100,0<br />

0,0<br />

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%<br />

techn. Risiko<br />

9<br />

7 Summary<br />

To cope with the mounting <strong>cost</strong> pressure in the engine<br />

sec<strong>to</strong>r and still be able <strong>to</strong> achieve significant leaps<br />

forward in technology innovation, it will be imperative<br />

<strong>to</strong> mesh the engineering disciplines with each<br />

other.<br />

Particularly for high-value components like blisks<br />

with their stringent quality requirements, competitive<br />

prices can be achieved only if the entire <strong>manufacturing</strong><br />

chain including design and technology development<br />

is systematically optimized. This increasingly<br />

requires an iterative interdisciplinary strategy rather<br />

than the usually practiced sequential <strong>approach</strong>.<br />

Importantly, also various <strong>manufacturing</strong> chains and<br />

technologies should be provided <strong>to</strong> choose from so<br />

that the ones optimally suited <strong>to</strong> the respective type <strong>of</strong><br />

blisk under manufacture can be selected.<br />

References<br />

[1] Geidel, H.-A.: Blisk-Technologie hilft<br />

sparen. AeroSpace – Magazine <strong>of</strong> the Daimler-Benz<br />

Aerospace AG, 1997<br />

[2] Kosing, O.E.; Scharl, R.; Schmuhl, H.J.:<br />

Design Improvements <strong>of</strong> the EJ200 HP<br />

Compressor. From Design Verification Engine<br />

<strong>to</strong> a Future all Blisk Version. ASME-<br />

Pap-2001-GT-0283, 2001<br />

[3] Frischbier, J.D.: Bird Strike Investigations in<br />

the Development Process <strong>of</strong> a Transonic Fan<br />

Blisk. ASME-Pap-97-GT-0482, 1997<br />

↔ Optimal<br />

Process Chain<br />

input market<br />

Reduction <strong>of</strong><br />

Combinations<br />

^^ Design <strong>of</strong> Detailed<br />

Process Chains<br />

Risk Evaluation /<br />

Level <strong>of</strong> Confidence<br />

Te chn o -<br />

MTU-eigene Technologie Kooperationstechnologie Fremdtechnologie<br />

Gate-Status Statusbezeichnung<br />

Eingabe-<br />

logie<br />

"x" / " " Wert "x" / " " Wert "x " / " " Wert p rü fu n g<br />

Serienprozess serienstabiler Prozess x 0 %<br />

T6 Übergangsphas e<br />

o.k.<br />

T5 Erprobungsphase<br />

T4 Auslegungsphase<br />

T3 Konzeptphase<br />

Teilrisiko<br />

T2 Definitionsphase<br />

T1 Vorphase<br />

0 %<br />

Zwischensumme<br />

0 % 0 % 0 %<br />

Te chn o -<br />

MTU-eigene Technologie Kooperationstechnologie Fremdtechnologie Eingabe-<br />

Gate-Status Statusbezeichnung<br />

logie<br />

"x" / " " Wert "x" / " " Wert "x " / " " Wert p rü fu n g<br />

Serienprozess serienstabiler Prozess<br />

T6 Übergangsphas e<br />

o.k.<br />

T5 Erprobungsphase<br />

T4 Auslegungsphase x 8 %<br />

T3 Konzeptphase<br />

Teilrisiko<br />

T2 Definitionsphase<br />

T1 Vorphase<br />

8 %<br />

Zwischensumme<br />

8 % 0 % 0 %<br />

Te chn o -<br />

MTU-eigene Technologie Kooperationstechnologie Fremdtechnologie Eingabe-<br />

Gate-Status Statusbezeichnung<br />

logie<br />

"x" / " " Wert "x" / " " Wert "x " / " " Wert p rü fu n g<br />

Serienprozess serienstabiler Prozess<br />

T6 Übergangsphas e<br />

o.k.<br />

T5 Erprobungsphase<br />

T4 Auslegungsphase x 13 %<br />

T3 Konzeptphase<br />

Teilrisiko<br />

T2 Definitionsphase<br />

T1 Vorphase<br />

13 %<br />

Zwischensumme<br />

0 % 13 % 0 %<br />

Risiko 20,0 %<br />

Material<br />

ECM<br />

PECM<br />

Bauteilauswahl<br />

Calculation<br />

‘Costs per Piece’<br />

Prozesskettenbewertung<br />

Prozesskettenkonfiguration

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