Technical Director of AVIC Huiyang Aviation Propeller Co., Ltd. Li Guoping
Currently, China's aero-engine industry is facing both unprecedented opportunities and significant challenges. In today’s unpredictable global environment, the government has elevated the aero-engine sector to a high-tech priority, launching a major national project focused on aviation engines. This reflects the needs of the modern era. The fact that certain aircraft models are exported due to limitations in domestic engine capabilities highlights the importance of developing self-reliant aero-engine technology. A strong aviation power is essential for national security and technological independence. Therefore, improving the manufacturing standards of aero-engines and their key components is a core goal for the industry.
1. Process Characteristics of Aero Engine Manufacturing
The manufacturing technology for aero-engines is constantly evolving to match advancements in design and materials. As the industry strives to enhance reliability, maintainability, and weight reduction—thereby increasing thrust-to-weight ratios—new structural designs such as integral blade-discs and blade-rings have emerged. Materials like titanium alloys, nickel-based superalloys, and advanced composites with high strength-to-weight ratios, excellent fatigue resistance, and thermal stability are now commonly used. These innovations shape the unique characteristics of aero-engine manufacturing, which can be summarized as follows:
(1) Difficult-to-Machine Materials: Aero-engines often incorporate challenging materials such as titanium alloys and high-temperature alloys. These materials possess high thermal hardness and strength, leading to increased cutting resistance and tool wear. This makes achieving high-quality surface finishes and precision machining more difficult. At our company, we frequently process stainless steel and titanium alloy thin-walled parts with complex surfaces. Most of our tools are made from advanced materials like fine-grained carbide, ultra-fine grained carbide coatings, and ceramic inserts. Additionally, the blade geometry, chip control, and clamping stability also play crucial roles in maintaining machining accuracy and minimizing deformation. Enhancing machining efficiency, accuracy, and surface quality remains a top priority for the industry.
(2) New Processes, Methods, and Technologies: Due to the complexity of aero-engine components, traditional manufacturing methods often fall short. To meet production demands, it's essential to continuously refine existing techniques and explore innovative processes. For example, one of our compressor blades (see Figure 1) features a thin-walled, complex curved surface. Initially, manual polishing was used, but this led to frequent dimensional deviations, affecting the overall performance of the compressor. By switching to five-axis CNC wide milling, we significantly improved the accuracy and consistency of the final product.
Figure 1
(3) High Machining Precision: The precision of aero-engine components directly impacts their performance and safety. However, the complexity of materials, structures, and manufacturing processes creates a challenge in achieving consistent, high-quality outputs. In China, many aero-engine components suffer from poor product uniformity and low yield rates, which has become a major bottleneck in the development of high-performance engines. Addressing these issues requires continuous improvements in precision manufacturing and process optimization.
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