Session: 18-01-05: Conventional Manufacturing

Paper Number: 150900

150900 - Advanced Machining Modeling to Accelerate Process Development, Reduce Costs, and Enhance Quality for Turbine Engine Components 

Machining turbine engine components, such as compressors, combustion chambers, and high-pressure blades, presents significant challenges due to the use of high-temperature materials including nickel and titanium alloys. The high strength and thermal resistance of these materials, while beneficial for the operational conditions of the engine, pose significant difficulties during machining, leading to issues such as rapid tool wear, tool breakage, poor finish and high part distortion. Traditional methods of developing machining processes rely on costly and lengthy trial-and-error tests, often resulting in suboptimal machining solutions, increased costs, and delayed deliveries. These challenges necessitate innovative approaches to process development to ensure both efficiency and quality.

In this presentation, Third Wave Systems (TWS) will showcase their material-based multiscale modeling and simulation technologies, which can design and optimize machining processes to accelerate New Product Introduction (NPI) for turbine engine manufacturers while reducing costs. TWS’ technology suite comprises three digital engineering tools rooted in physics-based material models, developed through extensive material characterization tests. These models are integrated with numerical techniques to simulate various machining processes across multiple scales. The first tool employs dynamic, thermo-mechanically coupled Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to simulate machining operations like turning, milling, and drilling. It provides outputs such as stress, temperature, chip morphology, cutting forces, torque, and power, and predicts workpiece quality attributes like residual stress and burr formation. Another tool optimizes toolpath by integrating material models, CAM programs, tooling definitions, and workpiece geometries, reducing cycle times, balancing machine loads, and enhancing tool life. A third tool uses non-linear FEA to predict deflection and distortion in machined components, considering factors such as residual stress and cutting forces, ensuring precise dimensional accuracy and lower assembly costs for high-quality parts. Together, these tools offer a comprehensive solution to machining challenges, enabling precise tool selection, force balancing, cycle time reduction, chatter avoidance, and deflection/distortion minimization. These technologies empower manufacturing companies to develop effective and efficient machining solutions in a digital environment, resulting in cost savings, optimized designs, accelerated development cycles, improved part quality, and faster time-to-market.

Collaborating with partners in the US Air Force supply chain, Third Wave Systems (TWS) successfully integrated their modeling and simulation technologies into the production of a small turbine engine component. This integration resulted in a more than 30% reduction in overall cycle time compared to the industry baseline and significantly improved part quality. The reduction in cycle time enhances operational efficiency and capability with existing equipment, minimizing the need for additional machinery to meet delivery demands. Additionally, TWS's technologies have dramatically improved surface finish, reducing the need for labor-intensive polishing. Tool breakage has decreased by 50%, leading to substantial cost savings. Lastly, the supplier achieved first-part-right production with a threefold reduction in non-recurring programming time and the elimination of machine trials and programming iterations.

Presenting Author: Fang Hou Third Wave Systems

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Fang Hou is a principal engineer at Third Wave Systems. He has a strong background in solid mechanics, computational mechanics and composites, and has 10 year of experience performing advanced manufacturing research.

Authors:

Fang Hou Third Wave Systems
Chris Kantner Third Wave Systems