Advances in the INTEFIX case study 1.2 : Turning of low pressure turbine casing

This case study covers one experiment within the INTEFIX project (FP7 Grant Agreement 609306). This application is proposed by ITP (Industria de Turbopro-pulsores, S.A.) and it deals with the reduction of vibrations in the manufacturing of a component of an aircraft engine: the case of the Low Pressure Turbine (LPT). The participants in this case study include the following companies: ITP, IK4-Tekni-ker, Invent GmbH, Cedrat Technologies, Compotech s.r.o., Alava Ingenieros and Adaptronics International GmbH.
The objective is the improvement of the turning process performance of the turbine case made of low machinability Inconel 718 alloy with 1900 mm in di-ameter, 600 mm in height and common thickness of 3-6 mm. The performance is limited by the presence of vibrations that lead to limited cutting conditions and reduced the tool life. At the same time, the deterioration of the cutting tool feeds the vibrations, and in some cases self-excited vibrations appear. And finally the vibrations can lead to poor surface quality and integrity, leading to a reject of the manufactured component.
The size of this component, together with its low stiffness and difficult fixturing process, drives to the vibrations problems, which are enhanced because of the variable dynamic behaviour of the component due to the relevant quantity of material removed during the machining process. Read more here.