Feature Article Continued from pg 31
airfoils. The very small blue shapes on the surface of the airfoils highlight the locations of the cast-in cooling holes. Figure 10 shows the 3D-printed
ceramic airfoil mold and cores used to make the CIVS. The first image to the far left shows the core with the very fine diameter exits to form the cooling holes. The image to the far right shows the bottom view of the airfoil core/mold with the cooling hole exits that extend from the core into the mold surface. Figure 11 shows the resulting CIVS casting produced from nickel alloy IN718 by Bescast in Cleveland, Ohio. The input cooling channels appear on the center hub, and the small exit holes are shown on the surface and trailing edge of the airfoils.
Results and Discussion All the additively manufactured tooling approaches developed (using design concepts from the OEMs) have been applied by foundries to produce castings. The
tooling approaches development, were
Figure 11: Cooled Integrally Vaned Stator With Cast-In Cooling Holes
then
evaluated by Renaissance engineers, the OEMs, and the foundries to determine the viability for each to address specific product
performance, and production requirements.
Conclusion These development efforts have clearly illustrated the viability that ceramic 3D-printing of tooling for castings can enable the production of advanced turbine engine components. Additive manufacturing of tooling for castings enables: • Production of small quantities of traditional turbine castings at much lower cost and lead time
• Production of advanced turbine castings at much lower cost and lead time
Acknowledgements Portions of this effort were supported by the US Air Force Research Laboratory, “Low-Cost
Additive Manufacturing
Tooling for Castings” (Contract FA8650- 22-C-5009).
32 ❘ August 2023 ®
References [1] A. Herman, I. Kubelková, O. Vrátný, New Use of Instruments for More Accurate Wax Pattern Blade Segment Production,
Archives of
Foundry Engineering, (2019). [2] M A Baig, R Pradyumna, Tool Design and Development for Aeroengine Integral Rotor Castings, International Journal of Applied Engineering Research (2011) 921-929. [3] A Walaleb, AS Chauhana, Analysis of Shrinkage & Warpage in Ceramic Injection Molding of HPT Vane Leading Edge Core of a Gas Turbine Casting, Materials Today: Proceedings 5 (2018) 19471–19479.
[4] P Huang, C Lin, Computer-aided
Modeling and Experimental Verification of Optimal Gating System Design for Investment Casting of Precision Rotor, International Journal of
Advanced
Manufacturing Technology (2015) 997– 1006.
[5] D Sokol, R Harris, R Pressley, B
Deptowicz, Prototype Low-Cost Tooling for Castings, Air Force Research Labs Final Report, (2021).
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