Integrally Bladed Rotor with Outer Shroud Without Welded Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of integrally bladed rotors with an outer shroud using welding processes is complex and error-prone, as it requires separate manufacturing and connection of rotor base bodies, blades, and outer shrouds, with risks of damage during welding.
Innovation Solution
A method involving generative manufacturing, such as selective laser melting, to produce a rotor blank with integral blades and shroud, followed by flow grinding on flow-carrying sections and machining on non-flow-carrying sections, eliminating the need for welded connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If welding processes are used to assemble rotor base bodies, blades, and outer shrouds, then the rotor can be manufactured with separate components, but the manufacturing process becomes complex and error-prone with high risk of damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the rotor base body, rotor blades, and outer shroud into a single integrally bladed rotor component manufactured by additive manufacturing. This eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and welding assembly of these parts, directly resolving the technical contradiction by reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical welding process with an additive manufacturing process. Instead of joining separate components through welding (mechanical system), the entire rotor structure is built layer-by-layer as a single integrated component, eliminating welding-related complexity and damage risks.
2Reliability
If welding processes are used to join rotor components, then the rotor can be assembled from separate parts, but the risk of damaging assemblies during welding increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the welding process with additive manufacturing, eliminating the harmful thermal and mechanical effects of welding on the rotor components. The entire structure is built as one piece without welding-induced damage, directly improving reliability by removing the damage risk associated with welding operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the welding process entirely from the manufacturing sequence by using additive manufacturing to create the complete integrally bladed rotor in one piece. This removes the source of harmful effects (welding) that could damage the assemblies, thereby improving reliability.
3Productivity
If separate components are manufactured and welded together, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but the overall manufacturing time and process steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate manufacturing operations (manufacturing rotor base body, manufacturing rotor blades, manufacturing outer shroud, and welding assembly) into a single additive manufacturing process that produces the complete integrally bladed rotor in one operation, significantly reducing total manufacturing time and improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The additive manufacturing process performs preliminary actions by building the entire rotor structure including blades and shroud as an integrated component from the ground up, eliminating the need for subsequent assembly operations and reducing total manufacturing time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for the production of aerodynamically and thermodynamically optimized, lightweight integrally bladed rotors with integral outer shrouds, reducing the complexity and risk of damage associated with welding, while enabling greater design freedom.
Implementation Method 1
the rotor blank comprising the integral rotor blades and the integral outer shroud is manufactured by selective laser melting
Implementation Method 2
the rotor blank is subjected to a separating surface treatment by flow grinding on flow-conducting sections
Implementation Method 3
to a machining surface treatment on non-flow-conducting sections
Implementation Method 4
the rotor blank is subjected to heat treatment and/or hot isostatic pressing before the separating surface treatment
Implementation Method 5
the rotor blank is subjected to heat treatment and/or hot isostatic pressing before the separating surface treatment
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a rotor of a flow engine, namely an integrally bladed rotor with an integral outer shroud, comprising at least the following steps: a rotor blank comprising the integral rotor blades and the integral outer shroud is first produced by means of a generative production method; the rotor blank is then subjected to a separating surface treatment at flow-guiding sections and is subjected, separately therefrom, to a machining surface treatment at non-flow-guiding sections.