Casting Mold Core Alignment Features for Engine Turbine Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional casting methods for complex engine components, such as turbine blades, face challenges with core shift during production, leading to inaccurate machining due to offset features formed by the casting core, which complicates the alignment of internal geometries and cooling passages.
Innovation Solution
A casting mold system that includes a casting core with alignment features extending from its body to define fixed positions relative to the casting shell, ensuring that corresponding features on the cast part remain accessible and accurate, allowing for precise alignment of machining tools and reducing core shift-related inaccuracies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If conventional casting methods are used with casting cores to form internal features, then complex internal geometries can be achieved, but core shift occurs during production causing features to be offset from cast datums
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment features are incorporated into the casting core design before the casting process begins. These alignment features (such as protrusions or reference surfaces) are positioned to contact the casting shell and define the precise location of internal features relative to external cast datums, preventing core shift and ensuring accurate feature alignment throughout production
Solution Approach 2:
Alignment features act as intermediary elements between the casting core and the casting shell. These features physically connect the core to the shell, serving as a mediator that maintains the correct spatial relationship and prevents displacement of the core during the casting process, thereby ensuring that internal features align with external datums
2Ease of manufacture
If post-casting machining is performed based on external cast datums, then machining operations can be conducted, but alignment with internal features becomes difficult or inaccurate due to core shift
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment features serve as intermediary reference elements that connect the external cast datums to the internal features. During machining operations, these alignment features provide a reliable reference that ensures machined features (such as cooling holes) align accurately with internal cast features, eliminating the misalignment problem caused by core shift
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment features are built into the casting core and casting shell before the casting process occurs. This preliminary configuration ensures that when machining operations are performed later, the reference relationship between external datums and internal features is already established, making accurate alignment straightforward and reliable
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the disclosure generally relate to a casting mold for forming a cast part. The casting mold includes a casting shell having an internal surface bounding an interior, and a casting core positioned within the interior to define a cavity between the casting core and the casting shell, whereby the internal surface of the casting shell defines an outer surface of the cast part.