Contoured Ring Rolling Process Windows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ring rolling methods lack sufficient process safety and reproducibility for producing components with strict property requirements and tolerance ranges, often requiring manual intervention and resulting in inhomogeneous structures and material inefficiencies, especially in high-stress applications like jet engine components.
Innovation Solution
A process-monitored ring rolling method that defines and maintains 'process windows' for preselected parameters like ring growing rate, axial and radial rolling force, rolling time, and temperature, using calibrating specimens to ensure that only products within predefined limits are further processed, thereby eliminating manual intervention and achieving reproducible results within narrow tolerance bands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If ring rolling is used to produce contoured rings with complex geometries, then flexibility and adaptability are improved, but manufacturing precision and reliability deteriorate due to errors in ring geometry and texture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by defining process windows and setting target values for process parameters before the ring rolling process begins. These pre-defined parameters (such as rolling force, temperature, and rolling speed ranges) guide the rolling process to achieve consistent geometric precision and texture quality while maintaining the flexibility to produce various contoured ring geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by continuously monitoring process parameters during ring rolling and comparing them against the pre-defined process windows. This feedback mechanism allows real-time adjustments to maintain manufacturing precision and reliability while producing contoured rings with complex geometries, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple ring rolling steps are performed to achieve desired ring geometry, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity and time efficiency deteriorate due to repeated heating and processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent defines comprehensive process windows and target values for all rolling steps in advance, allowing optimization of the entire multi-step process. This preliminary planning enables achieving desired geometric precision while minimizing the number of heating cycles and total processing time, thus improving productivity without sacrificing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous useful action by optimizing the sequence and parameters of multiple rolling steps to minimize interruptions and reheating cycles. The process windows ensure that each step contributes efficiently to the final geometry, reducing idle time and maintaining productivity while achieving precision through coordinated multi-step processing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If process parameters are manually adjusted during ring rolling, then adaptability to deviations is improved, but manufacturing precision and reproducibility deteriorate due to lack of consistency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual adjustments with automated feedback control that continuously monitors process parameters and makes consistent adjustments according to pre-defined process windows. This automated feedback system maintains adaptability to handle deviations while ensuring reproducibility through consistent, rule-based control rather than variable manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service control where the ring rolling system automatically adjusts to parameter deviations using pre-programmed process windows and target values. This self-regulating mechanism eliminates the inconsistency of manual adjustments while maintaining adaptability, thereby improving both manufacturing precision and reproducibility of ring products.
4Manufacturing precision
If forging is used instead of ring rolling to produce high-precision components, then manufacturing precision and reliability are improved, but adaptability and flexibility deteriorate due to fewer process parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent defines comprehensive process windows and target values for multiple ring rolling parameters (rolling force, temperature, rolling speed, etc.) before processing. This preliminary configuration of multiple controllable parameters provides the adaptability and flexibility that forging lacks, while the feedback control ensures manufacturing precision comparable to or exceeding forging capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes multiple process parameters (force, temperature, speed, rolling gap) that can be independently adjusted and optimized. This multi-parameter control system provides both the adaptability to handle various ring geometries and the precision required for high-quality components, overcoming the limitations of forging which has fewer controllable parameters.
5Manufacturing precision
If calibrating specimens are used to define process windows, then manufacturing precision and reliability are improved, but loss of time and productivity deteriorate during the calibration phase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs calibration with specimens before production to establish process windows and target values. While this preliminary action requires initial time investment, it enables highly precise and automated control during actual production, significantly improving productivity and reducing per-unit time. The one-time calibration expense is amortized over many production cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration process creates self-service control capabilities where the system uses the established process windows to automatically guide subsequent production without requiring repeated calibration. This initial time investment enables the system to serve itself with consistent precision throughout production, improving overall productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a contoured ring rolling product for a rotating application from a ring blank, with a ring rolling machine controlled in a process-monitored manner. At least one process window, extending over the rolling time, is defined in relation to preselected process parameters for the specific product on the basis of calibrating specimens brought into their final form by the ring rolling machine. The process window(s) monitored during the process is/are determined by the process parameters of calibrating specimens which produced rolled products meeting the requirements demanded of the ring rolling product. The preselected process parameters comprise at least two of ring growing rate, axial rolling force, radial rolling force, rolling time, and ring blank temperature. Ring blanks are subsequently rolled in a contoured manner with parameters of the rolled blanks being recorded with reference to the preselected process parameters and evaluated to ascertain whether they lie within the predefined process window(s), thereby determining whether they are accepted for further machining and/or processing.