Multipurpose EDM Tool for Ring Sector Machining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing turbomachine ring sectors face a trade-off between proper hold during electrical discharge machining and sealing performance, with conventional gripping holes compromising sealing capacity and requiring bulky, specialized machining tools that limit production flexibility.
Innovation Solution
The design includes gripping holes on the support element of the ring sector, allowing for secure machining without affecting sealing, and a multipurpose electrical discharge machining tool with a frame and electro-machining sets that reduce assembly/disassembly steps and enable more flexible production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If large gripping holes are provided on the abradable element to ensure proper hold during machining, then the holding capability during electrical discharge machining is improved, but the sealing performance of the abradable element deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the gripping holes from the abradable element and relocates them to the support element. This separation allows the abradable element to maintain its sealing integrity while the support element provides the necessary gripping features for machining operations. The gripping holes are specifically provided in the support element at positions that do not interfere with the abradable element's sealing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the functional requirements by separating the gripping function from the sealing function. The support element is designed with dedicated gripping holes for machining operations, while the abradable element maintains its intact structure for sealing purposes. This functional segmentation resolves the contradiction between holding capability and sealing performance.
2Manufacturing precision
If small gripping holes are made in a limited number to preserve sealing capacity, then the sealing performance is improved, but the holding capability during machining deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The gripping holes are extracted from the abradable element and relocated to the support element. This allows the abradable element to maintain optimal sealing performance with no compromising holes, while the support element provides adequate gripping capability through appropriately sized and positioned holes that do not affect sealing.
3Reliability
If successive assembly and disassembly steps are performed on highly specialized machining tools, then proper hold during machining is ensured, but productivity deteriorates due to repeated assembly/disassembly operations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention designs a multipurpose electrical discharge machining tool that can perform multiple machining operations (groove machining, length cutting, opening machining) on a single tool platform. The support element with standardized gripping holes enables the ring sector to be securely held across different machining operations without requiring specialized tools for each operation, reducing assembly/disassembly frequency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines multiple machining functions (groove electro-machining set, length-cutting electro-machining set, opening electro-machining set) into a single multipurpose tool platform. This integration allows various machining operations to be performed sequentially on the same tool without removing and reassembling the ring sector, thereby improving productivity while maintaining proper holding capability.
4Reliability
If highly specialized electrical discharge machining tools are used to hold ring sector through gripping holes, then proper hold during machining is achieved, but the tools become bulky and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The multipurpose machining tool design consolidates multiple specialized functions into a single platform, reducing the overall weight compared to having separate specialized tools for each machining operation. The standardized gripping holes in the support element enable this consolidation by providing a universal interface for different machining operations.
5Reliability
If batch mode manufacturing is performed on specialized tools, then proper hold during machining is ensured, but production flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The multipurpose machining tool with standardized gripping holes enables flexible production modes. The same tool platform can accommodate different machining operations and configurations, allowing both batch production and smaller production runs with the same equipment, thereby improving production flexibility while maintaining reliable holding capability through the standardized gripping hole design.
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 solution ensures proper hold during machining without compromising sealing performance, reduces the need for bulky tools, and increases production flexibility by allowing quicker machining of ring sectors with fewer specialized steps.
Implementation Method 1
electrical discharge machining sets (110, 120, 130, 140, 150) for a ring sector to be machined
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical discharge machining tool of a ring sector for an aircraft turbomachine is provided. The ring sector includes an abradable member and a support element to which the abradable member is fixed; and one or more gripping holes opening on a radially outer surface of a central body of the support element. The machining tool includes at least two machining sets chosen from groove, notch, opening, length-cutting, or abradable element electro-machining sets. The machining tool also has a gripping device for the ring sector by the gripping holes. The gripping device is configured to move the ring sector from one of the electro-machining sets to another of the electro-machining sets.