Vibratory Mass Media Fixture Tip Rail for Airfoil Edge Radii
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Solution Overview
Problem
The Vibratory Mass Media (VMM) process for polishing gas turbine engine components, such as vane clusters, often results in uneven surface finishes due to inconsistent abrasive media distribution, affecting the precision engineering of these components.
Innovation Solution
A fixture assembly with an arcuate tip rail positioned a predetermined distance from the tips of the airfoils, ensuring equal media flow to both the tips and sidewalls, and a lock plate to securely mount the vane cluster, restricting media flow and maintaining desired edge radii specifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the VMM process is used for polishing gas turbine engine components, then the components achieve a polished surface finish, but the surface finish becomes uneven due to inconsistent abrasive media distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The fixture assembly incorporates a tip rail positioned at a specific distance from the component tips to create localized media flow control. This ensures that the tips receive adequate media flow while the sidewalls receive appropriate media flow, addressing the local quality variation in media distribution across different surfaces of the component.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixture assembly acts as an intermediary between the vibratory media and the component surfaces. It mediates the media flow distribution by using the tip rail to restrict and direct media flow, ensuring uniform abrasive action across tips and sidewalls without direct modification to the component or media itself.
2Manufacturing precision
If the tip rail is positioned close to the component tips, then media flow to tips is restricted, but media flow to sidewalls becomes excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The distance between the tip rail and component tips is optimized to a specific parameter range (0.020-0.040 inches) to achieve the desired balance. By adjusting this critical dimension, the system controls media flow distribution to prevent excessive flow to sidewalls while maintaining adequate flow to tips for proper edge radii development.
3Quantity of substance
If the tip rail is positioned far from the component tips, then media flow to tips is excessive, but tip edge radii control is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The tip rail positioning parameter is precisely controlled within a specific range (0.020-0.040 inches from tips) to optimize media flow distribution. This parameter control ensures sufficient media reaches the tips for proper edge radii development while preventing excessive flow that would compromise edge radii precision.
4Manufacturing precision
If the fixture assembly restricts media flow, then edge radii specifications are maintained, but overall media circulation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The tip rail provides localized media flow restriction only at the critical tip regions where edge radii control is needed. This localized approach maintains proper edge radii specifications while minimizing impact on overall media circulation, allowing adequate media flow to continue reaching sidewalls and other surfaces.
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 even abrasive wear across the airfoil surfaces, maintaining precision and consistency in the surface finish of gas turbine engine components, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the VMM process.
Implementation Method 1
The VMM process submerges the components in a vibrating bed filled with a blend of non-abrasive media and an abrasive paste
Implementation Method 2
The VMM process submerges the components in a vibrating bed filled with a blend of non-abrasive media and an abrasive paste
Data Source
AI summary
A fixture assembly includes a frame with a tip rail displaced from a main body. A method of polishing a gas turbine engine component includes restricting a flow of media adjacent to a tip of a component with an airfoil to be generally equal to a flow of media adjacent to a sidewall of the airfoil.