Investment Casting for Aircraft Turbine Blades

Andaradhi Nararya
1206291992

A Paper Review from Palladium Alloy

Pinning Wires for Gas Turbine Blade
Investment Casting by D.C Power

Content
Background
Introduction
Experiments
Engineering design
Manufacturing technique
Use of superalloy materials
o Superalloy for turbine blades
o Superalloy for pinning wires

Discussion
Conclusion

Background
Turbine blades in an aero-engine power generation
gas turbines are complex components manufactured
to precise geometric, structural and mechanical
properties tolerance.
Hundreds of turbine blades which rotate at very high
speed on a series of coaxial disks are operating in high
stresses and temperatures.

Introduction
In the present, there has been significant increase in
development order to improve gas turbine ability and
efficiency as required to provide a better engine for the
aircraft industries.

Turbine engine
Gas turbine engine operate by converting heat energy
into mechanical work.
INTAKE

COMPRESSION

COMBUSTION

EXHAUST

Taking a large volume of air compressing air to high

pressure mixing compressed air with fuel
combustion exhaustion

Experiments
To improve the service life of the turbine blades, it is
accomplished by through several improvements:
1. Engineering design
2. Manufacturing techniques
3. Use of superalloy materials

Engineering design
Features in the engineering design is shown by the
incorporation of multiple cooling systems into the
turbine blades.

This causes a reduction in

the operating temperature
of turbine blade and make
turbine engine cleaner and
more efficient.

Single

Multiple

The cooling channels are produced by placing ceramic

cores within the mould cavity in which the turbine
blade is cast.

Manufacturing technique
Due to its complex geometry thus the blade have to be
precisely manufactured by investment casting.
The process has following steps:
1. Build a wax pattern based on master mould.
2. Dip a wax pattern into a flask that contains ceramic
slurry until certain thickness.
3. Heat the ceramic shell in order to melt away the
wax inside, then heated again to strengthen the
shell structure.
4. Pour the molten superalloy metal and wait until
solidification process is done.

There are several designs of blades and interlocking

seals that used for turbine engine.

Use of superalloy materials

Superalloy for turbine blades
Modern turbine blades often use these materials:
1. Nickel - based superalloys (contains chromium,
cobalt, and rhenium
2. Titanium aluminide

Superalloy for pinning wires

The pinning wire must be able to maintain its
primary function of core pinning at temperatures up
to the melting point of the superalloy and it needs
to possess a good oxidation resistance.
In case pinning wire with a higher thermal
expansion were used, then it would exert an even
greater pinning force on the ceramic cores during
mould preparation.
Palladium is chosen as the most promising material
for pinning wires.

Discussion
Turbine blade
By making single crystal
turbine blade, the material
have better qualities, because:
No grain boundary makes
the turbine blade not
weakened by boundary
slipping.
Perform better at high
temperature.
Good resistance to high
temperature corrosion.

Pinning wires
Palladium almost disappeared when exposed to
high temperatures during casting.
However, there was an improvement in the high
temperature stability of palladium when it was
alloyed with particular refractory metal which is
molybdenum.
In case the palladium - molybdenum was alloyed
with a small amount of platinum, the oxidation
resistance was much improved.

Conclusion
The alloys are based on the addition of the
refractory metals molybdenum to palladium for
pinning wires, possibly also with some additions of
platinum to enhance the properties further, offering
significant cost savings over pinning materials
without sacrificing performance.
Due to the properties of pinning wire after
experiment, it is capable to maintain the position of
the ceramic cores during mould preparation and
casting process.

References
1. D.C. Power. Palladium Alloy Pinning Wires for Gas
Turbine Blade Investment Casting. Platinum Metals Rev.
1995, 39, (3), 117-126
2. Xu Li, Bo Sun, Hongde You, Lei Wang. Evolution of Rolls-

Royce air-cooled turbine blades and feature analysis.

Procedia Engineering 99 (2015) 1482-1491