New aerospace advanced cost effective materials and rapid manufacturing technologies

Project Information

MMTech

Grant agreement ID: 633776

DOI

10.3030/633776

Project closed

EC signature date 17 April 2015

Start date 1 May 2015

End date 30 April 2019

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 5 708 000,00

EU contribution

€ 5 708 000,00

Coordinated by

THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - MMTech (New aerospace advanced cost effective materials and rapid manufacturingtechnologies)

Reporting period: 2018-05-01 to 2019-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

MMTech technologies will save cost and time across the aircraft lifecycle (design, production, maintenance, overhaul, repair). It is based on the sustainable introduction of gamma titanium aluminides or γ-TiAl. This is a promising material because is performs well at the high temperatures found in engines and is lighter than the nickel alloys currently in use. However, as it is extremely brittle at low temperatures, it is difficult to form and machine the material. The various alloys are also expensive and are hard to obtain. Making parts using near-net techniques such a rapid manufacture (RM) uses less material than machine-from-solid, but has its own problems. Powder is expensive and properties can vary across suppliers and between batches. As the material is brittle at rooms temperature, it is extremely hard to finish-machine near-net parts without producing cracks.

The goal of MMTech was the sustainable introduction of γ-TiAl into aerospace applications through the achievement of a number of primary objectives:
• Reduce the production cost of γ-TiAl parts by 45%
• Reduce production time of γ-TiAl by 55%
• Reduce maintenance costs by 8%
• Target component weight savings of 20-50% using γ-TiAl
• Reduce raw material use over the life of the component by 20%
• Extend component service life by 15%
To address the objectives, the use of near-net production and consideration of different phases of the manufacturing cycle were investigated and the following technical and commercial challenges addressed:
• The production of powders with stable physical properties
• The reduction of rapid manufacturing costs
• The improvement of machining processes
• The development of multi-scale models of the manufacturing process chain
• Integration of MMTech-nologies in real, industrial components

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

MMTECH produced:
- High-energy-ball-milled, low-cost, gamma titanium powders - these are available for sale
- Increased knowledge on requirements for AM of gamma titanium which will has been published, and will be used in consultancy
- A machine for milling gamma titanium parts, including different machine options (spindle, toolholder, connections, lubricants, filtration, vibration monitoring and control systems) which is available for sale
- Machining methods for gamma titanium (parameters, tools, lubrication strategies) which have been published
- A reliability and maintenance simulation to optimise machine availability which has been integrated with the machine tool
- Milling tools to reduce chatter -available
- Self-adaptive process control - published and used in consultancy
- A damping table - may be patented
- The ARES damper for milling vibration suppression - intend to patent
- Integrated multi-scale models of the process chain - used in consultancy
- Know-how related to the production of aerospace and automotive components in gamma titanium - used in production

In the final year, the focus moved towards manufacturing and testing the demonstrators. A virtual pilot line was created which demonstrated each result; this has been posted on the website and used at events. Partners have attended a number of events and trade shows targeted at the aerospace and automotive sectors leading to a similar number of items in trade and popular publications.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Reduce production cost by 45% and production time by 55%: the high-energy ball-milled powder will cost around €250 - €350 per kilogram once full-scale production is implemented – a 45% compared to manufacture using gas-atomised powders of a similar composition. RM techniques will lead to reduced material use when making near-net parts and will reduce the number of expensive cutting tools required due to the removal of rough-machining. The active damper will reduce machining costs by 15%. The optimised machine system is expected to increase tool-life by 50%, reduce lubrication costs by 15% and reduce scrap. The RM parameter development and the multi-scale models underpin these results and will be used to determine the optimal microstructure. When tested on the case study parts, one partner found 12% cost reduction and 35% time reduction when using AM. Moving to laser-cutting led to a 80% cost reduction and 64% time reduction. A second partner estimated a 15% cost and 2% time reduction, whilst for the third partner is was 45% and 10% respectively

Reduce maintenance costs by 8%: The reliability and maintainability analysis of the machine tool will reduce maintenance costs by 10%. The use of gamma titanium alloys in place of nickel super-alloys will reduce wear and hence maintenance, whilst increasing component service life. The manufacturing parameters affect the part microstructure which in turn significantly affects the mechanical properties of the final part. The models will indicate the correct parameters to produce optimum microstructures. It was not possible to carry out industrial tests over long enough timescales to determine overall maintenance reduction but partners estimate that by moving to gamma titaniumm they will reduce component maintenance by 9% for shafts and 40% for blades.

Component weight savings of 20-50%: The selected material variants have a density of 50% that of Nickel superalloy materials, ensuring weight savings around 50%. Further savings can be made through the use of AM and the increased design freedom this brings. Partners found weight savings of 42% - 48% depending on the manufacturing route chosen.

Reduce raw material by 20%: powder production yield was increased to 90-95%, offering a 20% saving in raw material compared to other methods of powder manufacture. Near-net production will reduce the amount of raw material required; this is part dependent. The milling tools to prevent chatter and the self-adaptive process control will reduce the number of parts scrapped during machining. Partners found a reduction in raw material use of 5%, 28% and 80% when considering an additive manufacturing production route. When laser-cutting their component, the raw material savings were in excess of 80% for one part.

Extend component life by 15%: modelling and parameter optimisation will allow process parameters to be tailored to create durable, fault-free parts to extend service life. The use of AM will allow novel geometries to be made, reducing areas of stress concentration and will also reduce the number of welds. The improved surface finish achieved through the active damping system will increase service life by 15%. After extensive testing, one partner estimates that the service life of near-net components will improve by 180%; they experienced no change for laser-cut parts. Other partners estimated a service-life increase of 25% - 40%.

MMTECH project structure