How are single crystal turbine blades are manufactured in ae

How are single crystal turbine blades are manufactured in aeronautical industry? explain concisely. Thanks in advance

Solution

Turbine blades are manufactured in an investment or ‘lost wax’ casting, which allows the creation of very complex cast shapes, including the hollow cores required for cooling.

“The final wax form is then coated in a heat-resistant ceramic material from which the wax is then melted away, leaving a perfectly formed shell into which the alloy is cast. To create the hollow core, a separate ceramic form is placed into the mould before the alloy is poured. Once cast, the blade will then go through a number of machining stages and quality control checks before it is ready to install.”

For investment moulding processes, this means being able to connect the code on the finished part with the individual wax mould that was used to cast it – but creating a mark that will survive the investment moulding process means multiple marking techniques are needed for different stages of production.