Saving costs in design, manufacturing and operation of aero engine parts

Abstract

Abstract Basic requirements for aero engine parts are to carry loads at high temperatures safely over service periods of 30-40 years. This generally calls for the best and latest materials and for highly sophisticated design and manufacturing procedures. These requirements are frequently in contrast to the desire to keep costs at affordable levels. This aims at the costs at both the customer’s side as well as the manufacturer’s side. The measures to reduce cost in the design and production phase are various: • redesign to allow for less complex manufacturing processes • reassessment of quality characteristics without reduction of overall quality (only those characteristics to be maintained which are really critical) • acceptance of minor damage in new parts which would be acceptable for repaired parts according to technical standards • assessment of all steps in the production process with respect to their influence on the final product properties • more stabilised manufacturing processes which use only a portion of accepted tolerance bands to reduce the subsequent test effort • change of material. In the service phase, cost reduction can be achieved by optimum exploitation of part’s life potential. The means are improvement of the lifing concepts where portions of the crack propagation life may be utilised in addition to the traditionally cleared crack initiation life. Accurate records of life consumption can be obtained with modern systems for life usage monitoring.