Aircraft forgings are a critical component of aircraft structures, bearing enormous loads and enduring high-temperature and high-pressure environments. Therefore, the choice of alloy material for forging needs to be carefully considered and its quality strictly controlled.
First, an appropriate alloy with suitable properties should be selected based on the conditions of use. For example, certain high-pressure turbine forgings require characteristics such as high-temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and high strength, necessitating the use of high-temperature alloys. Forgins used in low-temperature environments, however, require good toughness and low-temperature strength, and an alloy material possessing these properties can be chosen.
Second, the deformation behavior of the alloy during forging must also be considered. During the forging process, some high-strength alloys may crack or deform, and it is necessary to select an appropriate forging process to avoid such problems. For example, titanium alloy forgings are challenging due to difficulties in heating and controlling deformation, resulting in internal and surface cracks in the billet, thus requiring an appropriate heating method and a method of controlling deformation.
At the same time, the factors affecting the deformation behavior of the alloy must also be considered. In some complex forging processes, alloy deformation behavior is often influenced by multiple factors such as processing speed and temperature. Therefore, sufficient theoretical and experimental research is necessary to select appropriate process parameters.
One production example is a high-temperature alloy turbine disc forging from a Xiamen aircraft parts manufacturing facility. When developing the turbine disc, a high-temperature alloy material with high-temperature and corrosion resistance was first selected based on usage requirements. Forging process parameters were carefully selected for uniform deformation and avoiding cracking and deformation issues in the alloy. Finally, the forging was applied to a large commercial airline’s high-pressure turbine engine, passing rigorous performance testing.
In the selection and processing of materials for aircraft forgings, multiple factors such as usage environment, alloy material, physical and chemical characteristics, and manufacturing process must be considered. Only by comprehensively considering these factors and carefully selecting and controlling related parameters can the high quality and reliability of forgings be ensured.
