Research progress on dimensional accuracy control technologies of complex thin-walled superalloy investment castings for aero-engines

Abstract

Superalloys are predominantly employed to crucial aviation hot-end components such as turbine rear casings，diffusers，and pre-swirl nozzles. The investment casting technology supersedes “casting + welding” forming approaches，which reduces the number of parts and processing procedures，offers improved reliability and mass reduction. Therefore，investment casting is a pivotal technology for aviation component manufacturing. However，the casting of complex thin-walled components encounters challenges with dimensional accuracy，impacting engine aerodynamic performance and assembly precision，which has become a bottleneck problem restricting the manufacturing quality of key structural components of aero-engines in China for a long time. This article reviews the current advancement in the dimensional accuracy control for superalloy investment castings at home and abroad. A forward-looking analysis and discussion on development trends are conducted，particularly focusing on digital and intelligent technologies. There is an urgent need to build a digital twin platform for investment casting in the future and to develop more advanced accurate，quantitative and intelligent prediction methods for dimensional deformation and die profile design theory.

Keywords

• aero-engine
• superalloy
• dimensional accuracy control
• investment casting
• complex thin-walled