Single Crystal Casting

Single Crystal Casting is an advanced casting process that forms a single grain structure inside the casting by controlling the cooling rate and grain growth. Single crystal cast turbine parts have excellent high temperature performance, corrosion resistance and mechanical strength, and are widely used in aviation, energy and industrial fields.

single crystal casting

Main features

No grain boundaries

There are no grain boundaries inside the single crystal cast turbine parts, which eliminates the weaknesses at the grain boundaries and improves the creep resistance and fatigue resistance of the material.

High temperature performance

Due to the use of high temperature alloy materials, single crystal cast turbine parts can maintain stable mechanical properties in extremely high temperature environments.

Corrosion resistance

High-temperature alloy materials have good corrosion resistance and can operate for a long time in corrosive environments.

Material introduction of single crystal turbine blade

  1. Nickel-based superalloys: such as IN738、 IN718,、IN625、Rene 80 、Nimonic 90 etc、IN738LC、IN792、
  2. This material has high strength, high temperature strength and good toughness, and can withstand the influence of high temperature and high pressure environment, so it is widely used in aviation, aerospace and other fields.
  3. Casting cobalt-based superalloys: such as FSX414, FSX-12, FSX-414, etc.
  4. This material has excellent high temperature performance, strong oxidation and corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance and other characteristics, and is widely used in the manufacture of high temperature components of aircraft engines.
  5. Thermal barrier coating: Compounds such as alumina (Al2O3) are used as coating materials to cover the surface of the superalloy to improve its high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, while reducing the erosion of the material by high temperature oxidation, thereby extending the service life of the material.

Application areas of Single Crystal Casting

Aerospace engines

Single crystal cast turbine parts are widely used in the high-pressure and low-pressure turbine parts of aircraft engines, and can withstand extremely high temperatures and pressures to ensure the efficient operation of the engine.

Industrial gas turbines

Industrial gas turbine parts used for power generation and mechanical drive require high heat resistance and corrosion resistance.

Steam turbines

Steam turbine parts used in thermal power plants and nuclear power plants can operate in high-temperature and high-pressure steam environments to ensure the stability and efficiency of power generation equipment.

Turbochargers

Turbocharger parts used in automobiles and industrial equipment can operate in high-temperature and high-speed environments to improve the power and efficiency of the engine.

Advantages of Single Crystal Casting

High strength

Single crystal cast turbine parts have high strength and can withstand high temperature and high stress environments.

Long life

The combination of grain boundary-free structure and high-temperature alloy materials makes single crystal cast turbine parts have a long service life.

High reliability

The high temperature performance and corrosion resistance of single crystal cast turbine parts ensure their high reliability in various harsh environments.

Single Crystal Turbine Blades

Turbine blades made of equiaxed casting are widely used in aircraft engines and gas turbines. These blades have good high temperature strength and corrosion resistance, and are suitable for high temperature and high pressure parts of turbines.

Manufacturing method of single crystal turbine blade

The following are common manufacturing processes for single crystal turbine blades:

  1. Single crystal growth: CZ method (CZ method), zone melting method (FZ method) and Bridgman method can be used to grow single crystals
  2. Blade processing:
  • Casting: For smaller blades, it can be cast directly from a single crystal material. But this presents a challenge to size control and shape accuracy.
  • Cutting: The single crystal material is very hard and brittle, so it needs to be cut with diamond tools. This requires highly accurate machine tools and specialized processing technology.
  • Edm: A contactless machining method that uses electrical discharge to remove material and can be used to make blades of complex shapes.
  • Laser processing: Laser processing can be used for cutting, engraving and welding, and can be used for fine machining of single crystal blades.
  1. Blade surface treatment:
  • Heat treatment: In order to improve the heat resistance and strength of the blade, heat treatment is required.
  • Surface coatings: Commonly used coating materials include ceramic coatings, metal coatings and composite coatings to improve durability.
  1. Blade detection and inspection:
  • Non-destructive testing: Use X-ray, ultrasonic and other methods to detect whether there are defects inside the blade.
  • Performance test: The strength, heat resistance and fatigue properties of the blades are tested to ensure that they meet the requirements.

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