Long Term Development Needs for Airframe Structure

Transcription

1 Long Term Development Needs for Airframe Structure R.R. Boyer and J.D. Cotton Boeing Research & Technology ITA - Titanium 2011 San Diego, California October 2-5, 2011 BOEING is a trademark of Boeing Management Company. EOT_RT_Template.ppt 8/1/2011 1

2 Means of Reducing Carrier Operating Costs Reduced Drag Smoother Structure Design and manufacture of wet components Specific Fuel Consumption Improved performance, primarily weight reduction Reduced Airframe Maintenance Costs Titanium strong contributor, very few problems with Ti components Reduced Engine Maintenance Costs The attributes of Ti can contribute to reducing carrier operating costs; lower cost titanium would enable increased utilization, further reducing operating costs for the airlines EOT_RT_Template.ppt 2

3 Cost Reduction Approaches for Ti Hardware Reduced Buy:Fly Welding Solid State o Linear friction o Friction Stir o Inertia Fusion Welding o o Laser beam Electron beam Superplastic Forming/Superplastic Forming/Diffusion Bonding Hot Stretch Forming Rolled Shapes Extrusions Low Cost Titanium MER, ITA, etc. Processing Improvements Powder Metallurgy Improved Machining/More Machinable Alloys Improved Performance Each of these technologies could provide benefits in the areas indicated on previous slide Higher temperature materials primarily oxidation resistance Very heavy emphasis on Reducing the buy:fly EOT_RT_Template.ppt 3

4 Solid-State Welding Advantages Base-Metal properties Reduced buy:fly Minimal surface prep Friction Stir Welding Linear Friction Welding weld weld

5 Fusion Welding Laser beam welding for thinner gages Electron beam welding for heavier gages Hot Stretch Forming EOT_RT_Template.ppt 5

6 Low Cost Titanium Single melt Lower cost alloy additions New reduction processes ITP - In startup phase for pilot plant MER Powder Metallurgy o Pre-alloyed o Blended Elemental EOT_RT_Template.ppt 6

7 Improved Machinability Could be via more machinable alloys or advances in machining technology EOT_RT_Template.ppt 7

8 Superplastic Forming, SPF/DB Enables the fabrication of complex monolithic structures (has replaced castings in complex structures) Eliminated from built up design 37 tools 15 detail parts 111 fasteners >4 lbs of weight 21 hours of assembly time Heat shield side panels Beaded surface is fine grain Standard grain for outer surface (no mark off) Advantages of fine grain Lower SPF and SPF/DB temperatures Increased die life Higher forming rate Less thinning Less surface contamination Improved operator comfort/safety EOT_RT_Template.ppt 8

9 Higher Temperature Capability (Higher temperature oxidation resistance) Nozzle Plug With present aircraft, hot day engine starts and taxi can result in temperatures high enough to cause surface oxidation. EOT_RT_Template.ppt 9

10 Summary Titanium can be utilized in several ways to decrease airlines operating costs Maximum titanium utilization toward this goal will require reducing the cost of titanium hardware Titanium cost reduction/performance improvement approaches Reduce buy:fly Welding Powder metallurgy Hot stretch forming Extrusions SPF SPF/DB Improved machining technology machinability Improved performance Strength Temperature capability Lower temperature SPF alloys EOT_RT_Template.ppt 10