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What is so difficult about aero engines?

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An aeroengine is a highly complex and sophisticated thermomechanical engine that provides the aircraft with the power required for flight. As the heart of an aircraft, it is known as the “Flower of Industry”. It directly affects the performance, reliability and economy of an aircraft, and is an important manifestation of a country’s technological, industrial and national defense strength. At present, there are only a few countries in the world that can independently develop high-performance aero engines such as the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France, and the technical threshold is very high. OEM/ODM manufacturing manufacture aluminium milling service

Aeroengines mainly include turbofan engines, turbojet engines, etc., and their main structural components include inlets, compressors, combustion chambers, turbines, and exhaust nozzles. The most important structures are the compressor, combustion chamber and turbine. These three structural components form the core of the engine. The main power output process of the jet engine is all realized in the core engine.

It takes a long development process for an aero engine from the design data on paper to the final installation and service. This includes the initial demonstration to the scheme, and then to the engineering development stage of technical verification, after which the design can be finalized, and the final production can be finalized and put into mass production.

Aeroengine development cycle process and main tasks

Modern aviation jet engines and four-stroke internal combustion engines work on similar principles. The four-stroke internal combustion engine has four working stages of intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust, which are realized by the reciprocating motion of the piston. For aviation jet engines, these four working stages still exist, but the reciprocating piston and cylinder are replaced by a rotor system composed of a set of coaxial blades, and the reciprocating motion is replaced by a seemingly simpler rotary motion. OEM/ODM manufacturing manufacture aluminium milling service

The engine generates power: that is, the intake is realized through the intake port, and the air is pressurized by the high-speed rotation of the compressor; the pressurized air is sent into the annular combustion chamber, mixed with fuel and ignited, so as to drive the turbine to rotate at high speed; Finally, the energy is transferred to the compressor, and at the same time, it is discharged backward through the nozzle to generate a strong forward thrust. In short, an aero engine is a thermodynamic machine that powers an aircraft and needs to work under conditions of high temperature, high pressure, and high-speed rotation.

Where is the difficulty in developing an aero engine?

The first is the high temperature resistance of the engine. Large aircraft aeroengines use gas turbine engines. According to thermodynamic principles, the higher the temperature of the turbine gas, the more work the air flowing through the engine per unit volume or weight will produce. That is to say, in order to increase the power of the engine, it is best to continuously increase the temperature of the turbine gas. However, the melting point of most metals is around 1500°C, that is to say, when the engine is working, once the temperature reaches the melting point, many parts of the engine will melt away! Therefore, how to make engine components withstand high temperature is a great problem.

Followed by the manufacture of large fans. Today’s large aircraft generally use turbofan engines as their power source. If the focus of the turbine is to solve the problem of high temperature resistance, then the focus of the fan problem is to solve the problem of centrifugal force and weight. The aero-engine suitable for large aircraft has a fan diameter of about 3 m. For example, the GE90 fan developed by GE for the Boeing 777 has a diameter of 3.142 m and a blade height of 1.22 m. If such a huge fan is made of heavy metal materials , Even if it is made of hollow blades, the strong centrifugal force can tear the fan instantly. Therefore, how to make the large fan blades lighter and withstand the centrifugal force has become a difficult problem that must be overcome. OEM/ODM manufacturing manufacture aluminium milling service

Finally, there are issues of materials and manufacturing processes. Whether it is the turbine and combustion chamber at the hot end, or the large blades of the fan at the cold end, the development of special materials and manufacturing processes must pass the test. In addition, the interior of the aero-engine is extremely complex and precise, and the requirement for manufacturing and assembly is “zero error”. How to improve the level of manufacturing and assembly technology is also a very difficult challenge. Because aero engines are extremely difficult to manufacture, there are only a handful of countries that can produce them so far. It is precisely because of the recognition of the high-tech content and high added value of aero-engines that aviation developed countries have always regarded it as a highly monopolized and tightly sealed high-tech cutting-edge technology. No exception.

Generally speaking, aero-engine is a knowledge-intensive, technology-intensive and capital-intensive industry with a long industrial chain. Its development can not only promote the technological progress of the country, but also drive the sustainable development of a large number of related industries. Its intelligence, technology and economic The spillover effects are immeasurable. According to a research in the Japanese industry, in terms of the value ratio created by unit weight, ships are 1, cars are 9, computers are 300, regional aircraft are 800, and aero engines are as high as 1400. They are called “world industrial products” The jewel in the crown”. OEM/ODM manufacturing manufacture aluminium milling service

The research and development strategy of the “Chinese heart” of aero-engines can be described as “two-step follow-up” and “three-step catch-up”: “two-step follow-up” means that the C919 large aircraft will first be equipped with foreign engines and go to the market as soon as possible ; Then, install the aero-engine developed by China itself, one after the other, succeeding each other, inseparable. “Three-step catching up” refers to the fact that the independent research and development process of China’s aero-engines can be compared to three realms, that is, from “filling in the vacancies” to “seeking to match”, and finally ensuring that it is “on par with developed countries”. OEM/ODM manufacturing manufacture aluminium milling service

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