Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BBT (High performance intelligent Bottle Bore Tool for machining of the engine drive shaft)
Berichtszeitraum: 2019-04-01 bis 2019-12-31
The aeronautical sector through Clean Sky 2 Work Programme aims at contributing to one of the key Societal Challenges, ‘smart, green and integrated transport’, defined in Horizon 2020, enabling cutting edge solutions to decrease the environmental impact and to achieve the ACARE 2020 goals, facilitating the first steps to the Flightpath 2050 targets that include 75% of CO2, 90% of NOx and 65% noise reductions.
Clean Sky 2 affords the development of different technology demonstrators to advance towards the mentioned objectives. The Ultra High Propulsive Efficiency (UHPE) engine architecture is within the ITD devoted to the develop and validate new radical engine architectures able to meet the targets of ACARE 2020.
The UHPE includes significant changes in the configuration and functioning scheme compared to current technology for the aircraft engines. A main change is the addition of a gearbox to decouple the fan and the turbine rotation, resulting in new requirements for the main turbine shaft (increased RPM and decreased torque); these aspects involve new size and shape needs for this shaft that challenge the current manufacturing methods to achieve an internal bottle bore geometry with a high Length to Diameter ratio, fulfilling strict requirement about the geometrical tolerances and the surface integrity. At this point, the proposal covers the development of new tooling systems to perform the machining of the shaft with the required precision and quality.
The main objective of the BBT project was to develop an intelligent tool concept for the internal profiling of the engine drive shaft integrating different technological subsystems that enable the achievement of large Length to Diameter ratio and meeting the aeronautic requirements related to the performance and quality. This new concept for the boring bar was based on the use of mechatronic concepts and the continuous monitoring with integrated sensors, allowing an improved process.
The overall concept was based on the integration of different subsystems in the concept of the tool (boring bar) to achieve the main goal of allow the manufacturing of bottle bore shafts. The development included the following stages:
•Selection of the suitable technologies for the different subsystems and design of the solution.
•Integration of the different subsystems in a tool concept able to perform the machining operations.
•Manufacturing and testing the solution.
The main challenge in the selection of the different subsystems relied on the reduction of the size of these components in order to be able to integrate the elements to perform the required functionalities of the tooling systems; maintaining a modular nature to allow the use of different tools depending on the shaft geometry.
Clean Sky 2 affords the development of different technology demonstrators to advance towards the mentioned objectives. The Ultra High Propulsive Efficiency (UHPE) engine architecture is within the ITD devoted to the develop and validate new radical engine architectures able to meet the targets of ACARE 2020.
The UHPE includes significant changes in the configuration and functioning scheme compared to current technology for the aircraft engines. A main change is the addition of a gearbox to decouple the fan and the turbine rotation, resulting in new requirements for the main turbine shaft (increased RPM and decreased torque); these aspects involve new size and shape needs for this shaft that challenge the current manufacturing methods to achieve an internal bottle bore geometry with a high Length to Diameter ratio, fulfilling strict requirement about the geometrical tolerances and the surface integrity. At this point, the proposal covers the development of new tooling systems to perform the machining of the shaft with the required precision and quality.
The main objective of the BBT project was to develop an intelligent tool concept for the internal profiling of the engine drive shaft integrating different technological subsystems that enable the achievement of large Length to Diameter ratio and meeting the aeronautic requirements related to the performance and quality. This new concept for the boring bar was based on the use of mechatronic concepts and the continuous monitoring with integrated sensors, allowing an improved process.
The overall concept was based on the integration of different subsystems in the concept of the tool (boring bar) to achieve the main goal of allow the manufacturing of bottle bore shafts. The development included the following stages:
•Selection of the suitable technologies for the different subsystems and design of the solution.
•Integration of the different subsystems in a tool concept able to perform the machining operations.
•Manufacturing and testing the solution.
The main challenge in the selection of the different subsystems relied on the reduction of the size of these components in order to be able to integrate the elements to perform the required functionalities of the tooling systems; maintaining a modular nature to allow the use of different tools depending on the shaft geometry.
1st Period. Month 1 (January 2018) to Month 15 (March 2019)
The activities carried out during the first period of the project (15 months) corresponds to the design of the boring bar, being the remaining activity the development of the prototype and the testing of it. This covers the Objective 1 ('Design of the subsystems of the tooling system') and partially the Objective 2 ('Integration of the subsystems in a tool concept design').
Initially, within the WP1 (“Establishment of requirements and concepts for the new tool system”), the requirements of the project were established to adapt the design development to them. These WP also include the preliminary design of the different subsystems and the conceptual design of the boring bar.
Within the WP2 (“Sensors, signal processing and presentation of results”), the selection of sensors for the control of the process, the chip size and the surface integrity were selected. These sensors were integrated in the design of the boring carried out in the WP3. On the other hand, the activity related to the characterization of the sensors’ behavior, the establishment of the data analysis algorithms for the treatment of the sensors’ data and the software for the presentation of the results are still ongoing (scheduled to be completed by month 18).
Within the WP3 (“Tool and system design”), the detailed design of the boring bar is already finished. The materials purchasing and components manufacturing is ongoing; while the assembly of the boring bar and the verification tests are expected to be completed in month 19.
Final 2nd Period. Month 16 (April 2019) to Month 24 (December 2019)
The activities carried out during the second period of the project (from month 16 to month 24) correspond to the manufacturing and assembly of the prototype of the boring bar, the integration of it in a machine tool and the development of the validation tests. The manufacturing and assembly of the boring bar is a part of the WP3 of the project; while the integration in a machine tool and the validation tests are part of the WP4 (“Demonstration and verification”) of the project. Within the WP2, the activities corresponding to the sensors and signal processing were also completed during this period, including the data analysis algorithms and presentation of results.
Within the WP2 (“Sensors, signal processing and presentation of results”), the testing of the sensors (accelerometer integrated in the boring bar, confocal sensor, and chip measurement subsystem) was carried out including the development of the software required for the data acquisition and the algorithms for the data treatment. This activity and the D2.21 were delayed and completed in month 23.
Within the WP3 (“Tool and system design”), the detailed design of the boring bar was already finished in the first perior. So, the activity of this second period was focused on the manufacturing of the components, the purchasing of the commercials and the assembly of the boring bar. This was achieved at the end of the month 19, leading to the activities of the WP4.
The first part of the WP4 was carried out in the month 20, comprising the integration of the boring bar in the machine tool. The mechanical assembly was achieved successfully, but the electrical integration was not completed because the communication between the motor and the CNC cannot be achieved. As a consequence of the failed integration, the validation tests were modified to assess the behavior of the boring bar without machining tests. The validation tests were oriented to characterize the behavior of the support subsystem of the boring bar.
Regarding the WP5, the activities of exploitation have been limited because the project results have resulted in two patent applications that are being currently prepared, i.e. they are not submitted yet. It is expected to be submitted by the end of February 2020.
The activities of dissemination have been limited because of the need to protect the results. In this sense the main activities have been focused on the communication of the project including the project web site, press releases and activities in fairs and social networks.
The activities carried out during the first period of the project (15 months) corresponds to the design of the boring bar, being the remaining activity the development of the prototype and the testing of it. This covers the Objective 1 ('Design of the subsystems of the tooling system') and partially the Objective 2 ('Integration of the subsystems in a tool concept design').
Initially, within the WP1 (“Establishment of requirements and concepts for the new tool system”), the requirements of the project were established to adapt the design development to them. These WP also include the preliminary design of the different subsystems and the conceptual design of the boring bar.
Within the WP2 (“Sensors, signal processing and presentation of results”), the selection of sensors for the control of the process, the chip size and the surface integrity were selected. These sensors were integrated in the design of the boring carried out in the WP3. On the other hand, the activity related to the characterization of the sensors’ behavior, the establishment of the data analysis algorithms for the treatment of the sensors’ data and the software for the presentation of the results are still ongoing (scheduled to be completed by month 18).
Within the WP3 (“Tool and system design”), the detailed design of the boring bar is already finished. The materials purchasing and components manufacturing is ongoing; while the assembly of the boring bar and the verification tests are expected to be completed in month 19.
Final 2nd Period. Month 16 (April 2019) to Month 24 (December 2019)
The activities carried out during the second period of the project (from month 16 to month 24) correspond to the manufacturing and assembly of the prototype of the boring bar, the integration of it in a machine tool and the development of the validation tests. The manufacturing and assembly of the boring bar is a part of the WP3 of the project; while the integration in a machine tool and the validation tests are part of the WP4 (“Demonstration and verification”) of the project. Within the WP2, the activities corresponding to the sensors and signal processing were also completed during this period, including the data analysis algorithms and presentation of results.
Within the WP2 (“Sensors, signal processing and presentation of results”), the testing of the sensors (accelerometer integrated in the boring bar, confocal sensor, and chip measurement subsystem) was carried out including the development of the software required for the data acquisition and the algorithms for the data treatment. This activity and the D2.21 were delayed and completed in month 23.
Within the WP3 (“Tool and system design”), the detailed design of the boring bar was already finished in the first perior. So, the activity of this second period was focused on the manufacturing of the components, the purchasing of the commercials and the assembly of the boring bar. This was achieved at the end of the month 19, leading to the activities of the WP4.
The first part of the WP4 was carried out in the month 20, comprising the integration of the boring bar in the machine tool. The mechanical assembly was achieved successfully, but the electrical integration was not completed because the communication between the motor and the CNC cannot be achieved. As a consequence of the failed integration, the validation tests were modified to assess the behavior of the boring bar without machining tests. The validation tests were oriented to characterize the behavior of the support subsystem of the boring bar.
Regarding the WP5, the activities of exploitation have been limited because the project results have resulted in two patent applications that are being currently prepared, i.e. they are not submitted yet. It is expected to be submitted by the end of February 2020.
The activities of dissemination have been limited because of the need to protect the results. In this sense the main activities have been focused on the communication of the project including the project web site, press releases and activities in fairs and social networks.
The progress beyond the state of the art are related to the subsystems developed and the integration of these subsystem in the boring bar design. These advances can be summarized as:
- Integration of sensors in the boring bar.
- Integration of the actuation system in the boring bar avoiding the use of a quill (Patent pending).
- Development of a chip size monitoring system.
- Development of an internal support for the boring bar with adjustable support diameter during the machining process (Patent pending).
- Integration of sensors in the boring bar.
- Integration of the actuation system in the boring bar avoiding the use of a quill (Patent pending).
- Development of a chip size monitoring system.
- Development of an internal support for the boring bar with adjustable support diameter during the machining process (Patent pending).