Nowadays, greenhouse gases are a worldwide environmental issue. This is why a significant reduction of pollutant emissions inducing a considerable slowing down of climate change is a matter of primary importance. This topic is dramatically influencing the future of industrial production, and thus, also in the aeronautical field, it is becoming a very important technology driver. Advanced diesel engines are promising solutions to achieve a more fuel-efficient aircraft due to their high efficiency and ability to use widely available and low-cost jet and diesel fuels. In this work, innovative electron beam melting (EBM) additive layer manufacturing (ALM) technologies of titanium alloy were applied to the two-strokes, common rail, GF56 diesel engine, designed and developed by the CMD Company for aeronautic applications. The additive-oriented lattice configuration allowed, through a new design, a substantial saving of weight for the engine, as well as a topological optimization and fabrication of alternative connecting rods of a GF56 engine. After a preliminary investigation of EBM process parameters and mechanical characterization of titanium alloy samples, the obtained engine component prototypes were structurally investigated, topologically optimized, and three-dimensionally (3D) printed. Finally, the overall performance improvement on a typical general aviation (GA) aircraft was estimated by comparing the conventional engine with the optimized GF56 propulsion system.

Performance Improvement of Piston Engine in Aeronautics by Means of Additive Manufacturing Technologies

Caiazzo F.
2021-01-01

Abstract

Nowadays, greenhouse gases are a worldwide environmental issue. This is why a significant reduction of pollutant emissions inducing a considerable slowing down of climate change is a matter of primary importance. This topic is dramatically influencing the future of industrial production, and thus, also in the aeronautical field, it is becoming a very important technology driver. Advanced diesel engines are promising solutions to achieve a more fuel-efficient aircraft due to their high efficiency and ability to use widely available and low-cost jet and diesel fuels. In this work, innovative electron beam melting (EBM) additive layer manufacturing (ALM) technologies of titanium alloy were applied to the two-strokes, common rail, GF56 diesel engine, designed and developed by the CMD Company for aeronautic applications. The additive-oriented lattice configuration allowed, through a new design, a substantial saving of weight for the engine, as well as a topological optimization and fabrication of alternative connecting rods of a GF56 engine. After a preliminary investigation of EBM process parameters and mechanical characterization of titanium alloy samples, the obtained engine component prototypes were structurally investigated, topologically optimized, and three-dimensionally (3D) printed. Finally, the overall performance improvement on a typical general aviation (GA) aircraft was estimated by comparing the conventional engine with the optimized GF56 propulsion system.
2021
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11386/4770573
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