Vibratory finishing of turbine blades

Abstract

Vibratory finishing is a widely used and robust surface finishing process for airfoils to achieve surface roughness as required. However process parameters are mainly based on experience as well as trial and error. It is a process that is known to work but the mechanisms and working processes are still relatively unexplored. The objective of this project is to build an improved understanding of the process of vibratory finishing on primitive turbine blades and identifying critical process parameters as a function of material, geometry, initial surface condition and targeted surface quality. The study of the effects of vibratory finishing on surface roughness can be achieved by the use of various instruments like the Scanning Electron Microscope, Talysurf, Talyscan and Coordinate Measurement Machine.