Overview of Titanium applications in Dassault Aviation

DASSAULT AVIATION Proprietary Data.

Overview of Titanium applications in Dassault Aviation Airframes

Matthieu Pachoutinsky 1 October 7-10, 2012- Atlanta, Georgia, USA


Overview of Titanium applications in Dassault Aviation Airframes

• Dassault Aviation • Part applications and processes

• Parts machined from plates • Forged parts • Casting • SPF-DB

• Example of canard surface assembly • Others: Tubing / Fasteners / Direct Manufacturing • Titanium distribution on Rafale and Falcon • Challenges • Conclusion

2

Agenda


Dassault Aviation

Aircrafts in production : Rafale, Falcon, nEUROn

A world leader in top-of-the-range executive jets.

Approx 11,500 employees; Based in France and United States and 8 other international locations.

Aircrafts in more than 77 countries across 5 continents.

More than 8,000 aircrafts delivered, representing 25 million hours of flight time.

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Parts machined from plates : Rafale’s leading edge slat tracks

• Advantages : High mechanical properties, non specific supply • Drawbacks : High buy to fly ratio (5.5), geometrical limitations

Leading edge slat tracks machined from Ti-6-4 plates

Size: 310x90x45mm Thickness range: 4mm

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Rib 1

Investment casting Ti-6-4 Rafale rib 1

Size: 1250x300x250mm Thickness: 2 to 25mm

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Investment casting Ti-6-4: Titanium central box for Horizontal Stabilizer

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DASSAULT AVIATION Proprietary Data. 7

Horizontal stabilizerFalcon 50, 900, 2000, re-engineering : composite + titanium box • Casting used for functional integration reducing fasteners and parts • Titanium used for high specific strength

Before After Number of parts 240 36

Fastening elements 12000 3500


Catia model

Stereolithography

Casting

Horizontal stabilizer: titanium casting central box

Vacuum investment casting Ti-6-4

Final part

Shell mould


Size: 990x520x330mm Thickness range: 2-5 mm Buy to fly : 2 to 3

Investment casting Ti-6-4 • Advantages : Delivers complex parts, functional integration, thin walls, low buy to fly ratio • Drawbacks : Casting factor, long development time, frozen geometry, specific design for each supplier

Size: 1250x300x250mm Thickness range: 2-25mm Buy to fly : 2


Wing fittings

Size: 270x300x180mm

Forged parts Ti-6-4: Rafale Wing fittings

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Machined Die forged

Forged parts: Rafale under wing fittings • Advantages : high mechanical properties, intermediate buy to fly ratio (4) • Drawbacks : Long development time, frozen geometry, geometrical limitations

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SPFDB : Rafale’s leading edge slats and canard surfaces

SPFDB: Super Plastic Forming Diffusion Bonding

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Canard surface

Leading edge slats


SPFDB : Rafale Leading edge slat and canard surfaces • Advantages : Very low buy to fly ratio, fully integrated parts • Drawbacks : Complex process, frozen geometry, high quality thin sheets requirements, chemical milling

Leading edge Ti-6-4

Canard surface Ti-6-4

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Size: 2000x1000x200mm

Example of canard surface assembly

Number of parts : 5 Pin is electron beam welded on fitting SPF-BD No fastener

Pin

Fitting

Box

Trailing edge box

Trailing edge

fairing


Others: Tubings / Fasteners / Direct Manufacturing Tubings : Ti-3-2.5 and CPTi • 600m of hydraulics tubing for F7X • 150m for a Rafale

Fasteners : Ti-6-4 • 110000 titanium fasteners for F7X • 60000 titanium fasteners for Rafale

Direct Manufacturing Ti-6-4 • Ventilation system • Prototyping

15 Tubing parts on prototype

Titanium fasterners

CPTi air conditioning pipe


105

85

Composite

Titanium

Others

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10

70

Composite

Titanium

Others

Titanium distribution on Rafale and Falcon airframes

Why Titanium used : -1- benefits of high specific strength (highly loaded parts in small volume) more opportunity in a combat aircraft -2- for thermal expansion compatibility with composite -3- for galvanic compatibility during direct assembly

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Rafale airframes Falcon airframes


Challenges

Supply chain Dassault Aviation: small player in titanium market

• Develop a strategic supply plan • Critical parts : complex qualification process

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Environmental • Eliminate fluonitric acid for chemical milling and etching • Recycling of scrap material • Friendly surface treatments

Very few suppliers Technical Downsizing qualification test plan

• Microstructure/properties correlation • Identify impact of process steps on properties • Identify scatter in properties


Conclusion

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Next step Improve performances and competitiveness

• Implement new processes (ex. Machining improvement) • Optimized design • Secure supply chain •

Dassault’s signature Ti-6-4 only

• Well known, homogeneous in term of mechanical properties • Easy supply • Minimization of qualification cost

Processes optimization • Cost driver: buy to fly ratio • Wide range of technology

Environmental • Focus of current research • Chemical milling replacement by mechanical machining

Casting

Die Forging

SPFDB


Back-up

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Ce document est la propriété intellectuelle de DASSAULT AVIATION. Il ne peut être utilisé, reproduit, modifié ou communiqué sans son autorisation. DASSAULT AVIATION Proprietary Data. Direction Générale Technique

What is SPF-DB? SPF-DB = Super Plastic Forming & Diffusion Bonding

⇒ Thin structures

SPF = Superplasticity Gas presure

sheet mould

T °

⇒ deep hole possibility DB = Welding by atomic diffusion in solid phase

DB zones

⇒Perfect bonding without fasteners

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Direct Metal Deposition Argon

part

substrate

Coaxial

Nozzle

CAD/CAD

Motion Table XY

LASER

∆Z (Nozzle)

Argon

part

CAD/CAM LASER

Laser wipering

Feeding system

Manufacturing Chamber

Feeding chamber

Optomec LENS® 850R Trumph DMD 505 Inss Tek Inc. MetalWorks 350

Phenix PM 250, TRUMPF LF250, EOS M270, MCP Realizer II

Direct Manufacturing Selective Laser Melting


0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1100

2,5mm < e < 4,76mm 1,6mm < e < 2,5mm 1,27mm < e < 1,6mm 0,8mm < e < 1,27mm 0,5mm < e < 0,8mm

Moy R0,2 LMoyRm LMoy R0,2TLMoy RmTL

mini R0,2

Mini Rm

Maxi Rm

Static properties on Ti-6-4 sheets Variability with thickness between 0.5 to 5mm


1,E-04

1,E-03

1,E-02

1,E-01

10 100

ΔK (MPa.√m1/2)

da/d

N e

n m

m/c

ycle

VSMPO - 90mm

VSMPO-45mm

RMI-100mm

Timet-100mm

VSMPO 2mm

Fatigue crack growth rate on Ti-6-4 plates Variability between suppliers


Typical Microstructure on Ti-6-4 sheets

0.5mm gage

4mm gage


Typical Microstructure on Ti-6-4 casting

0,2mm

Documents

Overview of Titanium applications in Dassault Aviation