Five-axis abrasive belt flap wheel polishing method for leading and trailing edges of aero-engine blade

Abstract

Surface quality and profile accuracy of the leading and trailing edges (LTE) have a direct influence on the performance and lifetime of an aero-engine. The artificial buffing polishing for LTE has the drawbacks of heavy workload, poor consistency, experience-dependence, and so on. To solve these problems, the five-axis abrasive belt flap wheel (ABFW) polishing method for LTE of an aero-engine blade is proposed in this manuscript. Firstly, the flexible deformation law of ABFW is studied based on the Hertz elastic contact theory. Then, the control system of the contact force is established to keep the stability of the material removal rate in ABFW polishing. Furthermore, the key technologies of LTE polishing path planning with ABFW such as path direction determining, row space determining, and tool posture calculating are studied. After that, the polishing path of LTE with ABFW is generated. Finally, the verification experiments are carried out. The results suggest that the ABFW flexible deformation law is reliable, and the proposed polishing method for LTE is feasible and effective.