This online design study features floatwall panels for a jet engine combustor. These panels line the combustors, serving to contain hot combustion gases and act as thermal barriers to minimize energy loss. The study presents the requirements of the application, describes the basic configuration of the panels, and lists the manufacturing challenges (achieiving high temperature properties, producing cooling pins and attachment studs with accuracy, meeting dimensional tolerances). The user is then led through the casting design issues (molding process, casting process, mold configuration, gating system) giving choices for each issue. The design study concludes by selecting investment casting as the molding process and countergravity low pressure vacuum process for casting as a means for achieving thin walls and fine surface features in highly reactive alloys.

Citation: “A Design Study in Nickel-Based Superalloy Castings: Floatwall Panels for a Jet Engine Combustor”. Steel Founders’ Society of America. 2002. American Foundry Society.

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