Turbine Blade & Vane Factory Attains High Productivity by Assembly Line Process: Soma Factory of Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.

摘要

The jet engine has become a primary thrust mechanism of aircraft since it was developed in the early 1930s. The jet engine is categorized as a gas turbine engine. Generally, the gas turbine is primarily comprised of a compressor, combus-tor and turbine, which is sometimes called the gas turbine core. The air is compressed through the compressor and mixed with fuel for burning in the com-bustor, creating a high energy gas. During passing through the turbine, a part of the energy is absorbed by the turbine at first mainly to rotate the compressor. The remaining exhaust gas still has a high energy and is used for various purposes. In the case of the jet engine, the exhaust gas is used directly for propulsion. The modern subsonic engine has a fan in front of the compressor to achieve a better fuel consumption. In this case, an additional turbine is used to rotate a fan connected by another shaft. The fan works as a high performance propeller, generating most of the thrust up to subsonic speed conditions. Because the gas turbine is a thermal system, the maximum temperature at the inlet of the turbine is the most important parameter for thermal efficiency. The turbine, which is a combination of rotating blades and static vanes, has to withstand hot gas at more than 1500℃.