Production Engineering Department

Faculty of Engineering
Alexandria University

Forming Technology Applications

Aircraft Industry

Prepared for
Dr. Mohamed A. Daha

Prepared by
Group No. 12

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Table of Contents
Aircrafts Fabrication................................................................................................................... 1
Aircraft Industry ..................................................................................................................... 1
History .................................................................................................................................... 1
Aircraft materials ....................................................................................................................... 2
Working of materials ............................................................................................................. 2
Special requirements of military aircraft ........................................................................... 2
Wood...................................................................................................................................... 3
Steel Alloys ............................................................................................................................. 3
Magnesium ............................................................................................................................ 3
Aluminum ............................................................................................................................... 3
Titanium ................................................................................................................................. 4
Parts manufactured from titanium alloys.......................................................................... 4
NONMETALLIC MATERIALS .................................................................................................... 4
Transparent Plastic ............................................................................................................ 4
Reinforced Plastic............................................................................................................... 5
Composite and Carbon Fiber ............................................................................................. 5
Forming processes ..................................................................................................................... 5
Sheet Stretch Forming ........................................................................................................... 5
Extrusion Stretch Forming ..................................................................................................... 6
Superplastic forming .............................................................................................................. 6
Advantages......................................................................................................................... 7
Disadvantages .................................................................................................................... 7
Shot peenig g ......................................................................................................................... 7
Surface Finish: .................................................................................................................... 8
Materials used ................................................................................................................... 8
Advantages......................................................................................................................... 8
Creep-age forming ................................................................................................................. 9
Diffusion bonding ................................................................................................................... 9
Laminating............................................................................................................................ 10
Calendering .......................................................................................................................... 10
Precision forging .................................................................................................................. 10
Wing and fuselage skin manufacturing ................................................................................... 10
Forming Processes ............................................................................................................... 10
Materials .............................................................................................................................. 10

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY
Engine manufacturing .............................................................................................................. 11
Main parts of an engine ....................................................................................................... 11
Fan System ....................................................................................................................... 11
Compressor ...................................................................................................................... 11
Combustor ....................................................................................................................... 11
Turbine ............................................................................................................................. 11
Nozzle ............................................................................................................................... 11
Engine mechanism ............................................................................................................... 11
Materials used in engine manufacturing ............................................................................. 12
Forming processes ............................................................................................................... 13
Fan blades ........................................................................................................................ 13
Compressor disks ............................................................................................................. 13
Compressor disk blades ................................................................................................... 13
Integrated disks and blades (BLISK) ................................................................................. 14
Turbine blades ................................................................................................................. 14
Fuselage manufacturing........................................................................................................... 14
Types of structures .............................................................................................................. 15
Truss structure ................................................................................................................. 15
Geodesic construction ..................................................................................................... 15
Monocoque shell ............................................................................................................. 15
Semi-monocoque ............................................................................................................. 15
Materials .............................................................................................................................. 15
Interior design .......................................................................................................................... 15
Forming processes ............................................................................................................... 15
Aircraft products .............................................................................................................. 15
Materials .............................................................................................................................. 16
Rivets ........................................................................................................................................ 16
Forming processes ............................................................................................................... 16
Rolling Process ................................................................................................................. 16
Forging ............................................................................................................................. 16
Materials .............................................................................................................................. 16
Aircraft assembly process ........................................................................................................ 17
References ............................................................................................................................... 18
Group members ....................................................................................................................... 19

ii

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

List of Figures
Figure 1: NASA test aircrafts ...................................................................................................... 1
Figure 2: Aircraft External parts ................................................................................................. 1
Figure 3: Aircraft interior parts materials ................................................................................. 2
Figure 4: Use of aluminum alloys in aircraft different parts ...................................................... 3
Figure 5: Major trends of titanium applications for aircraft building........................................ 4
Figure 6: Stretch forming principle ............................................................................................ 5
Figure 7: Different formed sheet metal ..................................................................................... 6
Figure 8: Percentage of materials distribution in Boeing 777 ................................................... 6
Figure 9: Schematic of residual stress distribution .................................................................... 7
Figure 10: Effect of shot peen on a panel .................................................................................. 8
Figure 11: Shot peened metal surface finish ............................................................................. 8
Figure 12: Age forming process ................................................................................................. 9
Figure 13: Precision forging ..................................................................................................... 10
Figure 14: Engine major components ...................................................................................... 11
Figure 15: Engine mechanism .................................................................................................. 12
Figure 16: Materials of engine parts ........................................................................................ 12
Figure 17: Hollow structure of fan blade ................................................................................. 13
Figure 18: Forged compressor disk .......................................................................................... 13
Figure 19: Forged compressor disk .......................................................................................... 13
Figure 20: Isothermal forging of a BLISK .................................................................................. 14
Figure 21: Forged turbine blade .............................................................................................. 14
Figure 22: Rivets in aircrafts .................................................................................................... 16
Figure 23: Aircraft assembly process ....................................................................................... 17

iii

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Aircrafts Fabrication
An aircraft is a machine that is able to fly by
gaining support from the air, or, in general, the
atmosphere of a planet. It counters the force of
gravity by using either static lift or by using the
dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the
downward thrust from jet engines. It could be
classified into different criteria, such as lift type,
propulsion, usage and others.

Aircraft Industry
Aircraft industry is the industry supporting
aviation by building aircraft and manufacturing
aircraft parts for their maintenance. Most
production is done pursuant to type certificates
and Defense Standards issued by a government body.

Figure 1: NASA test aircrafts

History
Flying model craft and stories of manned flight go back many centuries, however the first
manned ascent and safe descent in modern times took place by hot-air balloon in the 18th
century. Each of the two World Wars led to great technical advances. Consequently the
history of aircraft can be divided into five eras:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Pioneers of flight, from the earliest experiments to 1914.

First World War, 1914 to 1918.
Aviation between the World Wars, 1918 to 1939.
Second World War, 1939 to 1945.
Postwar era, also called the jet age, 1945 to the present day.

Figure 2: Aircraft External parts

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Figure 3: Aircraft interior parts materials

Aircraft materials
Materials used for aircraft building should have the following characteristics:

Small weight.
High specific strength.
Heat resistance.

Fatigue load resistance.

Crack resistance.
Corrosion resistance.

Working of materials
Materials play an important role not only in the fabrication methods used but also in the
safety measures employed. For example, beryllium, whose combination of light weight, high
strength, and high melting point makes it a valuable structural material, yields dust and chips
during machining. Because exposure to beryllium particles can cause adverse health effects,
special care is required to preclude their contamination of personnel or atmosphere.
Polymer-matrix composites also require special contamination protection because of the
toxic character of the resins involved.
Polymer-matrix composites are valued in the aerospace industry for their stiffness, lightness,
and heat resistance. In the former, individual sheet elements are layered in metal, wood, or
plastic molds and joined with adhesives. Applications for sheet composites include wing skins
and fuselage bulkheads in aircraft.
Special requirements of military aircraft
Military aircraft demand lightweight structures to achieve high performance. Moreover, the
materials used must be able to withstand the temperatures created by air friction when the
vehicle is flying at high speeds. These requirements have fostered the use of new metals such
as aluminum-magnesium alloys and titanium, as well as composites and polymers for many
surfaces as much as 35 percent of the structure. The manufacture of these materials and their
products has created new challenges.

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Wood
Due to light weight and availability. It has a good strength and it is easy to be used and
repaired. Also it is three times cheaper than metal aircrafts.

Steel Alloys
Its strength is higher than wood. But it was too heavy and was affecting the stability and
speed of the aircraft. Such steels are made into tubes, rods, and wires.

Magnesium
Magnesium is the world's lightest structural metal. It is a silvery-white material that weighs
two-thirds as much as aluminum. Magnesium is used to make helicopters. Magnesium's low
resistance to corrosion has limited its use in conventional aircraft.

Aluminum
Aluminum alloys are widely used in modern aircraft construction. Aluminum alloys are
valuable because they have a high strength-to-weight ratio. Aluminum alloys are
comparatively easy to fabricate.
Among one of aluminum's advantages shall be considered its low density, relatively high
strength properties, good thermal and electric conductivity, technological effectiveness, high
corrosion resistance.
The outstanding characteristic of aluminum is its lightweight. Due to combination of these
properties aluminum is considered to be one of the most important engineering materials.
Alloys of 2, , 5, 6 and 7 series are widely used for aircraft industry in the USA.
Al-Zn-Mg-Cu high-strength aluminum alloys hardened by heat. They are structural material
for skin and inner set of airframe components.

Recommended for
operation of significantly
loaded parts at lower
temperatures and for
parts with high corrosion
resistance under stress.

2 series

Recommended for work at

high operating
temperatures and with
increased values of
fracture toughness ratio.

, 5
and 6xxx
series

Reommended for lowloaded assemblies They

are also used in hydraulic,
oil and fuel systems.

7 series

Figure 4: Use of aluminum alloys in aircraft different parts

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Titanium
Aluminum was widely used in subsonic aircraft. Currently a greater amount of titanium is
incorporated in to aircraft which is considered as the first and major titanium consumer.
This is connected with the fact that the share of the composite materials with which
aluminum intensively interacts and corrodes in the new airplanes is being increased.
Although titanium is a relatively brittle material has high strength-to-weight properties at
operating temperatures as high as 480 C. Forming it into sheets generally requires heated
dies and specialized machining and grinding; therefore usually limited to applications, such as
leading edges for wings and tails and related fittings, where its characteristics excel.
Fabrication of items of complex space configuration
Hatch and door edging where moisture is likely to be accumulated.
Due to high corrosion resistance.
Skins affected by engine combustion product flow, flame preventing fire safety-proof membranes.
Due to high temperature of melting and chemical inactivity .
Thin-walled lead pipes of air system.
Due to minimum thermal extension ratio compared to all other metals is user.
Floor decking of the cargo cabin.
Due to high strength and hardness.
Fabrication of designated high-loaded assemblies and units
Landing gears.
Fastening elements of the wing.
Hydrocylinders.
Engine part manufacturing

Figure 5: Major trends of titanium applications for aircraft building

Parts manufactured from titanium alloys

Ailerons.
Spar walls.
Panels.
Brackets.
Steering wheels.

Wedge meshes.
Air intake ducts.
Lead pipes.
Frames.

Leading edge flaps

and flaps.
Hydraulic systems.
Fasteners.

NONMETALLIC MATERIALS
Transparent Plastic
Transparent plastic is used in canopies, windshields, and other transparent enclosures. You need to
handle transparent plastic surfaces carefully because they are relatively soft and scratch easily.

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY
Reinforced Plastic
Reinforced plastic is used in the construction of radomes, wingtips, stabilizer tips, antenna covers, and
flight controls. Reinforced plastic has a high strength-to-weight ratio and is resistant to mildew and
rot. Because it is easy to fabricate, it is equally suitable for other parts of the aircraft.
Composite and Carbon Fiber
High-performance aircraft require an extra high strength-to-weight ratio material. Fabrication of
composite materials satisfies this special requirement. Composite materials are constructed by using
several layers of bonding materials. These materials are mechanically fastened to conventional
substructures. Another type of composite construction consists of thin graphite epoxy skins bonded to
an aluminum honeycomb core. Carbon fiber is extremely strong, thin fiber made by heating synthetic
fibers, such as rayon, until charred, and then

Forming processes
Sheet Stretch Forming
Sheet metal components in different forms and properties are widely used in aerospace industry.
Sheet parts with large radius of curvature and combined contours can be produced by stretch forming
process. Thats why this process is extensively used in aircraft industry. Although, large presses are
used for this process to manufacture wing members, tail structures, fuselage segments, engine
components, helicopter blades, external fuel tanks for space shuttles.
In stretch forming process a piece of sheet metal is stretched and bent simultaneously over a die in
order to form large contoured parts. Stretch forming is performed on a stretch press, in which a piece
of sheet metal is securely gripped along its edges by gripping jaws. The gripping jaws are each attached
to a carriage that is pulled by pneumatic or hydraulic force to stretch the sheet. The tooling used in
this process is a stretch form block, called a form die, which is a solid contoured piece against which
the sheet metal will be pressed.

Figure 6: Stretch forming principle

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY
The most common stretch presses are oriented vertically, in which the form die rests on a press table
that can be raised into the sheet by a hydraulic ram. As the form die is driven into the sheet, which is
gripped tightly at its edges, the tensile forces increase and the sheet plastically deforms into a new
shape. Horizontal stretch presses mount the form die sideways on a stationary press table, while the
gripping jaws pull the sheet horizontally around the form die.
Stretch forming is a very accurate and precise method for forming metal shapes, economically. The
level of precision is so high that even intricate multi-components and snap-together curtain wall
components can be formed without loss of section properties or original design function. Stretch
forming capabilities include portions of circles, ellipses, parabolas and arched shapes.
Different sheet metal forms obtained are shown in the
figure. As it is shown, large airplane components which do
not have sharp edges can be generally produced
accurately. The part which will be formed with this process
can be generally a part which has a large radius such as
body panel shown in Figure 6 (a), also it can be a narrow
part to be used in the wing structure Figure 6 (b). On the
other hand, complex parts such as exhaust component
illustrated in Figure 6 (c) and parts which has large bending
radius Figure 6 (d) can be manufactured by using stretch
forming process.
Increasing demand on high aero-dynamical expectations
and overall affordability, significant reductions in structural
weight have to be achieved. Therefore, light weight metals
which provide high strength to weight ratio, are preferred
in aerospace industry. Due to its good formability, low
density, high strength to weight ratio, corrosion
resistance, heat treatable properties and high availability,
aluminum can be considered as one of the most
important material for aerospace industry. For example,
the worlds largest twin engine airplane Boeing 777
consists of 70% aluminum alloy.

Figure 7: Different formed sheet

metal

Figure 8: Percentage of materials

distribution in Boeing 777

Extrusion Stretch Forming

Extrusion stretch forming press designs for contouring

aluminum aerospace alloys in the form of extrusion roll formed profiles, or press braked shapes. These
presses are sometimes called stretch wrap or swing arm presses. The basic press design has two arms
or carriage beams that hold multiple-positioning gripping jaws. The jaws are attached to hydraulic
tension cylinders that provide the stretch of the work-piece. The arms swing by rotating on large
machined pins with bearings, thus allowing the work-piece to wrap around and against the forming
die.

Superplastic forming
The term super-plasticity is used to describe materials that can be formed to high strains without
formation of unstable tensile necks. It requires controlled conditions of appropriate temperature and
strain rate by using low forces for producing 3D complex shapes with essentially constant section
thickness.

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY
The metal is heated up to a definite temperature to promote super-plasticity, e.g. between 450 520
degree Celsius for aluminum alloys, In this state the material is not very strong so processes that are
usually used on plastics can be applied, such as: thermoforming, blow forming, vacuum forming, and
deep drawing.
Advantages

Good surface finish.

Poor creep due to small grain size.
Forming large and complex work-pieces in one operation.
Does not suffer from spring-back or residual stresses.
Products can also be made larger to eliminate assemblies or reduce weight, which is critical in
aerospace applications.

Disadvantages

Machine and dies are costly.

Shot peenig g
Peen forming is the preferred method of forming aerodynamic contours into aircraft wing skins. It is a
die-less forming process that is performed at room temperature. The process is ideal for forming wing
and empennage panel shapes for even the largest aircraft. It is best suited for forming curvatures
where the radii are within the elastic range of the metal. These are large bend radii without abrupt
changes in contour.
When hard spherical metal shot is impinged upon a
target of elastic/plastic material, and the impact
velocity is sufficiently high, the target material below
each impact undergoes local plastic deformation. Upon
rebound, the rest of the elastic material tends to push
against the plastically deformed zone resulting in
compressive stresses. Softer materials like aluminum
alloy plate engender a relatively large plastic layer.
Higher velocity or larger shot size increases the peening
intensity, and the thickness of the plastic layer.
Peening forming involves the preferential stretching of
one side of the work piece in order to induce a
curvature to the panel. This may be accomplished in
addition to saturation peening, by peening the outer side
at a higher intensity than the inner side.

Figure 9: Schematic of residual stress

distribution

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Figure 10: Effect of shot peen on a panel

Surface Finish:
Shot peening produces a textured surface. While the saturation shot peening applied to both sides of
most wing panels produces an aesthetically pleasing matte finish, rougher surfaces resulting from
more intensive peen forming will need to be dressed. Scuff sanding with several abrasive grits,
followed by acid or caustic etching and chromic acid anodizing. The figure shows in (a) a shot peened
surface 20X, (b) properly sanded surface 20X, in (a) an over sanded surface 20X.

Figure 11: Shot peened metal surface finish

Materials used
Aluminum and copper sheets 3:6 mm thickness.
Advantages

No forming dies are required and performed at room temperature.

Process is performed at room temperature.
There is no expensive modification of dies required.
Peen formed parts exhibit increased resistance to flexural bending fatigue and stress corrosion
cracking as a result.
Peen formed skins exhibit compressive stress on the top and bottom surfaces.
The majority of aircraft in production with aerodynamically formed aluminum alloy wing skins
employ the peen forming process.

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Creep-age forming
Creep-age forming is an interesting process for the airframe industry, as it is able to form or shape
panels into smooth, but complex, curvatures. It combines two metallurgical phenomena, creep and
precipitation hardening, in order to form a metallic part. Both phenomena are highly dependent on
temperature and time. The ageing cycle of the alloy is used to relax external loads imposed to the part,
through creep mechanisms. Those relaxed stresses impose a new curvature to the part. At the end of
the process, significant spring back is observed and the success in achieving the desired form depends
on how the spring back can be predicted in order to compensate it by tooling changes. Most of the
applications relate to simple panels. The present work deals with aluminum panels for aircraft wing
skin application.

Figure 12: Age forming process

Diffusion bonding
Diffusion bonding is a method of joining metallic materials, based on the principles of the atomic
diffusion of elements at the surfaces where they are joined. The process of diffusion transports atoms
through the lattice structure of a crystalline solid. This is done using several mechanisms, such as
exchanging of places between adjacent atoms, motion of interstitial atoms or motion of vacancies
(unoccupied sites in a lattice structure) in the crystal lattice structure. The preferred mechanism of
diffusion is that of the motion of vacancies as a lower activation energy is required for the movement
of atoms. The amount of contact between the surfaces of the metals is a very important factor in
diffusion bonding. This can be optimized, through mechanical machining and polishing, etching,
cleaning, coating and creeping the material under high temperature or loading. In the industrial
application of diffusion bonding, the metal pieces are clamped together and subjected to mild
temperature heat and high pressure. The metals are usually heated to a temperature below their
melting point, and placed under pressure by pressing them together for a long period of time in a
furnace. Over time, atoms diffuse into the joint and fill in the gaps between the pieces thus bonding
them together. This is a chosen method for welding metal titanium alloys because the metal becomes
extremely chemically reactive when exposed to high temperatures. Additionally, the alloy also oxidizes
at low partial pressures of oxygen. Furthermore, Titanium alloys are able to react with oxygen and
nitrogen from the air, if a normal welding process is carried out. Therefore diffusion bonding is
preferred over other welding methods.

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Laminating
The needs of design and haptics require that interior trim components be finished in a wide variety of
decorative materials. Lamination is the technique of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so
that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance or
other properties from the use of differing materials. A laminate is usually permanently assembled by
heat, pressure, welding, or adhesives.

Calendering
Calendering is a final process in which heat and pressure are applied to a fabric by passing it between
heated rollers, imparting a flat, glossy, smooth surface. Luster increases when the degree of heat and
pressure is increased. Calendering is applied to fabrics in which a smooth, flat surface is desirable.

Precision forging
Modern technological advances in the metal forging
process and in the design of die, have allowed for the
development of precision forging. Precision forging
may produce some or no flash and the forged metal
part will be at or near its final dimensions, requiring
little or no finishing.
The number of manufacturing operations is reduced
as well as the material wasted. In addition, precision
forging can manufacture more complex parts with
thinner sections, reduced draft angles, and closer
Figure 13: Precision forging
tolerances. The disadvantages of these advanced
forging methods are that special machinery and die are
needed, also more careful control of the manufacturing process is required. In precision forging, the
flow of the material through the mold must be accurately determined. Other factors in the process
such as the positioning of the work piece in the cavity must also be performed precisely.

Wing and fuselage skin manufacturing

Forming Processes

Stretch Forming.
Creep age forming.
Shot peenig forming.

Materials

Aluminum alloys and titanium.

10

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Engine manufacturing
Main parts of an engine
Engine of an aircraft consists of four basic
components which represent the four
major steps that take place to provide the
flying power for the aircraft.
Fan System
The fan is the first component in a
turbofan. The large spinning fan sucks in
large quantities of air. Most blades of the
fan are made of titanium.

Figure 14: Engine major components

Compressor
The compressor is the first component in the engine core. The compressor is made up of fans with
many blades and attached to a shaft.
Combustor
In the combustor the air is mixed with fuel and then ignited. There are as many as 20 nozzles to spray
fuel into the airstream. The mixture of air and fuel catches fire. This provides a high temperature, highenergy airflow.
Turbine
The high-energy airflow coming out of the combustor goes into the turbine, causing the turbine blades
to rotate.
Nozzle
The nozzle is the exhaust duct of the engine. This is the engine part which actually produces the thrust
for the plane. The energy depleted airflow that passed the turbine, in addition to the colder air that
bypassed the engine core, produces a force when exiting the nozzle that acts to propel the engine
forward.
Each part of these four is manufactured with a process and using materials that suits its job.

Engine mechanism
All jet engines, which are also called gas turbines, work on the same principle. The engine sucks air in
at the front with a fan. A compressor raises the pressure of the air. The compressor is made up of fans
with many blades and attached to a shaft. The blades compress the air. The compressed air is then
sprayed with fuel and an electric spark lights the mixture. The burning gases expand and blast out
through the nozzle, at the back of the engine. As the jets of gas shoot backward, the engine and the
aircraft are thrust forward.

11

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Figure 15: Engine mechanism

Materials used in engine manufacturing

Figure 16: Materials of engine parts

12

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Forming processes
Fan blades
Two processes namely super plastic forming and
Diffusion bonding. The manufacture process starts
with three sheets of forged titanium. A material
called stop-off is printed onto two of the sheets
which will stop them from joining together in the
diffusion bonding process. The 3 sheets are then
Figure 17: Hollow structure of fan blade
sandwiched together, and placed in a Furnace where
the diffusion bonding takes place. A Flat sheet is
produced and all layers are joined except in areas where stop-off has been applied. Thereafter, the
Flat sheet is shaped at high temperatures, in a super plastic forming process. High pressure gas is blown
between the sheets, very much like blowing up the balloon forming the fan blades aero-foil shape. The
Central sheet is stretched and forms the girder structure. After which the aerodynamic shape of the
blade is cut out of the plate, the root fixings are machined and the blades surface is polished to make
the surface smooth to ensure the engine is as efficient as possible by reducing the surface drag.
Compressor disks
It should be noted that conventional methods of hot
processing on crank presses do not provide the uniform
temperature and deformation fields throughout a
whole billet in full measure. That is why structure nonuniformity occurs in deformed semi-products. This in
turn results in the anisotropy of materials properties,
and, consequently, in the decrease of articles quality.
Most noticeably it is revealed in manufacturing of large
size parts, particularly, GTE discs. If we take into
account that discs are critical parts for aircraft engines,
the challenge of guaranteeing the required set of
mechanical properties throughout such parts is of
particular importance.

Figure 18: Forged compressor disk

In this work, a fabrication route involving severe plastic

deformation under super-plasticity regime was used for
producing the required properties in large size forged discs
out of two-phase titanium alloys, presents a standard
fabrication route of producing discs, 400 mm in diameter
and 60-70 mm in height
Compressor disk blades
The precision and dimensional accuracy of the compressor
blades are decisive for the power and output of an aircraft
engine. This is why the manufacture of the
aerodynamically-shaped, complex blade geometries with
the narrowest of tolerances is a particular challenge. That's
why they are made using Precision Forging.

13

Figure 19: Forged compressor disk

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY
Integrated disks and blades (BLISK)
BLISK is one of the most original components in
modern aero-engines. First used in small engines for
helicopters, BLISK was introduced in the year 1980s
for military airplanes engines, and it is rapidly
introduced in commercial turbofan and turboprop
engines. This is due to its advantages, such as:

Weight saving resulting from the elimination

of blade.
Roots and disk lugs.
High aerodynamic efficiency.
Figure 20: Isothermal forging of a BLISK

Turbine blades
Turbine blades can be produced either by casting (Wax mold casting) or by precision forging as well.

Figure 21: Forged turbine blade

Fuselage manufacturing
Fuselage was derived from the French word fusel which means streamline. It is an aircraft's main
body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo and in single-engine aircrafts it usually contains
the engine. The fuselage also serves to position control and stabilization surfaces in specific
relationships to lifting surfaces, required for aircraft stability and maneuverability. In flight, the aircraft
rotates around the center of gravity because of torques generated by the elevator, rudder, and
ailerons. The fuselage must be designed with enough strength to withstand these torques.

14

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Types of structures
Truss structure
This type of structure is still in use in many lightweight aircraft using welded steel tube trusses.
Geodesic construction
In this type of construction multiple flat strip stringers are wound about the formers in opposite spiral
directions, forming a basket-like appearance.
Monocoque shell
In this method, the exterior surface of the fuselage is also the primary structure.
Semi-monocoque
This is the preferred method of constructing an all-aluminum fuselage. First, a series of frames in the
shape of the fuselage cross sections are held in position on a rigid fixture. These frames are then joined
with lightweight longitudinal elements called stringers. These are in turn covered with a skin of sheet
aluminum, attached by riveting or by bonding with special adhesives.
Both monocoque and semi-monocoque are referred to as "stressed skin" structures as all or a portion
of the external load (i.e. from wings and empennage, and from discrete masses such as the engine) is
taken by the surface covering. In addition, all the load from internal pressurization is carried (as skin
tension) by the external skin.

Materials
Early aircraft were constructed of wood frames covered in fabric. As monoplanes became popular,
metal frames improved the strength, which eventually led to all-metal aircraft with metal covering all
surfaces. Some modern aircraft are constructed with composite materials for major control surfaces,
wings, or the entire fuselage such as the Boeing 787.

Interior design
Forming processes
Laminating.
Calendering.
Aircraft products

Instrument panels.
Door and side trim elements.
Consoles and covering elements.
Door handles and armrests.
Storage shelves.
Inserts.
Map compartments.
Floor.

15

Pillar liners.
Luggage-compartment liners.
External trim components.
Water-shielding
and
insulating
elements.
Windows and window frames.

Seat covers.

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Materials

Liquid resins
Syntactic films
Composites

Aluminum
Titanium
Thermoplastic

Rivets
A rivet is a metal pin with a formed head on one
end when the rivet is manufactured. The shank
of the rivet is inserted into a drilled hole, and its
shank is then upset (deformed) by a hand or
pneumatic tool. The second head formed either
by hand or by pneumatic equipment, is called a
shop head. The shop head functions in the
same manner as a nut on a bolt. In addition to
their use for joining aircraft skin sections, rivets
are also used for joining spar sections, for
holding rib sections in place, for securing fittings
to various parts of the aircraft.

Figure 22: Rivets in aircrafts

Forming processes
Rolling Process
A machine cuts the Round wire to equal lengths and then punches it into the die twice to form
a rivet stem blank, the machine operates rapidly producing 200 rivet stem blanks a minute.
The stem blanks move between rolling dies which form grooves to allow the stem to be
gripped by rivet tool. They also make ridges that served as a breaking point during rivet
installation.
Forging
The machine cuts the wire to the correct length and forces it into dies. It takes five punches
to transform the solid wire into a hollow rivet body by hammering. These Machines can
produce up to 300 rivets a minute.

Materials

Material composition of the rivet shank will depend upon the type of material being
riveted.
The material used for the majority of aircraft solid shank rivets is aluminum alloy.
Mild steel rivets are used for riveting steel parts. The corrosion resistant steel rivets
are for riveting corrosion resistant steels in firewalls.
Monel rivets are used for riveting nickel-steel alloys. They can be substituted for those
made of corrosion resistant steel in some cases.
The use of copper rivets in aircraft repair is limited. Copper rivets can be used only on
copper alloys or nonmetallic materials such as leather.
Steel rivets should always be selected for riveting assemblies fabricated from steel.

16

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Aircraft assembly process

Figure 23: Aircraft assembly process

17

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

References
Attached on the CD

18

FORMING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

Group members
Name

Section Number

Seat Number

Alexia Constantin Marmaras

42

Ziad Mohamed El-Sayed

79

Ola Tarek Ali

101

Ali Mohamed Mohamed

102

Mahmoud Ashraf Mohamed

176

Hadeer Salah Kamel

217

19