Castings for Aircraft Part 1: Wax and sand casting processes

摘要

Aeronautical engineers face an imposing array of problems in designing aircraft that are safe, perform well, and can be built and sold at a competitive price. After the desired aerodynamic elements of the design have been established and the major type of airframe construction ― aluminum, tube and fabric, composite, or some combination ― has been chosen, the manufacturing and production engineers must make many choices. They must choose from a variety of processes that may include among others, welding, forming, riveting, forging, and casting. For certain parts with unusual or complicated shapes it is often more economically and technically feasible to cast the item and finish it by appropriate heat treating and machining rather than forging or fabricating it.