FRCSE powers up some of Navy s mightiest engines

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1 Machinist Ed Harper sets up a Reform High Speed Blade Tip Grinder to grind high-pressure compressor rotor blades from a TF34-GE-100 turbofan engine in the Crinkley Engine Facility at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast July 27. The Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft is powered by two engines each capable of producing more than 9,000 pounds of thrust. (U.S. Navy photo) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. U.S. Navy and Marine Corps pilots fly fixed-wing aircraft that are turbine powered, some by internal fans and others by external propellers, with engines requiring service and repair often performed at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE). FRCSE is expanding its manufacturing capabilities using technologically advanced equipment, such as vertical and high-speed grinders and precision measuring machines to ensure reliable power to the military s high-performance aircraft. Whether turboprop aircraft like the P-3 Orion Maritime Patrol aircraft powered by four Allison T-56-A-14 engines with propellers or the two F414-GE-400 turbofan internal engines that power the F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter, they all must be in tiptop shape to support any mission. Carl Finger, engine machine shop supervisor in the FRCSE Crinkley Engine Facility, said these power plants are Page 1 of 8

2 Carl Finger, engine machine shop supervisor in the FRCSE Crinkley Engine Facility, said these power plants are staying on the aircraft longer than ever before. He said the engines division has a dedicated machine shop to rework worn parts to like new condition. Our new equipment is producing better engine performance, saving time, and giving Warfighters improved mission capability, said Finger. The high speed grinding technology integrated with laser measuring creates a more accurate final product. In a turbine engine, air is pulled into the engine inlet from the fan. It flows into the compressor where the air pressure is stepped up using many rows of blades rotating 400 times per second. Each fan consists of a hub with a set of blades extending outward from the center. The pressurized air enters the combustion section where it is heated to more than 1,000 degrees, mixed with jet fuel and ignited. The hot exhaust passes through the turbine section made up of small blades and vanes attached to a rotor that extracts mechanical energy to turn the fan (compressor) connected by a central shaft. The remaining energy provides thrust to the engine by increasing the velocity through the nozzle. Thrust is the force that propels the jet through the air. If additional thrust is required, more fuel can be sprayed into the exhaust and ignited if the engine is equipped with an afterburner. FRCSE purchased two Reform High Speed Blade Tip Grinders, each turn at 3,000 revolutions per minute. Finger said the high-speed technology allows artisans to grind blade tips on the same axis of rotation that the rotors spin to simulate engine conditions. The engine blades must rotate at high speeds to counteract the force of the grinder. The high-speed feature allows the blades to extend fully during the grinding process for better results. It is essential that engine blades be machined evenly. Unbalanced grinding can make a blade heavier on one side than on the other, which can lead to heavy vibration, the loosening of internal structural bolts, accelerated engine wear or even failure. The Reform grinder measures every blade at every stage of production with laser technology to ensure grinding accuracy. It generates machining specifications on each serialized part for future engineering purposes. The machines grind High Pressure Compressor (HPC) rotor blades from a TF34-GE-100 turbofan engine installed on the Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II and the Navy s S-3 Viking aircraft. Each aircraft is powered by two engines each capable of producing more than 9,000 pounds of thrust. In addition, the machine supports the F404-GE-402 engine that powers the F/A-18A-D Hornet with 17,700 pounds of Page 2 of 8

3 static thrust per engine, and the F414-GE-400 turbofan engines that power the Super Hornet and the EA-18G Growler Airborne Electronic Attack aircraft. Each engine is capable of producing 22,000 pounds of static thrust according to the Navy Fact File. Another technology solution FRCSE is utilizing is the DANOBAT Vertical Grinder to machine stationary engine components like stator cases. It replaces the Pope Grinding Spindle with its outmoded manual dial indicator and the Electronic Run-Out Machine (EROM) used to perform pre and post production measurements. I was happy to see that go, Finger said of the EROM. It did really good on the rotors, but when we converted to laser measurements it never really worked. It was touchy; it gave us problems. The high-precision DANOBAT integrates different machining options for a wide range of engine components. The machine uses touch probes to provide induction measurements thus ensuring parts can be held to diametric tolerances that can be machined. Artisans use the equipment to grind the TF34 HPC forward and aft stator cases, and finish grind stator vanes that enhance airflow into the engine s compressor. FRCSE performs out-of-airframe testing on all jet engines repaired at the facility to ensure maximum reliability and performance to the Fleet. The computer-controlled test cells have a thrust capacity of 40,000 pounds and a bed capacity of 100,000 pounds. All engines are tested through their entire operating range in both automated and manual modes to verify oil pressure, exhaust, gas temperature, vibration, speed, and bearing-vent pressure. Engine Machinist Jesse Johnson sets up a vertical turret lathe to machine snap diameters on a J52 diffuser case in the Crinkley Page 3 of 8

4 Engine Facility July 27. The Pratt & Whitney J52P-408A engine powers the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo) Artisans at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast button up the forward engine doors on an EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft after removing one of two Pratt & Whitney J52-P408 engines with exhaust attached June 22. Artisans are salvaging the engines and other components as the aircraft is being prepared for use as a static display at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla. (U.S. Navy photo) Aircraft Engine Mechanic Charlotte Yavorosky performs final cleaning and inspection on a F414 high-pressure engine compressor at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast June 20. The General Electric turbofan engine powers the F/A18 Super Hornet Strike Fighter and the EA-18G Growler Airborne Electronic Attack aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo) Page 4 of 8

5 Machinist Greg Lesak programs a DANOBAT Vertical Grinder to finish grind stator case vanes from a TF34-GE-100 turbofan engine in the Crinkley Engine Facility July 27. FRCSE is integrating technologically advanced equipment to improve equipment performance and reliability to the Fleet. (U.S. Navy photo) Quality Assurance Specialist Brick Means inspects a TF34-GE-100 turbofan engine for damage before artisans install the compressor in the Crinkley Engine Facility at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast June 20. The military s turbofan engine is used on the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the S-3 Viking aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo) Page 5 of 8

6 Engine Mechanic Octavus Shelton removes oil components from the gearbox of a TF34 engine used on the Air Force Thunderbird II 1. Warthog and the Navy S-3B Viking at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast June 20. (U.S. Navy photo) In the Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) room at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast July 27, Machinist Kevin Ott uses a CMM to measure surface points on a new rear engine case from a TF34-GE-100 turbofan engine to verify it is machined correctly. The room is maintained at a constant 68 degrees and humidity controlled to ensure measurement readings are accurate. (U.S. Navy photo) Page 6 of 8

7 An F414-GE-400 turbofan engine that powers the F/A-18 Super Hornet Strike Fighter sits in a Fleet Readiness Center Southeast engine test cell waiting testing in mid-april. The engine is capable of producing 22,000 pounds of static thrust, although the computer-controlled test cell has a maximum thrust capacity of 40,000 pounds. (U.S. Navy photo) Machinist David Eads prepares to grind a F414 High Pressure Turbine and Low Pressure Turbine Shroud Support Assembly using a Campbell Vertical Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Grinder at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast July 27. The machine is capable of making contoured grinds on aircraft engine parts. (U.S. Navy photo) Page 7 of 8

8 Kevin Jackson, a pneudraulic systems mechanic, assembles an F404 engine main fuel control in the Fuel Accessories Building at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast July 24. The F404 engine powers the Navy's F/A-18 Hornet Strike Fighter aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo) Page 8 of 8