Investment Casting Turbine Blade

An investment casting turbine blade has been the standard in turbine blades, and still is. However, new ceramic and glass fiber polymer technologies may present some competition to the turbine blades produced by investment casting process.

One of the reasons for producing blades from non-metallic material is that in some instances turbine blades may interfere with radar. This is especially true when large wind farms employ an all metal turbine blade for their turbine needs.

Most commonly an investment casting turbine blade is cast using a superalloy. This allows the complicated shapes of hollow aerofoils to be cast in molds designed with cooling passages. Thus the temperatures of the pour metal can be moderated by the cooling air that flows in and around the casting.

In addition to using superalloys for turbine blades, these nickel-based alloys, chromium-based alloys are also used for a number of other industries, such as: aerospace engines, ship engines, and the glass and petroleum industries. Other superalloys used in turbine blade casting are cobalt-based and nickel-chromium-based alloys. Superalloys are the choice for investment casting turbine blade for their abilities to endure high heat and resistance to oxidation and corrosion.

Since most electricity is produced by turbines, so turbine blades are used all around the world. Whether based on fuel oil, coal or nuclear, thermal power plants use steam turbines to generate electricity.

In addition to steam turbines, there are gas turbines, transonic turbines and contra-rotating turbines. There are multi-state turbines known as statorless turbines, shrouded and shroudless turbines. Then there are water turbines with names like Pelton, Francis, Kaplan and Voith.

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