The objective of this proposal was to develop and validate a robust and reliable ring-rolling-only route for manufacturing IN718 alloy near-net-shaped rotating aero-engine disk components, RORC (e.g. low-pressure turbine disks). The material and mechanical response of the RORC must comply with the current microstructural and mechanical requirements demanded for close-die forged disks with an economical advantage (more efficient use of raw material and lower manufacturing costs). The proposal represents the collaborative effort of an experienced company specialised in ring-rolling of superalloys and a technological research centre with great competence in thermo-mechanical processes analysis and modelling.

Development of an advanced predictive RR modelling tool is a pre-requisite for the success of the proposal; laboratory experiments were performed for developing a predictive constitutive description of the behaviour of the alloy in conditions reproducing actual RR operation sequences. From the industrial part, full-size rings were produced by rolling alone and tested back-to back with geometrically similar close-die forged (CDF) rings as demonstrators of the competitiveness of the new process route. The results of the project also highlighted the limits of the current RR technology and provide with clues for its further improvement.