Gehring takes to the air

Honing technology increases the safety and economic efficiency of aircraft

The frictional properties of highly stressed aircraft components can be significantly improved by processing them using high-precision honing machines. As a result, Gehring, the world's leading pioneer in honing technology, has extended the range of application of this surface finishing process once more. The main application of honing is the machining of automobile engines.

Aircraft components must meet extremely high requirements: safety and economic efficiency have top priority, particularly in the construction of commercial aircraft. This is precisely why the honing process lends itself to the machining of component pairings in which good frictional properties are essential: a major area of application is the landing gear, where drag, side and cross struts are connected to spherical joints, connecting pins or bearing shafts. Other examples on the nacelle and airfoils are connection fittings for the wing and tail unit as well as the lever arms and actuator rods for the wing and airplane control flaps.

Higher surface quality, also for engine components

It goes without saying that honing with all its advantages can also be used in the propulsion unit sector with a positive effect. For example, blade retainer and tie rod holes, flange and wall holes on housings as well as engine mount holes are finishmachined by honing here. CEO Dorothee Stein-Gehring: "Our technology is used anywhere where the highest static and dynamic demands are made on components. Gehring products therefore make a decisive contribution to reducing the failure risk to a minimum."

Improved anti-frictional properties and higher efficiency in piston engines

Laser honing, a process developed in-house and patented by Gehring, is used for the machining of aircraft piston engines. In laser honing, which has been successfully used in the automotive industry for many years, oil retaining pockets defined by a laser beam are applied to the cylinder wall in a combined honing and laser process. The anti-frictional properties of internal combustion engines are demonstrably improved as a result of these oil reservoirs in the cylinder barrel, something which makes a contribution to air safety which should not be underestimated and is therefore of interest to the aviation authorities as well as the engine manufacturers. As an additional effect, laser-honed internal combustion engines have a lower oil consumption and less wear. In the last analysis, the reduced friction between the piston ring and the cylinder sliding surface results in a higher operating efficiency of the system.

Flexible offer: engineering or extended workbenching

Since the numbers of units in aircraft construction do not reach the volumes in automotive engineering, Gehring offers extended workbenching in addition to the individual design, construction, supply and maintenance of honing machines. This is especially of interest to manufacturers of components with high quality and safety requirements, as their workpieces can be machined cost-effectively using the maximum tool resources and know-how.

Less time and less stress on materials with honing

The advantages of honing lie in its characteristic properties. Compared to all the other machining processes used in the aerospace industry, honing saves time, especially in the case of materials which are difficult to cut and high-strength components. The uniform formation of compressive stresses is particularly beneficial in the case of highstrength, quenched and tempered steels and components with high dynamic stresses, especially with regard to cracking and fatigue strength. Flexibility in the diameter is also provided. There is also no danger of overheating compared to grinding.