Technology for a critical component for the Jaguar aircraft has been developed by Indian defence scientists. The Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) in Hyderabad, in association with Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (Midhani), Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL) and Airworthiness Agencies, has developed the technology.
According to the Defence Research and Development Authority (DRDO), high pressure (HP) compressor disc forgings, made of titanium alloy, are critical rotating parts of the Adour aero engines of the Jaguar aircraft. They need to be replaced after a specific period of operation or if unacceptable damages take place during or before expiry of their life.
“The annual requirements of HP compressor disc forgings are high, therefore warranted indigenization,†DRDO said. Defence scientists have now has developed technology for manufacturing disc forgings of all the five stages.
The technology has been transferred to Midhani for bulk production. Midhani will use the isothermal forging facility at DMRL (on cost basis) for production.
DMRL has long pursued an intensive R&D on rare earth permanent magnet (REPM) which culminated into establishing process technologies for making three different classes of rare earth magnets, viz., SmCo5, Sm2Co17 and Nd-Fe-B. These magnets almost entirely cover the total spectrum of application engineering in strategic sectors, DRDO said.
In an effort to ‘Make in India’ and thereby totally indigenise the production from mineral to magnet, Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) plans to reduce the rare earth salts it sources from beach sand mineral by acquiring the technology established by BARC and use this indigenous raw material to produce technology for near isothermal forging transferred magnets in large scales by adopting the technologies developed by DMRL.
The efforts will create an indigenous source to meet the requirements of rare earth magnets for the strategic sectors in the first place and then gradually widen the scope to civilian sectors, according to DRDO.
Source from India Defence News.
