BRM Official Blog

Aerospace components such as helicopter rotor drive shafts need to meet demanding surface finish requirements. To reduce friction, a thin film of lubricant must be maintained between moving parts. If surface finishing fails to remove significant surface irregularities, this oil film may be penetrated. Sharp surface irregularities can also promote fatigue cracking.

Aerospace cylinders require a substantially smooth, burr-free surface finish, but not so smooth that lubrication can’t adequately adhere to cylinder walls. Ideally, these machined cylinders need a series of uniform peaks and oil-retaining valleys.  Known as a plateau finish, this cylinder surface finish supports proper wear-in and expected service life.

The aerospace industry uses a variety of tools, techniques, and equipment for surface finishing and parts deburring. Examples include vibratory finishing and shot peening. For cylinder deburring and final surface finishing, aerospace manufacturers choose Flex-Hone® technology from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM). This flexible, resilient honing tool features abrasive globules laminated to flexible nylon filaments, and is ideal for hydraulic components with demanding surface finish requirements.

When a manufacturer of jet-engine components automated its deburring operations, a combination of CNC tools provided the right solution. For final deburring and surface finishing, the aerospace manufacturer choose BRM Flex-Hone® tools.

Aircraft engines consist of precision-made parts that connect with metal fasteners. Typically, these static and rotary components have through-holes, machined openings that are drilled or reamed completely through the material. If hole-drilling and edge-breaking processes aren’t completed cleanly, part misalignments can occur. Nickel-base and titanium alloys can cause cutting tools to dull quickly, and the extruded burrs that result are difficult to remove once they work-harden.

To solve deburring challenges, some aerospace manufacturers are automating their cutting and finishing processes. The metal parts that leave their CNC equipment are surface finished to spec, and without time-consuming bench operations that can result in inconsistencies between parts. Automated deburring requires the right CNC tooling, however. By using the BRM Flex-Hone® to automate the final deburring of through-holes, a major jet-engine component manufacturer is improving quality.