An integrated re-engineering plan for the manufacturing of aerospace components

Due to a variety of technical problems encountered in advanced mechanical and aerospace industries, traditional reverse engineering in which only a copy of the old component using CAD/CAM systems is developed is less effective. As a matter of fact, re-engineering methodologies should be used to optimize the component/sub-system design concerning new materials and advanced manufacturing technologies often employed in such industries. This may cause to achieve a cheaper, lighter component together with a higher reliability. This paper describes an integrated re-engineering plan for the replacement of aerospace components/sub-systems. As a case study, re-engineering of a rupture disk used as a safety device in a turbofan jet engine is conducted. A new material and a new manufacturing process are suggested for this component to fit in the design with available low cost material and manufacturing process. The obtained results show the effectiveness of the proposed plan. 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.