The use of Electron Beam Welding in Turbomachinery Manufacturing

As demands for higher performance migrated from aircraft engines to land based gas turbines the need for EB welding came along also. The transfer of EB welding processes from relatively thin section components in aircraft turbines to land based aero derivative turbines is straightforward since the basic design and function of both aero and aero derivative components are the same or similar. However, components of non-aero derivative land based gas turbines and steam turbines do not have the same weight restrictions of flight hardware. Therefore, much larger components with much thicker welds are encountered. The environments, performance and cost demands of land based turbomachinery are also different, which leads to different materials being used to manufacture components.