Application of High Vacuum Furnace in Aerospace Field
07-25-2025 Author: KJ technology
High vacuum furnaces play an irreplaceable core role in the aerospace industry. By creating a high vacuum environment, they effectively avoid oxidation and pollution of metal materials during high-temperature processing, thereby significantly improving material performance and product quality. Specific application scenarios and advantages are as follows:
1. Core application scenarios
Heat treatment of high-performance materials
Titanium alloys and high-temperature alloys: The aerospace industry has extremely high requirements for material strength, toughness, and corrosion resistance. High vacuum furnaces can significantly improve the mechanical properties of titanium alloys (such as TC4) and high-temperature alloys (such as Inconel 718) by avoiding oxidation in a vacuum environment. For example, the fatigue life of titanium alloy bearings after vacuum quenching treatment can be increased by more than three times; After vacuum heat treatment, high-temperature alloy turbine blades can withstand temperatures above 1500 ℃, meeting the extreme working conditions of engines.
Aluminum alloy strengthening: The grain structure of aluminum alloys widely used in aircraft structures (such as 7075) is completely dependent on the heat treatment process. High vacuum furnaces can refine grain size to the micrometer level through uniform heating and rapid cooling, increasing the strength of aluminum alloys by 20% and prolonging the overall service life of aircraft.
Welding and connection of key components
Vacuum brazing technology: Aircraft engine combustion chambers, turbine blades, and other components need to withstand extremely high temperatures and pressures, and welding quality is crucial. The high vacuum furnace controls the micro atmosphere to reduce impurities and ensure the purity of the welded joint. For example, a certain aviation engine company uses a vacuum brazing furnace to weld high-temperature alloy components, which increases the strength of the welded joints by 40% and has no oxide layer, significantly improving engine reliability and fuel efficiency.
Complex structure manufacturing: For certain difficult to weld materials (such as niobium and tantalum) and complex components (such as honeycomb sealed structures), vacuum brazing is the only feasible and effective connection technique. The JT9D engine honeycomb sealing ring from Pratt&Whitney in the United States achieves a "seamless" connection effect through vacuum brazing.
Development of special heat treatment process
Vacuum carburizing technology: The removal of passivation film on stainless steel is a difficult problem in traditional carburizing processes. High vacuum furnaces can effectively solve this problem by controlling the atmosphere and temperature, without the need to add chemicals and avoiding pollution. For example, after vacuum carburizing treatment, the infiltration rate of aviation parts is increased by 30%, and the uniformity of small and blind holes is significantly improved.
Vacuum magnetic field heat treatment: This technology combines vacuum heat treatment with electromagnetic field technology to further optimize material properties. For example, after vacuum magnetic field heat treatment, the constrained aging effect of titanium alloy sheet metal parts is improved, meeting high-strength requirements.
2. Technological advantages and industry value
Improve material performance and reliability
A high vacuum environment can eliminate oxide layers and pollutants, achieving a surface finish of Ra0.1 μ m or less and reducing friction losses. For example, vacuum treated silicon carbide fibers have a tensile strength of over 4.5 GPa and an improved temperature resistance of 1800 ℃, making them widely used in extreme environments such as rocket nozzles.
By precise temperature control (± 1 ℃) and uniform heating, the grain size can be refined to the micrometer level, significantly improving the strength, hardness, and toughness of the material. For example, stainless steel bearings treated with vacuum annealing do not require sandblasting or shot blasting, and can directly enter the assembly process, reducing the production cycle by 30%.
Meet high-end manufacturing needs
In the aerospace field, components processed by high vacuum furnaces can withstand extreme temperatures and pressures, meeting the manufacturing needs of key components such as engines and aircraft structures. For example, nickel based high-temperature alloy components after vacuum heat treatment have been widely used in aircraft engine turbine blades, replacing traditional materials and reducing weight by 20% while improving temperature resistance.
In the field of deep space exploration, the sealing technology of high vacuum furnaces is crucial for the transportation of sampling samples. China is conducting research on vacuum brazing sealing technology to meet the long-distance transportation needs of deep space exploration sampling missions such as Mars and asteroids.
Promote the progress of materials science and technology
The high vacuum furnace provides an ideal platform for the development and performance testing of new materials. For example, through vacuum suspension melting technology, single crystal tungsten molybdenum alloys can be prepared at high temperatures above 3000 ℃ and under extreme vacuum of 10 ⁻⁵ Pa, which are used to manufacture rocket nozzles, first wall materials for nuclear fusion devices, etc.
The continuous development of vacuum heat treatment technology has also promoted the progress of aerospace manufacturing technology. For example, vacuum pressure gas quenching technology has the advantages of smooth workpiece surface, no need for cleaning, and avoiding environmental pollution, and has become an important development direction for vacuum heat treatment in recent years.
