Conformal lattice method-based lightweight design for an aero-engine casing

Abstract To address the lightweight design requirements of aero-engine casings while ensuring structural safety, a conformal lattice method (CLM) is proposed. This method effectively avoids boundary lattice damage caused by geometric trimming in conventional lattice infilling processes, thereby ensuring the integrity and load-bearing capacity of the lattice structures. Through numerical simulation and experimental validation, the mechanical properties of four typical lattice structures and the feasibility of applying lattice structures to aero-engine casings are systematically investigated. On this basis, lightweight casing models filled with four different lattice structures are constructed using CLM, and the mechanical performance and lightweight effects of the lattice-filled casings are further analyzed. The results indicate that among the four lattice structures, the Simple Cubic (SC) lattice structure exhibits superior mechanical properties. Compared with the original casing, the casing filled with the SC lattice structure achieves a mass reduction of 27.4%, while the displacement response increases by only 3.6%, and the safety factor reaches 17.84. Among the four lattice-filled casings, the SC lattice-filled casing demonstrates the best overall performance, verifying the feasibility and effectiveness of CLM for the lightweight design of aero-engine casings.