Advanced materials research for long-haul aircraft turbine engines
The status of research efforts to apply low to intermediate temperature composite materials and advanced high temperature materials to engine components is reviewed. Emerging materials technologies and their potential benefits to aircraft gas turbines were emphasized. The problems were identified, and the general state of the technology for near term use was assessed.
Study of the costs and benefits of composite materials in advanced turbofan engines
Composite component designs were developed for a number of applicable engine parts and functions. The cost and weight of each detail component was determined and its effect on the total engine cost to the aircraft manufacturer was ascertained. The economic benefits of engine or nacelle composite or eutectic turbine alloy substitutions was then calculated. Two time periods of engine certification were considered for this investigation, namely 1979 and 1985. Two methods of applying composites to these engines were employed. The first method just considered replacing an existing metal part with a composite part with no other change to the engine. The other method involved major engine redesign so that more efficient composite designs could be employed. Utilization of polymeric composites wherever payoffs were available indicated that a total improvement in Direct Operating Cost (DOC) of 2.82 to 4.64 percent, depending on the engine considered, could be attained. In addition, the percent fuel saving ranged from 1.91 to 3.53 percent. The advantages of using advanced materials in the turbine are more difficult to quantify but could go as high as an improvement in DOC of 2.33 percent and a fuel savings of 2.62 percent. Typically, based on a fleet of one hundred aircraft, a percent savings in DOC represents a savings of four million dollars per year and a percent of fuel savings equals 23,000 cu m (7,000,000 gallons) per year.
Behavior of ceramics at 1200 C in a simulated gas turbine environment
This report summarizes programs at the NASA Lewis Research Center evaluating several classes of commercial ceramics, in a high gas velocity burner rig simulating a gas turbine engine environment. Testing of 23 ceramics in rod geometry identified SiC and Si3N4 as outstanding in resistance to oxidation and thermal stress and identified the failure modes of other ceramics. Further testing of a group of 15 types of SiC and Si3N4 in simulated vane shape geometry has identified a hot pressed SiC, a reaction sintered SiC, and hot pressed Si3N4 as the best of that group. SiC and Si3N4 test specimens were compared on the basis of weight change, dimensional reductions, metallography, fluorescent penetrant inspection, X-ray diffraction analyses, and failure mode.