Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Turbine Blade Alloys”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records

Mechanical properties of turbine blade alloys in hydrogen at elevated temperatures

The mechanical properties of single crystal turbine blade alloys in a gaseous hydrogen environment were determined. These alloys are proposed for use in space propulsion systems in pure or partial high pressure hydrogen environments at elevated temperatures. Mechanical property tests included: tensile, creep, low fatigue (LCF), and crack growth. Specimens were in both transverse and longitudinal directions relative to the casting solidification direction. Testing was conducted on solid specimens exposed to externally pressurized environments of gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen-enriched steam.

Deluca, D. P.↗

Turbine Blade Alloy

The High Speed Research Airfoil Alloy Program developed a fourth-generation alloy with up to an +85 F increase in creep rupture capability over current production airfoil alloys. Since improved strength is typically obtained when the limits of microstructural stability are exceeded slightly, it is not surprising that this alloy has a tendency to exhibit microstructural instabilities after high temperature exposures. This presentation will discuss recent results obtained on coated fourth-generation alloys for subsonic turbine blade applications under the NASA Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) Program. Progress made in reducing microstructural instabilities in these alloys will be presented. In addition, plans will be presented for advanced alloy development and for computational modeling, which will aid future alloy development efforts.

MacKay, Rebecca↗

Investigation of Advanced Processed Single-Crystal Turbine Blade Alloys

This investigation studied the influence of thermal processing and microstructure on the mechanical properties of the single-crystal, nickel-based superalloys PWA 1482 and PWA 1484. The objective of the program was to develop an improved single-crystal turbine blade alloy that is specifically tailored for use in hydrogen fueled rocket engine turbopumps. High-gradient casting, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), and alternate heat treatment (HT) processing parameters were developed to produce pore-free, eutectic-free microstructures with different (gamma)' precipitate morphologies. Test materials were cast in high thermal gradient solidification (greater than 30 C/cm (137 F/in.)) casting furnaces for reduced dendrite arm spacing, improved chemical homogeneity, and reduced interdendritic pore size. The HIP processing was conducted in 40 cm (15.7 in.) diameter production furnaces using a set of parameters selected from a trial matrix study. Metallography was conducted on test samples taken from each respective trial run to characterize the as-HIP microstructure. Post-HIP alternate HT processes were developed for each of the two alloys. The goal of the alternate HT processing was to fully solution the eutectic gamma/(gamma)' phase islands and to develop a series of modified (gamma)' morphologies for subsequent characterization testing. This was accomplished by slow cooling through the (gamma)' solvus at controlled rates to precipitate volume fractions of large (gamma)'. Post-solution alternate HT parameters were established for each alloy providing additional volume fractions of finer precipitates. Screening tests included tensile, high-cycle fatigue (HCF), smooth and notched low-cycle fatigue (LCF), creep, and fatigue crack growth evaluations performed in air and high pressure (34.5 MPa (5 ksi)) hydrogen at room and elevated temperature. Under the most severe embrittling conditions (HCF and smooth and notched LCF in 34.5 MPa (5 ksi) hydrogen at 20 C (68 F), screening test results showed increases in fatigue life typically on the order of 1OX, when compared to the current Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Alternate Turbopump (AT) blade alloy (PWA 1480).

Peters, B. J.↗

Development of oxide dispersion strengthened turbine blade alloy by mechanical alloying

There were three nickel-base alloys containing up to 18 wt. % of refractory metal examined initially for oxide dispersion strengthening. To provide greater processing freedom, however, a leaner alloy was finally selected. This base alloy, alloy D, contained 0.05C/15Cr / 2Mo/4W/2Ta/4.5Al/2.Ti/015Zr/0.01-B/Bal. Ni. Following alloy selection, the effect of extrusion, heat treatment, and oxide volume fraction and size on microstructure and properties were examined. The optimum structure was achieved in zone annealed alloy D which contained 2.5 vol. % of 35 mm Y2O3 and which was extruded 16:1 at 1038 C.

Merrick, H. F.↗

Progress toward a tungsten alloy wire/high temperature alloy composite turbine blade

A tungsten alloy wire reinforced high temperature alloy composite is being developed for potential application as a hollow turbine blade for advanced rocket engine turbopumps. The W-24Re-HfC alloy wire used for these composite blades provides an excellent balance of strength and wire ductility. Preliminary fabrication, specimen design, and characterization studies were conducted by using commercially available W218 tungsten wire in place of the W-24Re-Hfc wire. Subsequently, two-ply, 50 vol pct composite panels using the W-24Re-HfC wire were fabricated. Tensile tests and metallographic studies were performed to determine the material viability. Tensile strengths of a Waspaloy matrix composite at 870 C were 90 pct of the value expected from rule-of-mixtures calculations. During processing of this Waspaloy matrix composite, a brittle phase was formed at the wire/matrix interface. Circumferential wire cracks were found in this phase. Wire coating and process evaluation efforts were performed in an attempt to solve the reaction problem. Although problems were encountered in this study, wire reinforced high temperature alloy composites continue to show promise for turbopump turbine blade material improvement.

Ritzert, F. J.↗

Aluminized alloy boosts turbine blade life

Description of an aluminized alloy coating technique that involves first the application of a ductile, oxidation-resistant overlay, such as NiCrAl, which is then partially aluminized. The duplex protective system has performance advantages over conventional aluminide coatings in that it provides higher-temperature hot corrosion resistance over a longer service life.

Gedwill, M. A.↗

NASA Glenn Research Center UEET (Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology) Program: Agenda and Abstracts

Topics discussed include: UEET Overview; Technology Benefits; Emissions Overview; P&W Low Emissions Combustor Development; GE Low Emissions Combustor Development; Rolls-Royce Low Emissions Combustor Development; Honeywell Low Emissions Combustor Development; NASA Multipoint LDI Development; Stanford Activities In Concepts for Advanced Gas Turbine Combustors; Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of Gas Turbine Combustion; NASA National Combustion Code Simulations; Materials Overview; Thermal Barrier Coatings for Airfoil Applications; Disk Alloy Development; Turbine Blade Alloy; Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Materials Development; Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Materials Characterization; Environmental Barrier Coatings (EBC) for Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Materials; Ceramic Matrix Composite Vane Rig Testing and Design; Ultra-High Temperature Ceramic (UHTC) Development; Lightweight Structures; NPARC Alliance; Technology Transfer and Commercialization; and Turbomachinery Overview; etc.

Manthey, Lri↗

Characterization of an oxide dispersion strengthened superalloy, MA-6000E, for turbine blade applications

Alloy MA 6000E was developed by the mechanical alloying process for turbine blade applications. The nominal composition of the experimental alloy is Ni-15CR-2Mo-4W-4.5Al- 2.5Ti-2Ta- .15Zr-.05C-.01B-1.1Y2O3. The 1000 hour rupture strength in the longitudinal direction is about 145 MPa at 1093 C and about 483 MPa at 760 C. The alloy displays normal three-stage creep behavior. Typically the creep elongation is 3.5% at 760 C and 2% at 1093 C. The alloy is notch ductile (K sub 1 = 3.5). The rupture properties of the alloy are not significantly degraded by thermal cycling or prior stress isothermal exposure. The alloy also has excellent longitudinal high and low cycle fatigue resistance. Limited testing indicates that MA 6000E posesses good off-axis mechanical properties. The transverse tensile elongation at 760 C is about 3%. The 100 hour transverse rupture strength is 331 MPa at 760 C and about 55 MPa at 1093 C.

Kim, Y. G.↗

Alloy and structural optimization of a directionally solidified lamellar eutectic alloy

Mechanical property characterization tests of a directionally solidified Ni-20 percent Cb-2.5 percent Al-6 percent Cr cellular eutectic turbine blade alloy demonstrated excellent long time creep stability and indicated intermediate temperature transverse tensile ductility and shear strength to be somewhat low for turbine blade applications. Alloy and structural optimization significantly improves these off-axis properties with no loss of longitudinal creep strength or stability. The optimized alloy-structure combination is a carbon modified Ni-20.1 percent Cb-2.5 percent Al-6.0 percent Cr-0.06 percent C composition processed under conditions producing plane front solidification and a fully-lamellar microstructure. With current processing technology, this alloy exhibits a creep-rupture advantage of 39 C over the best available nickel base superalloy, directionally solidified MAR M200+ Hf. While improved by about 20 percent, shear strength of the optimized alloy remains well below typical superalloy values.

Sheffler, K. D.↗

Advanced thin film thermocouples

The fabrication, materials characterization, and performance of thin film platinum rhodium thermocouples on gas turbine alloys was investigated. The materials chosen for the study were the turbine blade alloy systems MAR M200+Hf with NiCoCrAlY and FeCrAlY coatings, and vane alloy systems MAR M509 with FeCrAlY. Research was focussed on making improvements in the problem areas of coating substrate stability, adhesion, and insulation reliability and durability. Diffusion profiles between the substrate and coating with and without barrier coatings of Al2O3 are reported. The relationships between fabrication parameters of thermal oxidation and sputtering of the insulator and its characterization and performance are described. The best thin film thermocouples were fabricated with the NiCoCrAlY coatings which were thermally oxidized and sputter coated with Al2O3.

Kreider, K. G.↗

An oxide dispersion strengthened alloy for gas turbine blades

The strength of the newly developed alloy MA-6000E is derived from a nickel alloy base, an elongated grain structure, naturally occurring precipitates of gamma prime, and an artificial distribution of extremely fine, stable oxide particles. Its composition is Ni-15Cr-2Mo-2Ta-4W-4.5Al-2.5Ti-0.15Zr 0.05C-0.01B-1.1Y2O3. It exhibits the strength of a conventional nickel-base alloy at 1400 F but is quite superior at 2000 F. Its shear strength is relatively low, necessitating consideration of special joining procedures. Its high cycle, low cycle, and thermal fatigue properties are excellent. The relationship between alloy microstructure and properties is discussed.

Glasgow, T. K.↗

An oxide dispersion strengthened alloy for gas turbine blades

The strength of the newly developed alloy MA-6000E is derived from a nickel alloy base, an enlongated grain structure, naturally occurring precipitates of gamma prime, and an artificial distribution of extremely fine, stable oxide particles. Its composition is Ni-15% Cr-2% Mo-2% Ta-4% W-4.5% Al-2.5% Ti-0.15% Zr-0.05% C-0.01% B-1.1% Y2O3. It exhibits strength of a conventional nickel-base alloy at 1400 F, but is quite superior at 2000 F. Its shear strength is relatively low, necessitating consideration of special joining procedures. Its high-cycle, low-cycle, and thermal fatigue properties are excellent. The relationship between alloy micro-structure and properties is discussed.

Glasgow, T. K.↗

Burn coal cleanly in a fluidized bed - The key is in the controls

The fluidized-bed combustion (FBC) process produces few sulfur emissions, and can burn wood, municipal solid waste as well as every kind of coal available in the U.S. The presurized, coal-burning fluidized-bed reactor at NASA's Lewis Research Center is described, together with a discussion of the operating results. The FBC system at Lewis, having a completely instrumented reactor, is used to test turbine blade alloys for future power plant applications. With the same type of coal and limestone used in the first testing phase covering 136 hours, it was found that all NOx values were below the EPA standard of 0.7 lb/MBtu, whereas the maximum observed level of SO2 was above the EPA standard of 1.3 lb/MBtu, but with the average SO2 level, however, only 0.63 lb/MBtu. Unburned hydrocarbon and CO levels were very low, indicating combustion efficiencies of close to 99% in almost all tests. Testing is now underway using high temperature cyclones and gas turbine to eliminate erosion and corrosion effects which were observed after the initial tests on the turbine and blades.

Kobak, J. A.↗

Ultimate: Birdshot (Final Technical Report)

In ULTIMATE Phase 1, BIRDSHOT aimed to discover alloys capable of operating reliably above 1300°C, compatible with coatings. The challenge addressed by BIRDSHOT is how to find suitable alloys in the vast refractory high entropy alloy (RHEA) space efficiently and effectively, under stringent resource constraints? This challenge is unsolvable with traditional alloy R&D approaches; however, using a closed-loop multi-objective, multi-information source Bayesian approach to alloy design, we made significant progress in solving this materials design problem.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Cost/benefit analysis of advanced materials technologies for future aircraft turbine engines

The cost/benefits of advance commercial gas turbine materials are described. Development costs, estimated payoffs and probabilities of success are discussed. The materials technologies investigated are: (1) single crystal turbine blades, (2) high strength hot isostatic pressed turbine disk, (3) advanced oxide dispersion strengthened burner liner, (4) bore entry cooled hot isostatic pressed turbine disk, (5) turbine blade tip - outer airseal system, and (6) advance turbine blade alloys.

Bisset, J. W.↗

Constitutive modeling of superalloy single crystals with verification testing

The goal is the development of constitutive equations to describe the elevated temperature stress-strain behavior of single crystal turbine blade alloys. The program includes both the development of a suitable model and verification of the model through elevated temperature-torsion testing. A constitutive model is derived from postulated constitutive behavior on individual crystallographic slip systems. The behavior of the entire single crystal is then arrived at by summing up the slip on all the operative crystallographic slip systems. This type of formulation has a number of important advantages, including the prediction orientation dependence and the ability to directly represent the constitutive behavior in terms which metallurgists use in describing the micromechanisms. Here, the model is briefly described, followed by the experimental set-up and some experimental findings to date.

Jordan, Eric↗

Evaluation of directionally solidified eutectic superalloys for turbine blade applications

Alloys from the following systems were selected for property evaluation: (1) gamma/gamma-Mo (Ni-base, rods of Mo); (2) gamma-beta (Ni-base, lamellae or rods of (Ni, Fe/Co Al); and (3) gamma-gamma (Ni-base rods of Ni3Al gamma). The three alloys were subjected to longitudinal and transverse tensile and rupture tests from 750 C to 1100 C, longitudinal shear strength was measured at several temperatures, resistance to thermal cycling to 1150 C was determined, cyclic oxidation resistance was evaluated at 750 C and 1100 C, and each system was directionally solidified in an alumina shell mold turbine shape to evaluate mold/metal reactivity. The gamma/gamma Mo system has good rupture resistance, transverse properties and processability, and is a high potential system for turbine blades. The gamma-beta system has good physical properties and oxidation resistance, and is a potential system for turbine vanes. The gamma-gamma system has good high temperature rupture resistance and requires further exploratory research.

Henry, M. E.↗