2,772 research outputs found
Oxidizing seal for a turbine tip gas path
The sealing of the gas path in a gas turbine engine at the blade tips is improved by maintaining a minimum clearance between the rotor blade tips and the gas path seal. This is accomplished by taking advantage of an increase in volume during controlled oxidation of certain intermetallic compounds which have high melting points. The increase in volume closes the clearance subsequent to a rub between the blades and the seal. Thus, these compounds re-form the tip seal surface to assure continued engine efficiency
Tape casting as an approach to an all-ceramic turbine shroud seal
Gas path seals have a one-dimensional variation in material requirement. Tape casting is a method which allows the fabrication of thin ceramic sheets, which may be laminated to accommodate these requirements. Using tape casting, thin sheets of zirconia (0.25 mm) were fabricated. These castings were successfully laminated and fired without bloating or delamination, demonstrating the feasibility of this approach
Overview of zirconia with respect to gas turbine applications
Phase relationships and the mechanical properties of zirconia are examined as well as the thermal conductivity, deformation, diffusion, and chemical reactivity of this refractory material. Observations from the literature particular to plasma-sprayed material and implications for gas turbine engine applications are discussed. The literature review indicates that Mg-PSZ (partially stabilized zirconia) and Ca-PSZ are unsuitable for advanced gas turbine applications; a thorough characterization of the microstructure of plasma-sprayed zirconia is needed. Transformation-toughened zirconia may be suitable for use in monolithic components
Structural Health Monitoring of Positive Feedback Damage Mechanisms using the Failure Forecast Method
Frequently, the objective of structural integrity assessment is the estimation of the remnant life of a component. Advances in batteries, wireless communication and low power electronics have led to increased development and use of permanently installed sensors. The availability of frequent, in-situ data provides new opportunities in data interpretation; notably frequent data collection enables rate measurements. Numerous failure mechanisms, for example creep, fatigue and creep crack growth, are examples of positive feedback loops, where the extent of damage causes an increased rate of damage growth. Mechanisms of this type are characterised by an increasing rate of damage towards failure and therefore monitoring the rate directly can be used to infer proximity to failure. The ‘Failure Forecast Method’, frequently used in geophysics (for example for the prediction of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and landslides), can be used for remnant life prediction for a range of positive feedback damage mechanisms (Voight, 1988, 1989). The paper will illustrate with experimental data the use of rate monitoring for continuous remnant life prediction for creep, fatigue and creep crack growth as an example of the broad utility of the benefits of continuous rate monitorin
The Correlation of Ultrasonic Measurements with Toughness Changes During the Environmental Degradation of Adhesive Joints
Several factors have held back the more widespread use of adhesives. These principally are the detrimental effect of moisture on bond strength and also the lack of a suitable non-destructive testing technique for detecting strength loss due to environmental attack. It is the latter problem that this work attempts to answer. The focus of this work has been to look at the bonding of aluminium to aluminium using epoxy based adhesives, as would be used in the aerospace industry. Bonding of aluminium has been performed in the aerospace industry for many years, and there has been much work done to improve the durability of this type of joint. It has been seen that the improvement in corrosion resistance that can be achieved by treating aluminium prior to bonding has a significant effect on the durability of the bond produced. This is not surprising when it is often seen that a joint which has been exposed to a hot-wet environment will fail along the interface between the aluminium and epoxy, as opposed to through the adhesive when the joint has remained dry [1]. Therefore it is this interface region that is to be examined when searching for environmental attack. The most common form of pretreatment that is used when environmental attack is a concern is anodisation of the surface to be bonded. Anodising produces a thin oxide layer on the aluminium surface, typically 1 –3 μm thick. Joints that have been anodised are considerably more durable than joints that are not anodised, but they will still exhibit interfacial failure after exposure to hot-wet environments [1]. The problem for NDT techniques is that the oxide layer which we need to inspect is orders of magnitude smaller than the bounding layers; the aluminium being 1–5mm, and the adhesive being 0.1–0.5mm thick, as shown in Figure 1. Ultrasonics has appeared to be the most promising technique for inspecting for degradation of adhesive joints, and it is this technique on which we have concentrated our efforts [2–4]
The Ultrasonic Detection of Environmental Degradation in Adhesive Joints
There are many benefits to be gained when using adhesives compared with the use of more traditional joining techniques. Amongst these advantages can be listed the ability to join dissimilar materials, the uniform distribution of load over the area of the joint avoiding stress concentrations, the improvement in aesthetics and, potentially, a lower-weight for the component or structure. However several factors have retarded the more widespread use of adhesives. These principally are (i) the detrimental effect of moisture on the joint strength and (ii) the lack of a suitable non-destructive testing technique for detecting strength loss due to environmental attack. It is the latter problem that the present work addresses. The focus of this work has been to examine the bonding of aluminium alloy to aluminium alloy, using an epoxy-based adhesive
Oxygen diffusion in alpha-Al2O3
Oxygen self diffusion coefficients were determined in single crystal alpha-Al2O3 using the gas exchange technique. The samples were semi-infinite slabs cut from five different boules with varying background impurities. The diffusion direction was parallel to the c-axis. The tracer profiles were determined by two techniques, single spectrum proton activation and secondary ion mass spectrometry. The SIMS proved to be a more useful tool. The determined diffusion coefficients, which were insensitive to impurity levels and oxygen partial pressure, could be described by D = .00151 exp (-572kJ/RT) sq m/s. The insensitivities are discussed in terms of point defect clustering. Two independent models are consistent with the findings, the first considers the clusters as immobile point defect traps which buffer changes in the defect chemistry. The second considers clusters to be mobile and oxygen diffusion to be intrinsic behavior, the mechanism for oxygen transport involving neutral clusters of Schottky quintuplets
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