South Polytechnic research and development of high temperature PST titanium aluminum single crystal power aircraft heart

Nanjing University of Science and Technology announced on the 21st that the school’s team of materials evaluation and design education research center Professor Chen Guang achieved a breakthrough in the new type of aerospace materials TiAl alloy, achieving an excellent combination of high strength and high plasticity, and is expected to present the current TiAL alloy. The use temperature increased from 650-750°C to more than 900°C. His related research results were published online on June 20 in Natural Materials.

Aircraft engines are hailed as the heart of the aircraft, and blades are the most critical core components in aeroengines. Their temperature capability directly determines the performance of the engine. US GE used Ti-48AL-2Cr-2Nb alloy (abbreviated as 4822 alloy) instead of the original nickel-base superalloy to produce the last two stages of GEnx engine low-pressure turbine blades, which reduced the weight of a single engine by approximately 200 pounds, saving fuel 20 %, nitride emissions reduced by 80%, noise reduction.

The research results of Professor Chen Guang's team achieved a new leap in material properties. The room-temperature tensile plasticity and yield strength of the high-temperature PST titanium aluminum single crystals prepared were as high as 6.9% and 708 MPa, respectively, and the tensile strength was as high as 978 trillion. Pa, achieved an excellent combination of high strength and high plasticity. What's more, the alloy has a tensile yield strength of 637 MPa at 900°C, excellent creep resistance, and a lower creep rate and longer life than the 4822 alloy that has been successfully used in GEnx engines. 2 orders of magnitude, and is expected to increase the current temperature of TiAl alloys from 650-750°C to over 900°C.

Academician Cao Chunxiao of Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials says that normally, the temperature-carrying capacity of nickel-base single crystal superalloy is a new generation of alloy for each 25-30°C increase in temperature. The TiAl single crystal alloy developed by Professor Chen Guang team has improved the temperature-retaining capability by more than 150-250°C, which is a major breakthrough. It is of great value to the development of China’s aerospace industry and will help China’s aircraft to have a stronger “Chinese heart”.