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5/3/2020 Why don’t Gas Turbines Blades burn?
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THE CRUCIBLE: JUNE 2017
Why don’t Gas Turbines Blades burn?

June 22, 2017
The gas turbine

For materials engineers, modern aircraft engine design and
materials selection has been an extremely challenging area. Gas
turbine engines, also called jet engines, work on the principle
that air passes into the turbine, is compressed, mixed with fuel
and is then ignited. The gas mixture is then ejected from the Figure 1: The Gas Turbine (Source: N
rear of the engine after passing though the turbine stage. The Publications, issue 11)
gas enters through a number of rows of blades called stages,
which turn the gas stream and may also accelerate it. With heat engines, the e ciency is related to the maximu
minimum temperatures in the cycles. Currently today’s engines are running at temperatures of the order of 13
which is achievable due to blade cooling introduced in the 1960s. However the increasing temperature require
measures and technology to sustain reliability and safety.
Materials Used and Temperature Resistance

The majority of gas turbines are made from nickel-based alloys, however current running temperature of the g
turbine (1350°C) is often in excess of the melting point of these Nickel alloys (1200~1315°C)! In order to overco
problem, two main advancements have been adopted. One is sophisticated cooling of the blades, using air tha
bypasses the combustion chamber after the compressor, and the second is low thermal conductivity coatings o
surface of the blade.
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5/3/2020 Why don’t Gas Turbines Blades burn? - MMTA
Gas turbines obviously require protection to prevent the nickel

melting at high temperature but also require protection to prev
corrosion at high temperature. Corrosion is de ned as the unw
reaction of a material that results in the dissolution or consump
the material e.g. the rusting of iron. Corrosion is accelerated by
temperature and impurities present in the air due to the combu
fuel in the engine. Therefore coating the gas turbine will protect
both kinds of attack i.e. high temperature and corrosion.
More information.
Coating Technology
The original means of protecting nickel-based alloys that are used in gas turbine blades against high temperatu
oxidation and corrosion has been aluminising. This involves di using aluminium on to the surface of the blade
a protective oxide layer, alumina. Since 1970, most gas turbine blade coatings have been applied by pack ceme
and more recently by chemical vapour deposition.
Nickel coatings containing chromium (Cr), aluminium (Al) and yttrium (Y) called “NiCrAlY Coatings” have emerge
combat high temperature corrosion and oxidation. A hot corrosion resistant MCrAlY (M = metal) based bond co
containing 18% chromium, 22% cobalt, 12% aluminium and 0.5% yttrium has been developed for use in gas tur
engines. These coatings exhibit maximum life in corrosive environments. The reason for the improved durabili
coatings is due to the formation of a thick, protective, and chemically stable alumina scale on the surface upon
exposure to the environment.
The addition of yttrium to the coating is to increase the adherence of the oxide layer to the substrate (base Ni a
NiCrAlY coatings can be applied by a variety of techniques including vacuum plasma spraying, low pressure pla
spraying, air plasma spraying, argon shrouded plasma spraying, high velocity oxygen fuel spraying, vapour pha
deposition and electron beam physical phase deposition.
Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBC) aim to prevent extreme high temperature. MCrAlY coatings are being used in
combination with ceramic (zirconia, ZrO2) coatings, where the MCrAlY is acting as a bond coat for the ZrO2 coa
These coatings are used to extend the life of metal components by creating a temperature drop across the coa
permitting the underlying metal to operate at a reduced temperature. Future gas turbines will use TBC technol
permit the simultaneous increase of turbine inlet temperature and the reduction of turbine cooling air, thereby
increasing e ciency. The properties of zirconia most critical for TBCs are a very low thermal conductivity and a
expansion close to that of superalloys.
Research and development

Research in the area of extending life times of coatings, and stronger, more heat resistance coatings that can g
longer lifetimes to failure are key areas of research. Electrodepositing or electroplating coatings have been dev
over the last 20 years. Electroplating allows co-deposition of elements with improved properties and is extreme
e ective. This is one of the main driving forces for the technology. Co-deposition is a technique used to produc
composite coatings by embedding small particles into the metal matrix during electrodeposition. Many di eren
submicron powders like alumina, silicon carbide and chromia added to the metal have decreased the corrosion
The resistance of a coating to high temperature oxidation and corrosion depends on its structure and composi
on its interaction with the metal matrix and the corrosion environment.
Advances made in the processing of coatings have been aimed at improving the corrosion resistance, mechani
properties and wear resistance of the materials. Wear resistance has been improved by including solid particle
carbides, oxides and diamond.
The incorporation of nanosized particles (<0.1μm), is another exciting eld being investigated, to see the e ect
size and microstructure and hence the properties of the materials.
It is continuing research and investigation that allows advances to be made and jet engines/gas turbines to run
higher temperature with better fuel e ciency.
Surface Science and Materials Science

Coating technology and the development of coatings comes under a general heading of surface science and is
concerned with fundamental and applied research of the surface properties and processes on solid state mate
Materials and Surface Institute (MSSI) within the University of Limerick is devoted to such research.
Coatings are important far beyond gas turbines. For example, projects that include the application of radar abs
materials, thermal protection materials, IR and Sonar absorbing materials. Also high technical applications such
Space Shuttle main engine fuel pumps, where an entire thermal protection coating is required. This involves su
preparation, application of new thermal protection barriers, curing the thermal materials, and testing.
A brief history of the gas turbine is available at NASA website.
Dr Lisa O’Donoghue
Dr. O’Donoghue is a Ph.D and holds a rst class honours degree in Materials Science and Technology an
doctorate in High Temperature Technology in Aero Gas Turbines Engine applications. She is currently a
Research Fellow at the University of Limerick.
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5/3/2020 Why don’t Gas Turbines Blades burn?

Log in Members’ Directory

THE CRUCIBLE: JUNE 2017

Why don’t Gas Turbines Blades burn?

The gas turbine

materials selection has been an extremely challenging area. Gas

turbine engines, also called jet engines, work on the principle

gas enters through a number of rows of blades called stages,

measures and technology to sustain reliability and safety.

Materials Used and Temperature Resistance

surface of the blade.

Gas turbines obviously require protection to prevent the nickel

corrosion at high temperature. Corrosion is de ned as the unw

reaction of a material that results in the dissolution or consump

the material e.g. the rusting of iron. Corrosion is accelerated by

temperature and impurities present in the air due to the combu

both kinds of attack i.e. high temperature and corrosion.

and more recently by chemical vapour deposition.

deposition and electron beam physical phase deposition.

expansion close to that of superalloys.

Research and development

carbides, oxides and diamond.

Surface Science and Materials Science

A brief history of the gas turbine is available at NASA website.

About Us post Minor Metals

You may also like

Planes: now “Made in China” ? El Salvador bans metal mining

June 22, 2017

The Crucible Online: ISSN 2056-6735 Terms and Conditions

@2016 MMTA. All Right Reserved. Designed and Built by B

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