Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) for Recrystallized Grains in Single Crystal Superalloys

The single-crystal (SC) structure of modern jet engine turbine blades provides excellent resistance to high-temperature creep, allowing tight tolerances to be maintained over the life of the superalloy part. However, the turbine blade geometry includes complicated features that can promote the growth of discrete recrystallized grains that lower the parts creep resistance and may lead to catastrophic engine failure. To address this need, Creare will develop a high-resolution, high-precision, imaging ultrasound system to detect and characterize recrystallization in single-crystal turbine bladesthe Turbine Blade Inspection System (TBIS). During the Phase I project, we demonstrated that the TBIS approach can effectively detect recrystallization in single-crystal CMSX-4 and copper. We also established that our TBIS can detect recrystallized grains as small as 25 m. During the Base Phase II project, we will design, fabricate, and demonstrate a prototype TBIS. We will also plan the transition of the TBIS technology to production with our prime partner. During the Option Phase, we will integrate our TBIS into a pre-production prototype that is ready for verification testing.