Ceramic Matrix Composite Low Pressure Turbine Blade Development

Although the turbine engine has revolutionized both military and commercial aircraft, future requirements for more capable, durable, and cost-effective aircraft systems can only be achieved through even greater advancement in propulsion capability. Necessary performance improvements for turbine engines include increased thrust, lower fuel consumption, and reduced emissions by means of higher operating temperatures; reduced weight; improved durability; and lower development and procurement costs. Innovative design and manufacturing concepts in combination with the use of the advanced high-temperature materials are needed to achieve the higher operating temperatures necessary for greater engine efficiencies. The development effort for a Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) Low Pressure Turbine (LPT) Blade is addressed through the development of a series of net shape or near-net shape subcomponent preforms that are designed, fabricated into CMCs, tested, and analyzed. Each subcomponent design is an integrated engineering effort where analytic modeling approaches capable of predicting the effects of design features and manufacturing processes on component performance and durability are developed and validated by thermal/mechanical testing. The approach breaks down the complexity of the LPT Blade geometry into a series of independent material and structural problems with special attention paid to the development of robust and cost-effective manufacturing processes. The effort culminates in the manufacturing of several prototype LPT Blades for spin test evaluation. BENEFIT: The development of a CMC LPT Blade will enable performance improvements of increased thrust, lower fuel consumption, and reduced emissions for turbine engines by means of higher operating temperatures. The advancement will inherently benefit both military and commercial turbine engine applications. The greater understanding of CMC materials, behavior, and test methods will enable more efficient concurrent designs and facilitate additional applications of these high temperature materials.