Advanced Damping Technologies for Small Turbine Engines

A novel nano-technology will be developed to systematically organize and manipulate stress-induced irreversible movement of the magnetic atom domain walls of a thin magneto-mechanical foil (~0.001 inch) surface bonded on critical turbine engine components (blades, blisks/IBRs and shafts/bearings) for enhancing not only high damping and but also resistance to wear, erosion, fatigue, fracture, and corrosion. The idea is to systematically analyze, and further organize and manipulate the crystal lattice in conjunction with a surface heat treatment for achieving the low internal stresses and maximum domain wall movement for enhancing damping and surface hardness. The proposed efforts include: (1) characterization and identification of magneto-mechanical foils stress/strain dependent nature associated with the damping mechanism and capabilities to resist wear, fatigue, fracture, erosion, & corrosion at various temperature levels, (2) development of testing procedures to characterize the dynamic, fatigue, wear, and fracture properties of bonded specimens and blades, (3) an analytical framework will be developed to assess and reengineer the microstructures of the stress/strain dependent magneto-mechanical foils for enhancing high damping and surface hardness, and (4) several effective bonding procedures/processes, such as electron beam diffusion bonding and adhesive bonding, will be also developed for joining the thin foil to the surfaces of real engine components.