SOLID LUBRICANTS AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION FOR ADVANCED AIRCRAFT GAS TURBINES

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEMONSTRATE EXPERIMENTALLY A NOVEL APPROACH TO DELIVERING A SOLID POWDER AS AN AEROSOL OF IMPROVED STABILITY. THE PROPOSED SYSTEM WILL BE DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE DELIVERY OF MOLYBDENUM DISULFIDE TO THE BEARINGS OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL ADVANCED AIRCRAFT GAS TURBINE, WHICH MAY OPERATE BETWEEN THE EXTREMES OF -60 DEG F AND 1500 DEG F. THE AVAILABLE LIQUID LUBRICANTS ARE NOT STABLE AT THE HIGH END OF THIS RANGE AND THE USE OF SOLID LUBRICANTS IS THE PREFERRED OPTION FOR LUBRICATION OF THE ADVANCED GAS TURBINE. THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE MAIN OBSTACLE TO TRANSPORT OF POWDER, WHICH IS THE TENDENCY OF POWDERS TO AGGLOMERATE AND CLING TO SURFACES BECAUSE OF ELECTRO-STATIC FORCES. IF GASEOUS DISPERSIONS OF LUBRICANTS ARE STABILIZED, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO MOVE THEM IN SIMPLE WAYS IN ORDER TO DELIVER THEM TO BEARINGS. OPERATION AT HIGHER TEMPERATURES WILL IMPROVE THE THERMODYNAMIC EFFICIENCIES OF ENGINES, PROVIDING HIGHER POWER-TO-WEIGHT RATIOS, IMPROVING FUEL EFFICIENCIES, AND, THEREBY, ENHANCING MISSION CAPABILITIES. WHILE THE EFFORT IS ORIENTED TOWARD THE LUBRICATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE ADVANCED GAS TURBINE, THE DELIVERY SYSTEM SHOULD BE ADAPTABLE TO THE CERAMIC DIESEL AND OTHER HIGH-TEMPERATURE ENGINES OF MILITARY INTEREST. ??????????????????????????