Methodology for Fretting Damage and Life Prediction of Turbine Engine Components

The goal of the proposed is to develop a product that would be directly used by the Navy and the engine OEMs in PHM and significant fretting fatigue life enhancement of Navy enginecomponents. The product will be in the form of a thoroughly validated and demonstrated methodology and software directly applicable to gas turbine engine components. The methodology is based on a novel fretting fatigue model whose validity has beendemonstrated by comparison with experimental measurements. The proposed effort will extend the applicability of the model to a variety of conditions relevant to turbine engine operating conditions. The resulting enhancements will be experimentallyvalidated and demonstrated on an engine component. The need for a fretting fatigue life prediction model goes well beyond military and aerospace structures. A much broader market exists in virtually all mechanical equipment industries such as automotive,heavy equipment (e.g. Caterpillar), electronics and electrical, health (orthopedic implants) and MEMS. The proposed product will have an immediate and broad market.