Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
DARWIN-HC:¿ A Tool to Predict Hot Corrosion of Nickel-Based Turbine Disks
Project Description
Hot Corrosion of turbine engine components has been studied for many years. The underlying mechan-isms of Type I Hot Corrosion and Type II Hot Corrosion are increasingly well-understood. Nickel-based superalloys have shown strong resistance to high temperature oxidation attack and, of course, excellent high temperature strength. Modern turbine engine designs that seek to achieve better fuel efficiency in part by increasing turbine inlet temperatures are strong candidates for nickel-based superalloy turbine disk materials. As disk temperatures approach 700C, designers must consider the likelihood and effects of Type II corrosion. Type II corrosion is typically characterized by localized corrosion pitting caused by melting of sulfur-containing salts. Type II hot corrosion pits have been shown to decrease the fatigue resistance of superalloys due to initiation of fatigue cracks at hot corrosion pits. However, the rigorous analytical models and tools needed by turbine engine designers to predict Type II corrosion pit formation and fatigue life degradation due to corrosion pits are not currently available. Barron Associates, Inc. and its research partners propose to develop corrosion pitting and fatigue life models for nickel-based superalloys subjected to Type II hot corrosion. The models will be commercia-lized and made available to the research and development community.
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Anticipated Benefits
The initial Non-NASA commercialization strategy is straightforward and significantly bolstered by the inclusion of Southwest Research Institute on the team from the outset of the research. The commercial product output of the proposed SBIR effort will be DARWIN-HC --- an extension of SwRI's existing FAA-sponsored software tool that predicts the probability of fracture of titanium aircraft turbine rotor disks to model and predict the effects of Type II hot corrosion. DARWIN is rapidly gaining acceptance in the aerospace community and DARWIN-HC will further expand the applicability and reach of the DARWIN product line.
NASA aeronautics defined eight challenge problems for which the Aircraft Aging and Durability (AAD) Project can deliver specific research products to address aeronautics community needs. While the re-search challenges address different aircraft components and specific aging-related issues, the research results will improve the ability to detect, predict, and manage aging hazards. One of these eight chal-lenge problems is "Durability of Engine Superalloy Disks". The research focus is the durability of new disk alloys at higher operating temperatures to enable improved engine efficiency. To improve durability of these new superalloy disks, the issues of microstructural instability, hot corrosion, and fatigue durability must be addressed. Goals include establishment of a long-term database and derivation of analytic models to predict the degradation of new alloys due to microstructural instability and corrosion. The proposed research effort directly addresses these important challenges. More »
NASA aeronautics defined eight challenge problems for which the Aircraft Aging and Durability (AAD) Project can deliver specific research products to address aeronautics community needs. While the re-search challenges address different aircraft components and specific aging-related issues, the research results will improve the ability to detect, predict, and manage aging hazards. One of these eight chal-lenge problems is "Durability of Engine Superalloy Disks". The research focus is the durability of new disk alloys at higher operating temperatures to enable improved engine efficiency. To improve durability of these new superalloy disks, the issues of microstructural instability, hot corrosion, and fatigue durability must be addressed. Goals include establishment of a long-term database and derivation of analytic models to predict the degradation of new alloys due to microstructural instability and corrosion. The proposed research effort directly addresses these important challenges. More »
Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barron Associates, Inc. | Lead Organization | Industry | Charlottesville, Virginia |
Glenn Research Center
(GRC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Cleveland, Ohio |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Ohio
-
Virginia
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This is a historic project that was completed before the creation of TechPort on October 1, 2012. Available data has been included. This record may contain less data than currently active projects.