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Fiber reinforced superalloys for rocket enginesHigh pressure turbopumps for advanced reusable liquid propellant rocket engines such as that for the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) require turbine blade materials that operate under extreme conditions of temperature, hydrogen environment, high-cycle fatigue loading, thermal fatigue and thermal shock. Such requirements tax the capabilities of current blade materials. Based on projections of properties for tungsten fiber reinforced superalloy (FRS) composites, it was concluded that FRS turbine blades offer the potential of a several fold increase in life and over a 200 C increase in temperature capability over the current SSME blade material. FRS composites were evaluated with respect to mechanical property requirements for SSME blade applications. Compared to the current blade material, the thermal shock resistance of FRS materials is excellent, two to nine times better, and their thermal fatigue resistance is equal to or higher than the current blade material. FRS materials had excellent low and high-cycle fatigue strengths, and thermal shock-induced surface microcracks had no influence on their fatigue strength. The material also exhibited negligible embrittlement when exposed to a hydrogen environment.
Document ID
19890013302
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Petrasek, Donald W.
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Stephens, Joseph R.
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Date Acquired
September 5, 2013
Publication Date
March 1, 1989
Publication Information
Publication: AGARD, Application of Advanced Material for Turbomachinery and Rocket Propulsion
Subject Category
Metallic Materials
Accession Number
89N22673
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
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