N121-039 TITLE: Durable Solution for Compressor Airfoil Leading Edges in Gas Turbine Engines

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Materials/Processes

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA 275

OBJECTIVE: Develop an advanced, robust solution that improves the durability of the leading edges (LEs) of a compressor's airfoils while incurring minimal to no impact on the original performance and structural integrity of the airfoils in gas turbine engines operating in austere environments.

DESCRIPTION: Operations in austere environments introduce performance, reliability, durability, and safety concerns for military aircraft. Corrosive maritime environments and engine ingestion of foreign media (e.g., sand, volcanic ash, foreign object damage) result in reduced engine performance and reliability. Current state of the art erosion/corrosion coatings developed over the last decade for compressor airfoils have provided an increased capability in erosion degradation modes but have provided minimal protection to airfoil LEs due to high-energy particle impacts.

LE deformation leads to adverse effects on aerodynamics and significantly reduces the compressor's flow capacity and efficiency. In addition, LE deformation has the potential to introduce safety impacts due to shifts in airfoil aeromechanical response during normal engine operation, thereby resulting in vibratory failure modes.

A robust solution with enhanced durability is necessary to protect the LEs of the compressor's airfoils from particle impact deformation. The goal is to protect the airfoil LEs of engines operating in austere conditions while maintaining original airfoil properties and introducing no adverse failure modes. This technology is vital in maintaining engine performance and reliability for current and future applications as the number of austere missions continues to increase.

PHASE I: Develop laboratory test coupons that simulate actual aircraft engine hardware and demonstrate the feasibility of the solution in protecting LE characteristics following high-energy impacts.

PHASE II: Develop, demonstrate, and validate a robust solution to be applied to the LEs of compressor airfoils in order to protect them from high-energy impacts. Assess the performance of the solution using a series of standard verification tests and in a field-representative environment.

PHASE III: Team with an original equipment manufacturer of Navy and Marine Corps gas turbine engines to develop, validate, and deliver a robust solution with enhanced protection properties for compressor airfoils in a current in-service application. Apply this technology to future programs coming online that will operate in austere environments.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The development of this technology for military aircraft engines can be translated easily into applications for commercial engines, land-based turbine systems, and other power plant parts. Results and understanding gained from applying this technology to particular compressor blades would significantly help decrease life-cycle cost through reduced scrap-rate and increased time on wing while mitigating safety concerns.

REFERENCES:
1. Schell, J. D., Thorn, W., Lasonde, M. L., Hein, G., Klein, M. A., & Mendez, M. (2004, June). Erosion durability improvement of the T64 engine for military helicopters. Paper presented at the American Helicopter Society 60th Annual Forum, Baltimore, MD.

2. Fischer, B. L, Montes Cintron, V., & Klein, M. A. (2005, June). Erosion durability improvement of the T58 engine for military helicopters. Paper presented at the American Helicopter Society 61st Annual Forum, Grapevine, TX.

KEYWORDS: compressor airfoil leading edge; erosion corrosion coating; compressor coating; compressor airfoil durability; gas turbine engine compressor

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