N132-097 TITLE: Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) for recrystallized grains in single crystal superalloys

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: JSF-Prop

RESTRICTION ON PERFORMANCE BY FOREIGN CITIZENS (i.e., those holding non-U.S. Passports): This topic is "ITAR Restricted". The information and materials provided pursuant to or resulting from this topic are restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120 - 130, which control the export of defense-related material and services, including the export of sensitive technical data. Foreign Citizens may perform work under an award resulting from this topic only if they hold the "Permanent Resident Card", or are designated as "Protected Individuals" as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). If a proposal for this topic contains participation by a foreign citizen who is not in one of the above two categories, the proposal will be rejected.

OBJECTIVE: Develop a system that has the capability to detect recrystallized grains and measure their dimensions on the internal and external structures of turbine hardware.

DESCRIPTION: Much of the hardware found in Navy propulsion systems is made of advanced materials to resist the harsh temperatures and corrosive environments in which the fleet operates. An advanced material found in the turbine hot section is single crystal superalloys, and a problem unique to single crystal materials is recrystallization, which is a phenomenon that degrades material strength and durability.

Current means of detecting recrystallized grains in single crystal superalloys requires surface treatment and visual inspection. However, many turbine airfoils have internal features that can be prone to recrystallization. Inspection of these locations requires destroying the part which is costly and time consuming. A non-destructive inspection/evaluation/testing (NDI/NDE/NDT) method is needed that is capable of detecting and quantifying all recrystallized grains at locations of turbine airfoils that may not be visually accessible. An innovative system that has a suitable spatial resolution and has a Probability of Detection (POD) that results in the identification of all recrystallized grains, able to accommodate complex and varying part geometries while maintaining POD is needed.

Efforts to eliminate conventional detection methods and move toward a NDI/NDE/NDT method for recrystallization will result in fewer scrapped pieces of hardware and increased efficiency in identifying manufacturing defects. A higher inspection rate of production parts to improve quality assurance would provide cost savings and have the potential to eliminate parts from the population that have recrystallization and inferior strength capabilities.

PHASE I: Determine technical feasibility of NDI/NDE/NDT techniques for the detection of recrystallized grains in superalloys.

PHASE II: Develop, demonstrate, and validate an NDI/NDE/NDT prototype system that has the capability of detecting recrystallized grains in superalloys.

PHASE III: Transition the validated NDI/NDE/NDT system to appropriate platforms that utilize single crystal superalloys in their propulsion systems.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Single crystal superalloy materials are primarily limited to aerospace applications. Applications of this technology would contribute to the commercial aerospace sector, as well as power generation turbines.

REFERENCES:
1. Meng, et al. (2010), Recrystallization of a Nickel-Base Single Crystal Superalloy Under Compression, International Journal of Modern Physics, vol. 24, issue 15-16, pp. 2880-2885.

2. Li, et al. (2010), Recrystallization of Ni3Al Base Single Crystal Alloy IC6SX with Different Surface Mechanical Processes, Journal of Material Science Technology, vol. 26, pp. 883-888.

3. Bond, et al. (1984), Surface Recrystallization in a Single Crystal Nickel-Based Superalloy, Journal of Materials Science, vol. 19, no. 12, pp. 3867-3872.

4. Cox, et al. (2003), Recrystallisation of Single Crystal Superalloy CMSX-4, Materials Science and Technology, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 440-446.

KEYWORDS: Turbine; Superalloy; Recrystallization; NDI; NDE; NDT

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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