Whether it’s the high-speed airflow generated by flight, or the high temperatures and pressures produced by the action of the combustion chamber, the goal is to increase the exhaust speed, allowing the turbine to operate at high intensity.
The key to an aviation engine’s turbine is blade material, and turbine blades are one of the three major high-pressure components of an aviation engine.
Turbine blades can provide imnse power, but the price is enduring temperatures far beyond their lting point, and tensile stresses of over ten thousand Newtons. Essentially, turbine blades must be able to withstand high temperatures and pressures, demanding high temperature resistance and strength.
"With the sa design level for engine turbines and fans, for every 100 Kelvin increase in the temperature before the turbine, thrust increases by fifteen percent."
"This is where we’re held back!"
Yuan Haitao explained earnestly, "High temperature is the first hurdle for turbine blades. The temperature easily reaches one or two thousand degrees, or even higher. Efficient blades can’t be designed to be solid; they need to have hundreds or thousands of cooling channels on a single blade."
"This requires high material strength."
"The engines we’ve developed so far are not only limited by the material in terms of power; durability is also an issue. This prototype, if installed on a combat aircraft, could only operate for a maximum of five hundred hours. Its actual usage might be even less!"
The gist of Yuan Haitao’s explanation was that ’The turbine blade material is a major issue limiting engine performance and lifespan, and it hasn’t been resolved yet’.
Zhao Yi had previously learned about so relevant content, and after listening to the detailed explanation, he understood even better. He asked, "Does your research group not have a team specifically for designing turbine blades?"
"We’ve got designs, but no materials!"
Yuan Haitao laughed bitterly, "The designs are pretty good as they are. The composite blades currently in use are their design. But the alloy materials departnt has nothing to offer. We’ve collaborated with the Aeronautical Materials Research Institute and the Science Academy’s tal Research Institute, but to no avail. They have designed two types of nickel-based high-temperature alloys, but they aren’t suitable for practical application yet."
Zhao Yi frowned in thought.
To improve the Kunlun engine, refining the combustion chamber or improving the design is one thod. But due to limitations in component materials, the engine’s performance and efficiency will still be limited. So improvents in design might not even make much difference.
Materials, indeed, are incredibly important.
It’s said that the developnt of modern military technology is essentially a contest in the use of the periodic table. Material science is crucial, while certain designs and technologies aren’t as important because the existing theoretical foundation is already sufficient to support more advanced technology.
"Materials... materials..."
Zhao Yi muttered to himself, and suddenly thought of soone.
Zhang Hongtao!
Zhang Hongtao was an outstanding expert in tal alloys. They had worked together in replicating satellite outer shell alloy and had also studied the aircraft carrier’s deck steel material at the aircraft carrier research base.
"Replication would be fine, but it’s certainly impossible to find a high temperature and pressure-resistant sample." Zhao Yi pondered with a frown.
The world’s most advanced turbine blades capable of withstanding high temperatures and pressures are definitely in M country’s military factories, or they are already in use in aviation engines, installed in top-notch fighters. To get such materials, one would have to rob M country’s military factories or simply shoot down an advanced fighter on the battlefield.
"If we don’t even have material samples, it’s going to be a bit troubleso! But we must overco this hurdle..."
Even a seemingly ’impossible’ obstacle that directly affects engine performance must be overco. If not, there’s no point in refining the engine.
Zhao Yi didn’t continue to stay at the Power Engineering Laboratory. Instead, he returned to carefully think it over and then called Zhang Hongtao, inviting him to co over and thoroughly inquire about the situation.
Zhang Hongtao was a nationally known material expert and had participated in major national alloy material projects. He was a specially appointed expert in the Material Departnt at the Aircraft Carrier Research Base and had been working on replicating deck steel materials. In other words, he was an ’alloy material replication expert’.
Zhang Hongtao’s recent research had indeed yielded results.
At the Aircraft Carrier Research Base, he and Zhao Yi had analyzed sample steel materials together. Zhao Yi had made several small suggestions, all of which Zhang Hongtao had carefully noted down.
When he returned to the Alloy Material Laboratory, he tried to develop a new type of high-strength steel material based on Zhao Yi’s suggestions and his own ideas.
He had achieved a certain degree of success.
Though he hadn’t made a material with the sa strength as the sample steel, he had created a slightly inferior material. Although it didn’t match the sample steel, it could serve as a viable alternative.
This achievent left Zhang Hongtao in high spirits.
From his visit to the Aircraft Carrier Research Base to the present, very little ti had passed, yet he had already developed a ’barely usable’ deck steel material. Although it might not be the ’best choice’, it was quite impressive. The Material Departnt at the Aircraft Carrier Research Base nearly deified him, vowing to et all of his research requirents and help him apply for the highest reward for contribution. They also hoped that he would continue his research effort and strive to soon create a deck steel material with the sa strength as the sample.
When Zhang Hongtao received Zhao Yi’s call, he was explaining his ’Research Route for Replicating Alloy Materials’ to the old Professor Wang Zhifang. Several colleagues were listening intently. "In tal alloys, the most important factor is the ratio of elental composition. Understanding the properties of each elent as well as the potential changes after adding it is fundantal. Normal elents don’t need much emphasis, but for so, especially rare tal elents, we still have very little understanding."
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