The extraordinary potential of high-temperature composite materials to meet the engineering design challenges presented by advanced turbineengines is well known. Implementation has been seriously impeded by high cost and fabrication difficulties. Recently, continuous microcomposite monofilaments were produced by physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods to provide an improved alternative to drum-wound foil/fiber or plasma-sprayed monotapes. Such metal matrix composite (MMC) precursorsare highly uniform and reproducible. Moreover, the local fiber volumefraction is precisely that desired in the consolidated macrocompositestructure, making the precursor ideal for a precision fiber placementand consolidation scheme. In the proposed work, a unit consolidationprocess will be modeled and developed using laser energy to effect consolidation of continuous SiC/Ti PVD MMC precursor wires. Feasibilityof the approach will be demonstrated in Phase I by fabricating representative cylindrical test specimens. Phase II will explore the dimensions of the processing window, relying on parametric studies to model the consolidation response surface and produce a high-quality full scale demonstration article. The Phase II focus will be on design and development of a commercially viable manufacturing process for componentshaving complex geometry.
Benefits: Next-generation commercial aircraft turbine engine components will benefit greatly from possible weight savings of more than 50%, compared to currently used superalloys. However truly staggering economies will come from power plants using large land turbines, for which 5% more efficiency can result from a 100°F increase in operating temperature.