The 13th World Conference on Investment Casting (WCIC), Kyoto Japan

Supera
Superalloys
lloys versus Ceramics
Will Investment Casting survives
survives as key technology of
Turbine Blades and Vanes in this century ?
Shoichiro HIDAKA
Graduate School of Global Business, Meiji University
University
Email: seanhidaka@gmail.com
Lost wax investment casting made tremendous contribution toward technology
evolution of jet engine and industrial gas turbine. Technology Evolution was made by
operating turbine at higher turbine inlet temperature (hereinafter called TIT). What is
surprising at observing technology evolution of turbine and turbine components made by
investment casting that numerous innovative technological advancement was originated
from small dental orthopedic laboratory. A dental orthopedic laboratory called Austenal
Laboratories was regarded as first commercial investment caster of aircrafts
supercharger blade made by cobalt based superalloys(1).

Thermal Efficiency (%)

It is said that 1/3 of contribution toward higher TIT was made by the advancement of
material technology such as improvement of nickel based superalloys, development of
directional solidification technology and single crystal technology and 2/3 of contribution
was made by the introduction of internal cooling passage for turbine blades and vanes
and cooling technology advancement(2). Correlation between TIT and thermal efficiency
is illustrated below figure 1.

Turbine Inlet Temperature (

)
Fig.1 Correlation between TIT() and Thermal Efficiency of Turbine, with Air Cooling passage in
turbine blade, with Steam Cooling passage and without cooling(2).

As illustrated in Fig.1, the same thermal efficiency at TIT 1500C with air cooling
passage will be achieved by less than TIT 1300C without cooling passage in blades and
vanes.
While TIT is becoming higher, it is pointed out that the limitation of heat resistance
performance in nickel based superalloys may be reaching and R&D of ceramic turbine
components was conducted all over the world. In Japan, technology development project
for Ceramic Gas Turbine was carried out from 1988 to 1998 with turbine and ceramics
industry-wide consortium. In the project, 300kW class ceramic turbine was made and
achieved 42.1% thermal efficiency at 322kW power output at TIT 1396C. Ceramic
components made for the project exceeded the required performance below.
Minimum guaranteed strength of ceramic components : 400 MPa at 1500C
Weibull coefficient:20 minimum
Fracture toughness:8 MPam
Although Ceramic Gas Turbine Project exceeded target performance, it seems that
ceramic gas turbine components is far from commercialization yet and inquiry into
silicon nitride powder manufacturers and ceramics manufacturers proved that solid
ceramic turbine components was not commercialized yet. In ceramic turbine R&D,
silicon nitride ceramic was deemed as material for rotating blades and silicon carbide
was deemed as stator blades and other no moving parts.
Author did not hear much about commercialization of ceramic gas turbine components
before GE aviations article on September 21, 2010 at Aviationweek that GE test ceramic
matrix composite (hereinafter called CMC) based 4inch long low-pressure turbine blade
in October 2010. The same article mentions that GE has applied CMC to turbine liners,
shrouds, nozzles and vanes and the significance of the low-pressure turbine blade is that
it is the first time the company has been able to make a CMC rotating part. On February
24, 2012, IHI, leading aircraft engine manufacturer in Japan released news article that
in 2015 they would finalize mass-production technology of CMC parts for jet engine,
aiming commercialization of CMC parts in 2020.
At this paper, author illustrates technology and material advancement of turbine and
investment cast turbine components and CMC based turbine components.
After serving as vice project manager at METI supported strategic basic technology
advancement supported project Development of moulding technology for advanced
investment casting, author is writing paper on international comparison of investment
casting industry and industrys technological innovation, challenging to make up
technology roadmap and suggestion to the industry.
References
(1) J. L. Mallardi, From Teeth to Jet Engines, Gas Turbine Society of Japan, June 5,
1992
(2) Ryohei TANAKA, Kinzoku Material Science & Technology, Vol.76 (2006) No.2