Advanced Materials and Technologies for Compressor Blades of Small Turbofan Engines

Abstract

Manufacturing costs, along with operational performance, are among the major factors determining the selection of the propulsion system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), especially for aerial targets and cruise missiles. In this paper, the design requirements and operating parameters of small turbofan engines for single-use and reusable UAVs are analysed to introduce alternative materials and technologies for manufacturing their compressor blades, such as sintered titanium, a new generation of aluminium alloys and titanium aluminides. To assess the influence of severe plastic deformation (SPD) on the hardening efficiency of the proposed materials, the alloys with the coarse-grained and submicrocrystalline structure were studied. Changes in the physical and mechanical properties of materials were taken into account. The thermodynamic analysis of the compressor was performed in a finite element analysis system (ANSYS) to determine the impact of gas pressure and temperature on the aerodynamic surfaces of compressor blades of all stages. Based on thermal and structural analysis, the stress and temperature maps on compressor blades and vanes were obtained, taking into account the physical and mechanical properties of advanced materials and technologies of their processing. The safety factors of the components were established based on the assessment of their stress-strength characteristics. Thanks to nomograms, the possibility of using the new materials in five compressor stages was confirmed in view of the permissible operating temperature and safety factor. The proposed alternative materials for compressor blades and vanes meet the design requirements of the turbofan at lower manufacturing costs.