Benefits and Challenges of the Inside-Out Ceramic Turbine: An Experimental Assessment
- 1 March 2022
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in Journal of Propulsion and Power
- Vol. 38 (2), 221-228
- https://doi.org/10.2514/1.b38004
Abstract
Distributed aircraft propulsion has renewed the interest in power-dense, high-efficiency power packs. Ceramic turbomachinery could be a major enabler, although no successful design has been achieved in microturbine rotors. Rotor blade loading is tensile and a hurdle for successful conversion to ceramics. The inside-out ceramic turbine (ICT) rotor uses the superior compressive properties of monolithic ceramics by supporting ceramic blades against a structural composite rotating shroud. This enables low stress levels throughout the blade, increasing reliability and extending service life. An experimental demonstration of two ICT designs was conducted with 15-kW scale prototypes to identify critical issues: design A, a flexible hub that clamps blades against the structural shroud and design B, a sliding-blade configuration that allows free displacement of the blade. The flexible-hub design was tested up to . Rotor integrity was preserved, but local blade cracking occurred. The sliding-blade design was successfully tested up to for over 1 hour at a tip speed of with no issue. Tensile loading at the ceramic/metallic interfaces remains the key challenge to address. Reducing friction should overcome blade cracking and allow the proposed ICT to reach the targeted temperature of and tip speed of .
Keywords
Funding Information
- Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Nature et Technologies (Scholarship)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (CRD PJ 477320-14, Scholarship)
- Defence Research and Development Canada (W7714-196710/001/SV)
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