GE Aviation and the Ceramic Matrix Composite Revolution

GE Aviation is creating adjacent factories in Huntsville, Alabama, to mass-produce silicon carbide (SiC) materials used to manufacture ceramic matrix composite components (CMCs) for jet engines and land-based gas turbines.

For more than 20 years, scientists at GE’s Global Research Centers and GE’s industrial businesses have worked to develop CMCs. In recent years, GE Aviation has made significant strides in advancing CMCs for jet propulsion.
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GE Aviation is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft, and ship propulsion applications. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings.

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[realmetallurgist]

I worked on these composites back in the '80's, but the company I worked for never cracked the code to make them work. It's nice to see that someone else did.

[andyharman]

I worked on ceramic components for gas turbine engines in the early 1980's at Allison. Back then, they were monolithic parts we were working with, and very brittle. It's nice to see how far the technology has come in the last 30-40 years.

[kingcosworth]

A 6o:1 comp ratio with an axial compressor is simply incredible. I have a textbook on turbines written in the sixties and 6:1 was where axial turbines were at that time...

[bluwhaleceramic]

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a structural ceramic material with excellent performance - super hard, wear resistance, low thermal expansion coefficient, excellent thermal stability and so on. Very suitable for aerospace applications.

[patrickproctor]

Man once they get some CMC Performance Improvement Packages into the GEnx, getting a 787 NG is going to be a walk in the park.

It's impressive that GE is using raw materials science to keep pace with the kind of advancements like geared front fans. It's starting to feel like we're within 30 years of apexing in the jet engine industry.

[Law]

Awesome, Engineering is so much fun, only limited by finance

[WilliamJones-Halibut-vqfs]

The Germans in WW2 were experimenting with ceramic metal matrixes for gas turbines to overcome their severe shortages of nickel and chromium. The work was many carried out by MTU and we have nice photos of their experimental blades. (See Anthony Kay’s “German Gas Turbines and Jet Engines” ). They seem to have made good progress at least to the point of the turbine nozzle vanes being viable.

[BigSlick]

Imagine if Kelly Johnson had this technology available when they made the SR-71. That would have been something to see.

[robertirish]

The background music has to be the most irritating they could find. As much as I wanted to watch the video I lasted less than 2 minutes before I had to turn it off. Why can't we just have the narration and no music?

[arga]

The shape of these turbines has taught me. He changed his gaze to the air flow.

[turboencabulator]

I like how this tech couples nicely into use of unilateral phase detractors

[repalmore]

I can remember it was very expensive long distance call to contact someone 50 miles away. Now we are really seeing leaps and bounds forward in many fields and materiel sciences seem to be a real valuable area. I can hardly what else I will see in the few years left to me.

[MrBorceivanovski]

I am impressed with this engineering #

[carmelpule]

Looking at 8:32, now I know the reason why I could not get first time the correct angle of the stator blades in the compressor stage. Fluid flow determination is so difficult and experimentation is the best way to go. When one sees the facilities required to make such high technical products, all I can say is gone are the days when the average family man can experiment in his garage to make issues are microelectronics and jet which I do consider them on the same level of complexity. We live in a world of a few technical intelligent people and all the rest like philosophers really and social work! and Oh I forgotten the entertainment they all live in such a simple but so popular world. Sometimes one wonders what to advise young people which way to go! Congratulations to all the researchers and other members of the team who shoulder all these headaches to bring better products for a better life.

[mikefigures]

I once found video of the last j58 static engine test. Think it was conducted at Edwards. The exhaust components were glowing so hot they were practically transparent. Hard to believe the whole thing didn't end up a molten glob of slag on the concrete. When the engine was shut down, it quickly cooled off to a dull gray. Pratt & Whitney. Now they can build an engine. The j58 rules! Think the video was classified because I went back a few days later and it was gone.

[Success-govr]

Awesome for automotive engine architecture. Especially for Formula 1 and the top categories of motorsports.

[MrPoornakumar]

CMC is really revolutionary. GTRE must work on it & develop.

[ezras]

Great Stuff!
I think this material was introduced on the 1st time in Formula-1

[martiniman]

GE have nice toolbox, impressive.. I wish I could borrow some of their tools ;-)

[Johnno]

A turban is what you wear on your head, a turbine is whats in a jet engine!