TECHNICAL READINESS LEVEL:
Variable Stator Vanes are regulating the air flow in the Compressor of turbine engines. Those vanes' axes are plugged onto Compressor casing with a bushing to avoid wear, decrease friction to reduce the power need for actuation and limit air leakages. Those bushings are submitted to high loads and friction at elevated temperatures through their lifetime.
Temperature as high as 350°C with a constant airflow and high load are the current conditions in modern engines. Future engines are getting higher and higher in temperature to improve their efficiency and temperatures as high as 400°C are now the new target. Current bushing materials, polyimide, Graphite and some metals are limited by their thermomechanical properties and new materials are required to push the boundaries of working temperature.
Omniseal solutions initiated a collabotration with an engine manufacturer on the design of alternative ceramic (notably oxides) bushings that would be able to sustain much higher temperatures than 400°C. With this solution, temperature resistance is not anymore an issue neither is the CTE, which can be set much closer to hardware's. Current work is focused on the tribologic properties (CoF and wear) with promising results, even if those properties remain a challenge. This work is done in collaboration with SG Ceramics and our customer partner.
Key features:
- Wear resistant.
- Self-lubricating properties.
- High temperature resistance (above 400°C under oxidative atmosphere).
Our partners
Want to collaborate?
Aerospace Innovation:
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