Silicon Nitride for Gas Turbine Applications. A Comparison of Selected Strategic Materials Technologies in the U.S. and U.S.S.R.

摘要

Gas turbine engines operating at inlet temperatures of 2500F or higher would be much more efficient than comparable present engines, which are limited by their materials of construction to a maximum inlet temperature of 2000F. The promise of higher efficiency has stimulated US and British research on ceramic engines; because of its desirable properties, silicon nitride has been chosen as the primary material to be evaluated for engine applications in programs at Ford and Westinghouse. The objective of the work described in this report was to determine whether or not ceramic-engine development involving silicon nitride was also being pursued in the Soviet Union, and, if so, to evaluate the Soviet program. The method of approach was a survey of Soviet literature.