Introducing new materials into aero engines: risks and rewards, a user’s perspective

Developing and certifying new aircraft engines is expensive. Once introduced, an engine will have a life measured in decades, and manufacturers and users are reluctant to introduce changes for a number of reasons, not least of which are safety, reliability and cost. Thus the opportunities for new material introduction are few and the consequences of an imperfect decision are high. It is therefore imperative that materials engineers utilize any opportunity to introduce material improvements that are presented. This paper will discuss the risks and necessary actions to achieve successful material insertion and will give examples and attributes of successful and unsuccessful alloy development efforts. (AU) © 2010 by The Materials, Metals, & Materials Society. All rights reserved.