Building Engineering capability in Titanium Alloys (BETA)

For competitive product offerings for future civil large and business aviation gas turbine engines, Roll-Royce has identified opportunities through a step change in the materials utilised in rotating compressor components, primarily in discs and Linear Friction Welded (LFW) blisks. Advancements in titanium alloy technologies have resulted in higher strength materials being available in the market that will enable the design of smaller and lighter weight components. By expanding the design space, new component design architectures would be possible. This would support the necessary engine architectures required for incorporating gearboxes or embedding electrical generators in future Ultra-efficient and Zero-carbon emission propulsion engines.

This programme aims to mature a High Strength Titanium (HSTi) alloy to TRL6 and develop UK capabilities to design & manufacture advanced components in HSTi. Some of the key deliverables from this programme are listed below:

* Qualification of a new high strength titanium alloy for use in both critical disc components and compressor aerofoils
* Full lifing correlations for understanding of operational boundaries,
* Development of joining processes for dissimilar alloy joining and fabrication of large critical rotating components such as fan discs,
* Extend knowledge on the complex phenomenon of cold dwell fatigue and its applicability to the latest titanium alloys.

This programme will provide a solid foundation to exploit the latest titanium alloys, which will offer a step change in capability. It is anticipated to make a significant contribution to performance increases and weight reduction on future engines. The impact of HSTi on current repair techniques will be assessed as part of the validation programme. More advanced repair techniques will be considered in future repair technology programmes.

Potential collaborators are universities and research centres such as University of Birmingham (UoB), Advanced Forging Research Centre (AFRC), and Imperial College London (ICL), Swansea University (SU), as well as selected specialist engineering resources (O'Donnell Consultancy Services (ODCS)).