Design of the gas turbine engine rotor wheel with ceramic blades

The use of ceramic parts in the hot section of a gas turbine engine will make it possible to increase the engine efficiency due to the increased operating gas temperature at the combustion chamber outlet and reduced air consumption for blade cooling, as well as significantly reduce the weight of the parts due to the low density of ceramics. The main disadvantage of ceramic parts is the brittleness of the material. Mechanical properties of
advanced ceramic materials are insufficient for making a whole wheel, however, they are sufficient for making blades. The main problem in making a structure of this kind is ensuring the strength of the interlock between a metal disk and ceramic blades. Previous works of the authors presented analysis of various types of interlocks between ceramic blades and a metal disk. This paper is devoted to the design of an aero engine gas turbine rotor wheel using a high-strength silicon nitride ceramic material. A software code in the APDL Ansys environment is created that makes three-dimensional design definition possible. A rotor wheel with ceramic blades is designed on the basis of a typical aircraft high-pressure gas turbine engine. A commercial heat-resistant nickel alloy is considered as the disk material, while silicon nitride is used for the production of blades. Evaluation of the stress-strain state and strength analysis are conducted, the properties of the ceramic material are analyzed. The results of the research show that it is necessary to make a special cooling system for a metal disk and that the properties of the ceramics presented are to be improved. It is reasonable to apply similar constructions on stationary gas turbine plants.