Strategic Partnership in Structural Metallic Systems for Gas Turbines

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The UK aerospace industry is the largest in Europe and, worldwide, second only to the US. The aerospace sector directlysupports more than 3,000 companies and provides 230,000 jobs in the UK. Importantly, most of this employment fallsoutside the south-east and the average wage is above the national average. In the UK, the manufacture of gas turbineengines represents 32% of the aerospace business and is dominated by Rolls-Royce, with 114,000 jobs supported byRolls-Royce and its supply chain.This research programme brings together the universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, Imperial College, Manchester,Oxford, Sheffield and Swansea, to perform the fundamental research required to realise new materials technologies thatwill provide step-changes in the efficiency of gas turbines. This will help secure the commercial competitiveness of much ofthe UK aerospace industry whilst simultaneously serving to reduce UK CO2 emissions, thereby satisfying internationallegislation and decreasing the likelihood of irreversible climate change.The research will focus on the development of the new, high performance steels, nickel, cobalt, titanium and niobium-basedalloys required for the most demanding applications with gas turbine engines. It will also seek to obtain thefundamental understanding of the performance and degradation of these materials needed to ensure that they may beused safely, without compromising engine performance. It will also include additional activities investigating key enablingtechnologies, such as advanced joining methods and materials for turbine blade seals.These materials technologies will be developed in close collaboration with the industrial partners to ensure that they arematched to industrial need and that a route for commercial exploitation is available.