Russia develops new aeroengine turbine blade with complex temperature over 2000K
Date：2021-07-13
According to Russian aviation news network, Russia is currently developing the second phase engine for its fifth generation fighter Pak FA. The "Saturn" scientific research and production complex in repminsk, Russia will be responsible for the main research and development of the engine. According to reports, the code name of the second stage engine project of Pak FA fighter is "129". The first batch of 129 engines will be delivered in 2015, when the first batch of T-50 fighters equipped with phase I engines will begin to be installed in the Russian air force.
129 engine catching up
When referring to the main features of Russia's fifth generation fighter engine, Yuri shtokin, chief designer of Saturn company, disclosed that the T-50 is not an ordinary fighter, bomber or attacker, but a multi-purpose aircraft. Such a fighter should be equipped with the latest fifth generation engine, so that it can achieve high mobility, high speed and economic performance, and compete with the F-22 and F-35 of the United States.
According to shtokin, compared with the previous generation of engines, the 129 engine will have the following new features: smaller weight, greater unit thrust, lower fuel consumption and smaller scattering area. Most importantly, the new engine is relatively cheap and the after-sales service is convenient. When referring to the components and components of model 129 engine, shtokin pointed out that the core of aero-engine is high-pressure turbine, and its perfection directly determines the performance of the engine. Compared with the previous generation of compressor, the number of high pressure compressor parts of model 129 engine is reduced, but due to the use of new materials and technology, the manufacturing cost of compressor will not increase.
As for the materials used for the 129 engine, shtokin said that in principle, without new materials, the performance of the new generation of gas turbine engines cannot be guaranteed. However, he stressed that Saturn has experience and good results in the application of new materials. According to shitokin, the 129 engine uses high-temperature nickel alloy blades. The reason for using this alloy is that the turbine blade is very complex and the temperature exceeds 2000K.
In addition, shtokin also stressed that Saturn has sufficient funds to develop new composite materials that can improve engine life. Saturn has been working on this for a long time. Saturn has successfully developed the first stage test engine, which is now under assembly, project code 117. In fact, the 117 engine is an al-41f1 variant of the al-31 engine that Su-27 fighters are equipped with. According to the T-50 fighter project development plan, the first stage engine, al-41f1 engine, will be equipped with T-50 prototypes and the first batch of T-50 fighters, the first batch of which will be installed in the Russian Air Force in 2015. As the second stage engine of Pak FA fighter project, people know little about 129 engine. However, it has been reported that the thrust of 129 engine is different from that of al-41f1 engine, and the fuel efficiency is higher. It is said that 129 engine cruise flight thrust of 107 kn, afterburner mode can provide 176 kn thrust.
American F119 is still the "boss"
Russia's first Pak FA fighter prototype T-50 was tested in January 2010, and the second T-50 prototype was tested in March 2011. The third prototype began to test the active electronic scanning radar in August 2012. The fourth prototype made its first flight on December 2, 2012. According to the plan of Russia's Sukhoi Design Bureau, after completing the fuselage test of Pak FA fighters, Russia will purchase the first 10 evaluation test aircraft, and then equip 60 standard models after 2016.
Compared with Russia's T-50 fighter, which is still in the research and development stage, the U.S. F-22 fighter was put into active service in 2005. F-22 fighter has the ability to evade radar detection and supersonic cruise. More importantly, unlike the 129 engine, which is still in the research and development stage, the F119 engine of the F-22 fighter had been installed with the F-22 fighter as early as 1997, and the flight test plan for several years had been carried out.
The full name of F119 engine is f119-pw-100, which is a dual rotor small bypass ratio afterburner turbofan engine specially developed by Pratt Whitney for F-22A fighter. Compared with the previous generation of American fighter engine F100, the reliability, durability and maintainability of F119 engine have been greatly improved. F119 has a maximum diameter of 1.13 m, a length of 4.826 m, a weight of 1360 kg, a maximum thrust of 156 kn and an intermediate thrust of 105 kn. In terms of thrust, the theoretical thrust of F119 engine is slightly lower than that of Russian 129 engine. However, compared with existing engines, F119's structure and performance represent the most advanced fighter engine level.
F119 engine fuel control system is the fourth generation full authority digital electronic control system. Each engine has two sets of regulators, and each regulator has two computers, so as to ensure the high reliability of the regulation system. In addition, as the next generation 129 engine in Russia, Pratt & Whitney emphasizes the maintainability and reliability of the engine in the design of F119 engine. Moreover, in the design of F119 engine, the verified technology is also used, which makes the engine structure simple and parts reduced. Therefore, the performance of F119 is much better than that of F100, and some new technologies which were not used in previous engines are also adopted, and its reliability is higher than that of F100.