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J O S E P H B. M O O R E
1926–2006
Elected in 1986
“For contributions to the technology of rapid solidification,
and for the development of gas-turbine-engine materials.
BY BERNARD L. KOFF
JOSEPH MOORE, one of the nation’s foremost leading pioneers
in materials development for gas turbines and rocket engines,
died on January 7, 2006, at the age of seventy nine. Prior to
retirement in 1991, he served as Director, Materials Engineering
& Technology, Pratt & Whitney Group, United Technologies
Corp. His career spanned 37 years. He was renowned worldwide
for his contributions to the science and processing of materials
which led to major improvements in turbine and rocket
reliability and operability. He is survived by his sister, Jane
Kiger, and by his sons Robert and Albert, and daughters Donna,
Katherine, and Nancy.
Joe grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was an avid sports fan,
attended prep school at Baylor, and entered the V-12 program
at Rice before serving in the Navy. He is a graduate of University
of Alabama with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering (1948) and
an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering (1955). He specialized in
Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, was a devoted University
of Alabama football fan and a music lover of both opera and
old time jazz.
His career started with the General Electric Aircraft Engine
Division in 1954 as a metallurgist, focusing on an emerging new
class of materials known as heat-resistant, precipitation
hardening superalloys. His particular interest was to understand
the relationship of microstructure to thermal exposure and
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162 MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
mechanical strength, and how alloying and processing could
alter behavior. The alloy René 41, still considered to be a
workhorse high-temperature material for forged turbine
components, was a result of his early exploits. Recognizing that
this class of materials was yet in its infancy, he joined the
Wyman-Gordon Co. in 1957 as Supervisor of Vacuum Melting
to understand process behavior. In 1960, he joined the Southern
Research Institute as Senior Scientist to further his knowledge
of microstructure-property relationships. During this time, he
integrated the use of statistical analysis to determine behavioral
trends from what was known as partial factorial experimentation
— a means whereby large dimensioned experimental grids
could be reduced in size to shorten the time and cost of data
acquisition.
In 1961, opportunity knocked with the opening of Pratt and
Whitney’s Florida Research and Development Laboratory — a
facility dedicated at that time to develop technologies for new
concepts in rocket and jet engines. Joe’s expertise was perfect
for this need and he joined as Metallurgical Supervisor with
the immediate task of organizing and equipping a team to
develop materials which could operate 200oF–600oF hotter than
ever before. A natural born leader, Joe proactively worked with
engine designers, manufacturers, and project engineers to
clearly define and understand requirements to advance the state
of art in materials set against specific goals. The results were
dramatic and the materials contributions were subsequently
cited as “key enabling technologies.” These technologies were
used in the successful development of the revolutionary,
continuously afterburning J58 power plant used in the Mach
3+ SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft, best known as the
Blackbird.
In 1976, Joe was promoted to Director, Materials Operations
and held this position with increasing responsibility until
retirement. His organization grew as did his acclaim. Some of
his more well-known accomplishments include:
• precision, equiaxed superalloy castings for improved
strength and heat resistant turbine airfoils
• ingot casting and forging procedures to ensure rim-to-bore
property uniformity for large turbine disks
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JOSEPH B. MOORE
• adaptation of highly innovative inert gas powder
metallurgy technologies to reduce process defects leading
to fatigue in complex heat resistant alloys
• alloying and processing superalloys to retard crack
p ropagation in highly stressed turbine components
subjected to high cyclic strain
• superplastic forming of otherwise unworkable superalloys
for engine components, and
• rapid solidification to enable alloying of metals without
chemical segregation.
The equiaxed cast alloy IN 100 was first used for the J58
engine turbine blades at a time when cast turbine blades were
not considered useful because of low fatigue strength. Multiple
forging procedures were also developed to provide uniform
cross-section strength for Astroloy which was the strongest but
difficult to forge superalloy turbine disk material. Inert powder
processing went on to become the foundation corner stone for
all superalloy powder metallurgy engine components.
Superplastic deformation enabled forming superalloys
otherwise impossible to forge, and opened the door for alloys
with higher strength, ductility, and resistance to fatigue. This
innovative isothermal forging process was named “Gatorizing”
and produced the first successful powder metallurgy turbine
disks operated in a gas turbine. Joe assigned this name to honor
the Florida alligators roaming outside the facility and so that
people would remember where it happened. The high bypass
PW-4084 turbofan engine for the B-777 aircraft uses “Gatorized”
processing for the uncooled low pressure turbine driveshaft to
develop the torque to drive the fan and low pressure
compressor.
Mr. Moore and his colleagues continued to develop and
experiment with rapid solidification to further advance alloys
in aluminum, iron base materials, and nickel superalloys.
Considerable effort was made to produce a non-oxidizing
Niobium alloy for uncooled turbine blades operating at 2700oF
but was not successful. However, the rapid solidification
process was successful in developing a non-burning titanium
alloy for jet engine components up to 1200oF, some 500oF higher
than current titanium alloys.
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164 MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
I’m sure that if Joe were here today, he’d want to try again
to produce a turbine blade alloy higher than 2400oF which is
the incipient melting temperature for current nickel based
alloys.
In 1972, Pratt & Whitney presented the George Mead Gold
Medal for the invention of Gatorizing to both Joe and his close
associate Roy Athey. The Air Force considered this among the
most significant developments in the past 60 years. In 1986, Joe
was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his
contributions to metallurgy and materials processing.
Mr. Moore holds 6 patents used worldwide and produced
12 publications associated with gas turbine and rocket engine
applications.
He was a member of the American Society for Metals and
served on numerous government, university, industry boards,
and committees including the National Research Council. He
also provided support to universities for curriculum guidance
in metallurgy and related subjects.
Mr. Moore was a very practical “hands on” engineer who
displayed great insight of current situations which provided a
key to his pioneering foresight. One of his comments was
“seeing is believing” when presenting to the metallurgical
community the results of his research and development. He
was a joy and inspiration to work with.
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