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B
Turbine-Engine Industry Workshop
ON JANUARY 22-23, 1998, the Committee on Materials Science and Engi-
neering: Forging Stronger Links to Users of the National Materials Ad-
visory Board hosted a workshop on the linkages and exchange of infor-
mation in the turbine-engine industry. This was the second of three workshops
intended to identify (1) user needs and business practices that promote or restrict
the incorporation of materials and processes innovation, (2) how priorities in
materials selection are determined, (3) mechanisms to improve links between the
materials community and the engineering disciplines, and (4) programs (e.g.,
education, procedures, information technology) to improve these linkages.
As shown in the agenda in Box B-1, the workshop was divided into four
sessions. The first two sessions were devoted to different sectors of the turbine-
engine industry primary manufacturing and supply industries. The third session
was devoted to business issues. The fourth session was devoted to a discussion of
the distinguishing characteristics of the turbine-engine industry and the linkages
among primary industries, supplier industries, and universities in the develop-
ment of advanced technologies.
Aircraft turbine engines are the single largest U.S. export product. The in-
dustry serves both commercial and military customers, whose missions, needs,
and priorities are very different. The balance of effort between these two classes
of customers is subject to business cycles. In terms of materials technology, this
industry is closely linked to the turbine power-generation industry. Although the
aircraft turbine business is closely regulated by the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion, engine producers and the regulatory agency enjoy a productive relationship
because they share goals with respect to flight safety.
At first glance, the jet engines industry appears to be a conventional materi-
als supply chain involving raw materials suppliers, value-added distributors, parts
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MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
BOX B-1
Agenda for the Turbine Engine Industry Workshop
January 22, 1998
8:30 a.m. Convene and Introductions, Dale F. Stein, Committee Chair
8:50 a.m. Overview from the Design Perspective, Ambrose Hauser, GE
Aircraft Engines
9:10 a.m. Technology Acquisition and Insertion, Michael Goulette, Rolls
Royce PLC
9:30 a.m. Overview of Performance Risks, Gary Roberge, Praff and Whitney
PRIMARY MANUFACTURING SESSION (Malcolm Thomas, Session Chair)
9:50 a.m. Historical Case Study: Single-Crystal Blades, Anthony Giamei,
United Technologies
10:10 a.m. Current Case Study: Metal Matrix Composites, Kathy Stevens,
Wright Laboratories
10:30 a.m. Current Case Study: Titanium Aluminides, James Williams, GE
Aircraft Engines
10:50 a.m. Integration of Materials with Design Requirements, Peter Shilke,
GE Corporation
11 :1 0 a.m. Discussion
SUPPLY INDUSTRIES SESSION (Neil Paton, Session Chair)
1:20 p.m. Historical Case Study: Thermal Barrier Coatings, Harry Brill
Edwards, consultant
1:40 p.m. Disk Process Modeling, Robert Noel, Ladisch Company,
Incorporated
2:00 p.m. Alloys Design, Greg Olson, QuestTek Innovations
2:20 p.m. Strategies to Reduce Cycle Times and Hit Opportunity Windows,
Gernant Maurer, Special Metals Corporation
2:40 p.m. Discussion
5:20 p.m. Adjournment
January 23, 1998
BUSINESS ISSUES SESSION (William Manly, Session Chair)
8:35 a.m. Business Aspects, Ken Harris, Cannon-Muskegon Corporation
8:55 a.m. Road maps: Advanced Turbine Systems, William Parks, U.S.
Department of Energy
9:15 a.m. FAA Regulatory Issues, Mark Fulmer, FederalAviation
Administration
9:35 a.m. Liability and Regulatory Issues, Tony Freck, consultant
9:55 a.m. DARPA Insertion Program, Larry Fernbacher, Technology
Assessment and Transfer
10:1 5 a.m. Discussion
DISCUSSION SESSION
1:00 p.m. Generic Linkages in the Jet Engine Industry
2:00 p.m. Strengths and Weaknesses of Linkages in the Jet Engine Industry
L 3 00 p.m. Strategies for Improving Linkages in the Jet engine Industry
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TURBINE ENGINE INDUSTRY WORKSHOP
makers, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), all of whom are
93
involved
to varying degrees in the process of developing and commercializing new mate-
rials. This rather conventional structure belies many unique features of the jet
engines business that can only be seen by examining the links and interactions
among supply chain participants.
At one end of the chain are the raw materials suppliers, mainly mining and
metal-refining companies involved in the production of nickel, titanium, and a
host of alloying elements ranging from aluminum to zirconium. Typical jet en-
gine alloys are made up of 10 or more metallic elements, most of which are
supplied by independent companies. Generally, these companies supply their
products to many industries for uses other than jet engines and, therefore, are not
commercially dependent on the jet engine business for their livelihood.
Because jet engine alloys are a complex and carefully controlled mixture of
many elements, the supply chain role also includes "misologists," in this case
specialty metal suppliers who melt and mix the ingredients of jet-engine alloys
and also perform a host of other value-added activities to ensure the quality and
integrity of the alloys.
The third major link in the jet-engine supply chain is of the parts maker.
Companies in this position generally focus on a particular manufacturing tech-
nology (e.g., casting, forging, or machining). They convert the metal alloys pro-
duced by specialty metal suppliers into finished components for installation into
jet engines. One simple, but significant, characteristic of parts makers is that they
buy by the pound and sell by the piece. Parts makers sell components to the jet
engine manufacturer, or, more accurately, they are contracted by the engine
manufacturer to produce components. The engine manufacturer inspects the parts,
accepts or rejects them, and incorporates them into the engines.
Engine producers are not at the end of the supply chain but are a step closer
to the end of the chain than is generally assumed. In the commercial aviation
market, jet engines are often sold directly to the final customer the commercial
airline company rather than to the airframe manufacturer. Thus, Delta Airlines
rather than Boeing is likely to be the jet engine producer's customer.
Although the structure of this supply chain is unremarkable, the nature of the
interactions among the members is unique. One unique feature of the jet-engine
supply chain is that large parts of it are made up of technological oligopolies. For
instance, three or fewer producers of superalloy, producers of titanium, forgers,
and foundries service the entire industry. These oligopolies combined are respon-
sible for producing a significant fraction of the technological content and the
majority of the weight of an engine. Unlike the raw materials suppliers, these
companies are almost entirely dependent on the jet-engine business for their
livelihood. Consequently, whereas it might be assumed that they would enjoy
certain oligopoly privileges and be able to extract excess profits, there is little
evidence of this occurring.
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MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
NEW MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT: INCENTIVES AND BARRIERS
In the discussion of driving forces for materials selection and the implemen-
tation of new materials technology, workshop participants pointed out that the
OEM's design organizations ultimately select materials on the basis of potential
performance enhancements and customer requirements for cost benefits. Many
workshop participants felt that the industry is undergoing an uneasy shift from
performance-based materials selection processes to processes based on both cost
and performance. Because customers include military aviation, commercial avia-
tion, and electric utilities, performance and cost needs vary and change fre-
quently, which makes it difficult for materials developers to establish consistent
research objectives.
The jet-engine industry does not have an obvious technology strategy (road
map) for developing commercially driven, next-generation products. Engine manu-
facturers do not disclose their thoughts on future material needs to suppliers be-
cause the structure of the industry and the relationships with end-users makes it
difficult to limit the diffusion of a new technology long enough for an innovator to
sustain a technical competitive advantage from materials technologies. Thus, even
though engine manufacturers have proprietary road maps, there is no agreement on
industry-wide development goals. The Department of Energy' s Advanced Turbine
Systems and National Aeronautics and Space Administration's High Speed Civil
Transport programs have come closest to developing program road maps, probably
because they were designed as precompetitive technology development programs.
Workshop participants identified three characteristics of the jet-engine in-
dustry that encourage the development and implementation of new materials:
· The industry is aware that many improvements in engine performance
have resulted from improvements in materials capabilities. For example,
stringent performance requirements led to the development and introduc-
tion of multiple generations of wrought and cast nickel-base alloys with
increasingly higher temperature capabilities.
· The industry is convinced that improvements in materials can signifi-
cantly enhance customer-driven engine performance metrics.
· The industry recognizes the potential payoffs of future materials improve-
ments. For example, improvements could decrease specific fuel consump-
tion, reduce component or system weight, increase thrust-to-airflow ratio,
and/or improve the durability and reliability of jet-engine systems.
The workshop participants then identified business and technological factors
that acted as barriers to the development and introduction of new materials:
· The industry was established as a research and development (R&D) in-
dustry that has relied heavily on government funding for the development
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TURBINE ENGINE INDUSTRY WORKSHOP
95
of leapfrog technologies. As a result, the industry has historically pursued
R&D on high-risk materials and processes, which have significantly im-
proved both military and commercial aircraft engines. Despite the histori-
cal focus on high-risk technologies, the industry is extremely cautious
about integrating new materials into service because of cost and/or the
risk of failures.
· Manufacturers and end users both require a lengthy, expensive qualifica-
tion cycle to develop a thorough characterization of the performance,
durability, and reliability of new materials before they can be considered
~ · · . .
for Insertion In engines.
· The cost of development rises steeply as a prelaunch effort progresses
from basic research to the demonstration of full-sized components.
· The time required to complete characterization and qualification phases is
longer than the engine design cycle. As a result, support for technology
development is generally inconsistent and discontinuous.
· Because of the complexity of engine systems, it is difficult to assess the
potential impact of new materials on performance.
Poor communications between mechanical designers and materials devel-
opers have resulted in "missed opportunities" for the introduction of new
materials.
· New materials often originate in the engine manufacturer's laboratories,
which discourages suppliers from developing new materials.
Requirements for multiple sources of materials and the absence of alter-
native markets are disincentives for materials suppliers to develop new
materials/processes.
· The profit margin for engine manufacturers is narrow because their re-
cently deregulated, financially sophisticated customers (airlines) have
struggled to maintain their own profitability.
.
.
IMPROVING LINKAGES
Workshop participants suggested that the following steps be taken to im-
prove linkages between the MS&E community and engine manufacturers:
Maintain consistent funding throughout the development cycle, from re-
search through insertion.
Establish collaborative precompetitive programs, with suppliers and en-
gine manufacturers working in teams on critical materials technologies
for more directed explorations of the transition from research to devel-
opment.
· Maintain significant industry involvement in university research pro-
grams, and target specific gaps in knowledge with regard to new materials
and processes.
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MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
· Provide standardize test methods and specifications to suppliers.
· Focus materials research on near-term, incremental, cost-effective tech-
nologies.
De-emphasize high-risk, leapfrog technologies.
Establish general industry guidelines, based on an open exchange of in-
formation among suppliers and engine builders, that state specific needs
and goals in terms of materials and processes.
Make greater use of computer modeling (e.g., process models, thermo-
dynamic and kinetic models of structural development, life prediction mod-
els) to reduce the cost, risk, and time involved in materials development.
Put more emphasis on business metrics (especially manufacturing cost
and life-cycle cost analyses) in selecting and evaluating R&D programs.
Involve certification authorities early in the technology development cycle.
Make use of consortia and university centers of excellence for pre-
competitive programs.
Establish a forum for engine designers, material suppliers, and parts sup-
pliers to reach a consensus on the probability and economic viability of
advanced materials for the jet engine of tomorrow.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
supply chain
