Materials Needs and R&D Strategy for Future Military Aerospace Propulsion Systems
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Contract No. W911NF-08-D-0005 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of Defense. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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COMMITTEE ON MATERIALS NEEDS AND R&D STRATEGY FOR FUTURE MILITARY AEROSPACE PROPULSION SYSTEMS
GEORGE K. MUELLNER,
The Boeing Company (retired),
Chair
DANIEL G. BACKMAN,
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
CHARLES E. BROWNING,
University of Dayton
WILLIAM G. FAHRENHOLTZ,
Missouri University of Science and Technology
WESLEY L. HARRIS,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
S. MICHAEL HUDSON,
Rolls-Royce North America Holdings (retired)
SYLVIA M. JOHNSON,
NASA Ames Research Center
WILLIAM L. JOHNSON,
California Institute of Technology
ERIC J. JUMPER,
University of Notre Dame
ROBERT H. LATIFF,
R. Latiff Associates
JUDITH SCHNEIDER,
Mississippi State University
Staff
ERIK B. SVEDBERG, Study Director
RICKY D. WASHINGTON, Executive Assistant
TERI THOROWGOOD, Administrative Coordinator (until December 2009)
LAURA TOTH, Program Assistant
NATIONAL MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING BOARD
ROBERT H. LATIFF,
R. Latiff Associates,
Chair
DENISE F. SWINK, Independent Consultant, Vice Chair
PETER R. BRIDENBAUGH,
Alcoa, Inc. (retired)
VALERIE BROWNING,
ValTech Solutions, LLC
YET MING CHIANG,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PAUL CITRON,
Medtronic, Inc. (retired)
GEORGE T. GRAY III,
Los Alamos National Laboratory
CAROL A. HANDWERKER,
Purdue University
THOMAS S. HARTWICK, Independent Consultant
SUNDARESAN JAYARAMAN,
Georgia Institute of Technology
DAVID W. JOHNSON, JR.,
Stevens Institute of Technology
TOM KING,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
MICHAEL F. McGRATH,
Analytic Services, Inc.
NABIL NASR,
Rochester Institute of Technology
PAUL S. PEERCY,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
ROBERT C. PFAHL, JR.,
International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative
VINCENT J. RUSSO,
Aerospace Technologies Associates, LLC
KENNETH H. SANDHAGE,
Georgia Institute of Technology
ROBERT E. SCHAFRIK,
GE Aviation
HAYDN WADLEY,
University of Virginia
STEVEN WAX,
Strategic Analysis, Inc.
Staff
DENNIS CHAMOT, Acting Director (as of April 2010)
GARY FISCHMAN, Director (until April 2010)
ERIK SVEDBERG, Senior Program Officer
RICKY D. WASHINGTON, Executive Assistant
HEATHER LOZOWSKI, Financial Associate
LAURA TOTH, Program Assistant
TERI THOROWGOOD, Administrative Coordinator (until December 2009)
Preface
Significant advances in the performance and efficiency of jet and rocket propulsion systems are strongly dependent on the development of lighter, more durable high-temperature materials. Materials development has been significantly reduced in the United States since the early 1990s, when the Department of Defense (DOD), the military services, and industry had very active materials development activities to underpin the development of new propulsion systems. This resulted in significant improvements in all engine characteristics and established the United States at the leading edge of global propulsion technology.
In 2006, a study from the National Research Council (NRC) titled A Review of United States Air Force and Department of Defense Aerospace Propulsion Needs identified the need for technology advances in high-speed turbine engines, ram/scramjet/pulse detonation engines, rocket propulsion, combined cycle engines, and ultra-efficient propulsion to meet future military needs.1 Each of the identified needs requires advances in propulsion technology, and those advances are strongly dependent on materials development activities. The DOD, the sponsor of the present study, thus identified the following tasks to be carried out by the present study committee (see Appendix A for the complete statement of task):
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Examine whether current and planned U.S. research and development efforts in materials for aerospace propulsion are sufficient (a) to meet U.S. military needs and (b) to keep the U.S. on the leading edge of propulsion technology.
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Consider mechanisms for the timely insertion of materials in propulsion systems and, if necessary, how these mechanisms might be improved.
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Consider mechanisms in place that retain intellectual property (IP) securely and how IP might be secured in future R&D programs.
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Describe the general elements of an R&D strategy to develop materials for future military aerospace propulsion systems.
To accomplish this study, the National Research Council established the Committee on Military Needs and R&D Strategy for Future Military Aerospace Propulsion Systems (see Appendix C for biographies of the committee members). The committee visited and received presentations from the sponsor, government research agencies, major propulsion companies, university researchers, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Materials Technical Committee, which covers the propulsion and materials science domains.
In addition, the committee was provided the document titled Materials for Advanced Aerospace Propulsion and Power Systems (AFRL-RZ-WP-TM-2008-2171). Restricted by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), that document contains the current plan for materials development within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and was used as the baseline for current planned R&D efforts within the DOD. Owing to the restricted nature of that AFRL baseline document, the committee’s specific assessment of current and planned U.S. R&D efforts in mate rials for aerospace propulsion is presented in an ITAR-restricted appendix (Appendix D), the text of which is not releasable to the public.
My personal thanks go to all of the members of the committee for their commitment of considerable time and energy. I am particularly grateful to Mike Hudson, Eric Jumper, Bob Latiff, Wesley Harris, and Sylvia Johnson for leading major segments of the study. The committee is also very grateful to Erik Svedberg, the study director, and to Teri Thorowgood, the administrative coordinator until December 2009, for guiding us through the study process. Erik Svedberg not only steered the committee but also provided valuable research contributions.
The committee hopes that this report will increase the efficiency, level of effort, and impact of DOD materials development activities. Budgetary restrictions demand increased collaboration and focus, as significant improvements in the performance and efficiency of U.S. military aerospace propulsion systems are both possible and needed.
George K. Muellner, Chair
Committee on Materials Needs and R&D Strategy for Future Military Aerospace Propulsion Systems
Acknowledgments
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Meyer J. Benzakein, Ohio State University,
Dianne Chong, The Boeing Company,
David E. Crow, University of Connecticut,
Alan Epstein, Pratt & Whitney,
Diana Farkas, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Bernard L. Koff, Pratt & Whitney (retired),
James E. McGrath, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Carolyn W. Meyers, Norfolk State University, and
Charles F. Tiffany, The Boeing Company (retired).
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The
review of this report was overseen by Hyla Napadensky, retired vice president, Napadensky Energetics, Inc. Appointed by the NRC, she was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
The committee also thanks its guest speakers, who added to the members’ under standing of the materials issues related to future aerospace propulsion systems:
Joni Arnold, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL),
Drew DeGeorge, Edwards Air Force Base,
Kenneth Eickmann, University of Texas at Austin,
Joan Fuller, Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR),
William Hack, AFRL,
John Halchak, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne,
Dallis Hardwick, AFRL,
Clay Haubert, GE Aviation,
Joseph Koo, University of Texas at Austin,
Ajay Misra, NASA Glenn Research Center,
Francis Preli, Pratt & Whitney,
Tom Russel1, AFOSR,
David Schifler, Office of Naval Research,
Jack Schirra, Pratt & Whitney,
Charlie Stevens, AFRL,
Kathy Stevens, AFRL,
Art Temmesfeld, AFRL,
Malcolm Thomas, Rolls-Royce Group, and
Charles Ward, AFRL.
Contents
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Note that the text of Appendix D is not releasable to the public under ITAR. |