Metal Printed Turbine Blades: First Test

Those 3-D printed experimental turbine blades are in the engine, and the engine is in the test cell. We spin that thing at max rpm, which is 7800, and the are also at about 840F. That's low, because we do not have jet nozzle which allows pressure and temp to build up in front of it.
The temp limit for these blades is just over 1200F in service.
... That's the subject of the next test. Max rpm and max temp.
Stay tuned, Jet People!
Within a couple hours of posting this video:
@chrismoule1: Did anyone else see the bolt? drop from the front of the cowling at about 8:19? That could have caused a bit of a problem if it had been ingested.
My Reply: I had not noticed, but you are right. It's one of the bolts used to fix the black fiberglass bellmouth to the inlet. Confirmed by the gold color, they are what I call hardware store grade 8 cadmium plated bolts. They all had lockwashers, and were checked for torque.
The junction between the bellmouth and the engine is a couple feet behind the entrance to the bellmouth, so it's very unlikely the bolt would ever enter the engine, but if it did, the consequences would be severe.
Based on this incident, we will replace the lockwashers with self locking nuts, which are aviation hardware.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

[@rockyrivermushrooms529]

Jet boat, jet boat, jet boat!

[@ChildSpaceMethod]

Being able to produce turbine blades of arbitrary shapes in small quantities and competitive cost will be an amazing achievement. The sintered material is also special, because the particle size and sintering process are controlled to avoid any long boundaries between crystal grains. Grain boundaries are so detrimental to reliability that the big boys form turbine blades as a single crystal. The sintered, pressed, powder of these prototype turbine blades is an alternative that can potentially can be very strong, due to the small particles being in all different orientations. An article that states each turbine blade extracts the power equivalent to output of a Formula One engine from the gas generator's hot gas stream. That is a huge mechanical load to sustain, at a hellishly high temperature, where anything flawed will shake itself to bits. Something miraculous to think about, let alone work with!

[@robinsipe3108]

Not so big boys, we have produced our own DS and Single crystal turbine blades as well.

[@ChildSpaceMethod]

@@robinsipe3108 That is great to hear. These abilities are certainly reassuring to owners of older powerplants.

[@jiggsborah7041]

I'm glad I came across your channel .I'm a 61 year old Diesel Mechanic and I have always been interested in jets but you don't find such detailed explanations . Great to see another mechanic explain the small but important stuff in plain language. Good luck and God bless.

[@benjaminschaefer6757]

Stage one compressor-found it in a previous video. Awesome test! It's amazing to be able to watch these tests. Thanks so much!

[@pedroferreira4134]

The introduction was amazing! We can watch the success, just not the failures. If it never fails, we can watch it all! We may never know it was a success all over! But someone will know, and that is a rebirth for those old engines that do not have parts to be refitted. Keep on!

[@TheEnigmaOf47]

Very exiting avenue of research here, I wonder how the creep characteristics will compare to a traditional part. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. Best of luck on the future tests!

[@alanmckeown6462]

Wishing you every success with your research

[@loandbehold7750]

Good job! The sound of the jet was beautiful!

[@Chriva]

You have some real cojones daring to stand in the line of fire of that thing if it were to pop. Why isn't the control room more forward of the engine?

[@JackKrutcher]

This brings up a lot of questions for me! I'm really curious about the placement of the room! Please excuse me and ignore most of the fire hose of questions below 😂: If something happened with the blades do they tend to go to the side or back of the engine? It seems like centrifical force of the rotating things versus the pressure of the air pushing back would be combined. Is there a general pattern of pieces after most catastrophic accidents at rest verse in the air? How far does the average broken part travel through the engine depending on where it breaks and the size and other factors? How fast can an engine react to emergencies or debris detected? Does it have an emergency brake? You seem to know what you're doing, so how is the test room and building set up for safety? Do you have to register with your local fire department so that way they can respond quicker and know what's going on in an emergency?

[@AgentJayZ]

Control room not in plane of rotation. Broken blade will fly mostly out, with a little bit of back. No brake. Fuel is cut if any problem.

[@chrismoule1]

Did anyone else see the bolt? drop from the front of the cowling at about <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="499">8:19</a>? That could have caused a bit of a problem if it had been ingested.

[@AgentJayZ]

I had not noticed, but you are right. It's one of the bolts used to fix the black fiberglass bellmouth to the inlet. Confirmed by the gold color, they are what I call hardware store grade 8 cadmium plated bolts. They all had lockwashers, and were checked for torque. The junction between the bellmouth and the engine is a couple feet behind the entrance to the bellmouth, so it's very unlikely the bolt would ever enter the engine, but if it did, the consequences would be severe. Based on this incident, we will replace the lockwashers with self locking nuts, which are aviation hardware. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

[@vlachen]

@@AgentJayZ Glad to hear you're implementing the change. Former engine/fuel system mechanic and I had a serious pucker moment when I watched it drop.

[@deathk26]

I noticed that and had to do a double take and run the video back.

[@grahamj9101]

I had to re-run it several times to spot it on my laptop screen. I notice that it 'bounced' forward, possibly under the influence of the local low velocity flow field being induced by the intake. A standing vortex into the intake just might have picked it up. I've just made that "sharp intake of breath through pursed lips" noise.

[@grahamj9101]

@chrismoule1 Yes, it certainly could have caused a problem. So here's a story from my past experience. A BA Concorde suffered a double engine failure during a flight to Barbados, right at the point where it couldn't quite make its emergency alternates - but it did, and I heard it first-hand from the captain when he gave a lecture last year. One engine suffered a compressor blade failure, surged, and 'coughed' debris into the adjacent engine. Defect investigation determined that the origin of a fatigue crack in an HP compressor blade was caused by FOD from a commercial grade fastener that could only have come from a catering truck at the gate. At idle, that Olympus 593 had 'hoovered' it up, and the 593 could readily generate standing vortices into the intake (I saw the videos when I worked on the engine). The 593 had a mass flow several times that of the Orenda, but those intakes were way above head height.

[@Fonzie4065]

ive been binging your videos about explaining jet engines and how they work and ts hepes me so much, theyre so cool

[@BryanGoodchap]

Hey Jay, excellent work by you and the team, I do understand what it takes to put the theories into practice, keep going. Cheers.

[@stevecunningham2759]

I really enjoy your videos and the detail that you provide. I am surprised that you can share as much of the development testing as you do!

[@AgentJayZ]

I share whatever I am permitted to...

[@burlatsdemontaigne6147]

Amazing seeing the bare bones engine running with the exposed combustor cans and the turbine section all exposed! Like a 'rat rodded' jet engine! Fantastic! Edit: Congrats on the successful test!

[@AgentJayZ]

The combustors and turbine sections here are completely normal. These early engines had individual cases containing liners, in which each fuel nozzle produced flame. These cases are called cans, and that's where the name comes from. I have several videos on combustor liners that explain the various layouts, and how they were developed.

[@jimgoff1170]

I am excited to see how this awesome project develops 😊

[@Ever443]

Another great video. Thanks for the ride

[@rolandtamaccio3285]

Really need to see one of the little laser sintered ( probably ) jewels . And a stocker ,,, !

[@AgentJayZ]

You may want to watch vid 1. This is 2. The curiosity score is falling...

[@iliassfakri149]

THANK YOU AGENT JAYZ

[@edb3551]

I think that it's great that they can 3-D print the plates and possibly other parts for the Jet Engines that you work on at Jet City as they otherwise may not be available. 😊

[@bobqzzi]

Thanks for sharing your very cool project. Would the 3d turbine blades eventually be destined for aviation or industrial use?

[@AgentJayZ]

Industrial.

[@bobqzzi]

@@AgentJayZ I'l refrain from speculating what engine, but this sounds ambitious but very possible. Be awesome if you pull it off.

[@battshytkrazy156]

Printing something THAT precise AND rugged?? Try comm. Grade turbodiesel!!

[@JaredElliott1]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="500">8:20</a> That bolt was just an extra anyway.

[@beanMosheen]

@@JaredElliott1 FOD Pucker!

[@grahamj9101]

@@JaredElliott1 It's possible that it could have been the star of the show - for all the wrong reasons!

[@indepviewpt]

Congratulations on the development.

[@minigpracing3068]

If you have a complete set printed, will that make it easier to balance the assembly? I'm guessing the printed blades will weigh a different amount from the old blades. Are each of the printed blades being xray to look for voids or cracks before being used?

[@AgentJayZ]

There are always small differences in weight of the blades. the balancing process will be exactly the same..

[@jmikronis7376]

It’s been a long time for me getting back to this channel. The last time I conversed, it was about trying to get the noise level down in the control room. The only real way to do this is to have the control room moved to a different location, removed from where it is. To view stuff, you’ll need video only cameras. This room will have to be built with audio isolation in mind. Nothing else is going to work. Sorry.

[@AgentJayZ]

Nobody here is worried about control room noise. No need to apologize for anything, sir.

[@stevem7868-y4l]

Printing Metal, is the thing of the future, yes i know it can be done, but i still cant get my head around printing plastic !! let alone Metal

[@abarratt8869]

Hmmmm, interesting to consider how far this can go. State of the art is exotic alloys, cast as a single crystal (at least, that's what RR do), with air cooling channels. A printed turbine blade cannot approach the structural integrity of a single crystal, because it is (by definition) not printing a single crystal. So if the performance is always going to be limited, what are the applications? Keeping older engines running certainly has it's uses, and this KZbin channel is a fine testament to that! But I wonder if it can go further; might one be able to make flight-qualified parts this way for the "vintage" aircraft industry? One of the reasons old planes get scrapped is the unavailability or parts, which this may overcome. I should think that, if one can 3D print turbine blades successfully, one could also 3d print combustor cans / parts. That could be very useful indeed. If it becomes possible to efficiently remanufacture all the hot section components that get worn out, keeping old engines flying could become a lot more economic.

I think you're talking about HP blades. This maybe focused on LP compressor blades.

[@AgentJayZ]

This video is about stage 1 turbine blades produced in high nickel alloy by additive manufacturing.

[@bobgsmith]

Verry exciting. I would hope that the blades are examined to the Nth degree to rule out any internal failures. Good luck.

[@pd4954]

Will this help bring the Orenda Iroquois back to life? Are you missing parts that could be made this way? Hope one day, you will have it on the test stand.

[@rreiter]

That would be quite something.

[@riversweet]

Congratulations!!

[@damienmilk3025]

The detail you go into in your videos is fantastic. For the lovers of all things turbine, this is a one-stop shop. Maybe this is a dumb question, and I do not remember hearing you mention it. Can the printed parts be certified for use in, for example, a historic airplane? Thanks.

[@AgentJayZ]

The purpose of this test is explained in the video.

[@jamesklinckman2363]

I saw what looked like a bolt falling off landing in front of the compressor.

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

I wanna get me one of those to replace the engine in my 2005 Prius.

[@C-M-E]

Out of curiosity, are you running those blades in the raw or mix of raw and alumina coating? Very interesting nonetheless and best of luck with the trials!

[@AgentJayZ]

Everybody at this test is fully clothed. The blades are as printed, without any surface coating.

[@shoutout.kokain8713]

@@AgentJayZ 👍

[@talon0863]

@@AgentJayZ LOL

[@josephgaribaldi2462]

@<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="500">8:20</a> I saw what looks like a loose screw come off the engine and land on the floor. Lucky it did not get sucked up into the engine. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@AgentJayZ]

Commented on yesterday.

[@robmorgan1214]

Wow. Very good job!

[@rydavis]

hey you...good day to you. The overall shop there, is it a thriving business? What does the company mainly do? Do you overhaul airline engines too? When I watch your videos obviously don't see the real money making part of this business. So just curious beyond your videos is all. but I enjoy your videos...All the best to you sir.

[@AgentJayZ]

No commercial aviation engines. I overhaul and restore vintage turbojets for 1950s fighter jet aircraft. Not quite enough demand for my services, but I get by.

[@ablasttv]

So.. I'm sure your setup is totally safe and all that with the proper materials and engineering to stop any harm from occurring to anyone inside the control room during a test... But wouldn't it be just a little better if your window wasn't directly in line with the high rpm experimental fan blades? Like shouldn't it just be a little offset? lol

[@AgentJayZ]

Nowhere in this video are there any fan blades. Calling a turbine a fan is exactly the same as calling a catchers mitt a bat. Exactly. It wasn't exactly in line. The turbine plane of rotation was a couple meters to the right of the control room. I do agree: that's too close. I'm just the starter operator and camera man.

[@johnleake708]

thanks for sharing That is very good news

[@michaelhornby2961]

Love the channel and of course jet engines. Have you ever had a catastrophic engine failure on the test stand and how safe are you whilst in the booth in the event of say a blade off event ?

[@AgentJayZ]

If a blade fails, the control room is not in the plane of rotation. Never had one go. To me it's catastrophic if we work through lunch.

[@michaelhornby2961]

@@AgentJayZ or if your paying for it 🤣thanks for the answer, figured there was some logic in the engine placement going on. Not that im no expert but id assume with smaller blades its less likely to happen than say the trent 900 🤔

[@av8bvma513]

@@AgentJayZ "To me it's catastrophic if we work through lunch." Now THAT needs a TeeShirt Printing!

[@talon0863]

Thanks for the video. Which engine do you plan to make turbine blades for? J79?

[@AgentJayZ]

Industrial engines that are no longer supported by the OEM, but are still in use. RR Tyne, Avon, and possibly Orenda. No flight engines are in the plan.

[@maverikmiller6746]

You rock man !

[@reedjacksonmaccom]

this is a rad project. brilliant. if this works are you foreseeing a de-extinction event for some model of engines?

[@irieblue007]

@AgentJayZ Is it 3D printed inconel 718 ?

[@bartreardon5197]

FOD at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="499">8:19</a> - presume that wasn't structurally important but not ideal to have it seperate itself from wherever it used to be attached during a run 🙂

[@AgentJayZ]

Discussed earlier.

[@wilsonlaidlaw]

Jay, do you know if a Renishaw printer was used to make these blades? My son was one of the project development engineers for the 3D additive titanium printing at Renishaw UK.

[@Chris11249]

Wow very cool, I had this exact idea. Except to mill blades with 5axis machines from titanium or whatnot. Milling titanium is expensive though. Even then, if they exactly matched the original specs I wouldn't think anyone would fly it until the same amount of testing is done that the OEMs do. Doesn't look too difficult, just time and some money. Best of luck, this is really cool

[@AgentJayZ]

Nobody makes titanium turbine blades because they would melt and catch fire.

[@Chris11249]

@@AgentJayZ Yes. Inconel I meant. That's what happens when you only have one coffee.

[@DiveTunes]

Awesome. Any chance we could see, or get a pointer to see the metal printer?

[@Mentaculus42]

There are videos from CFM International (if I remember correctly) that show the machine and process on youtube.

[@benjaminschaefer6757]

Forgive my ignorance but in which stage of the engine have the test blades been placed?

[@AgentJayZ]

Stage one turbine.

[@CDhn455]

Did you notice a different sound from the engine when it was running with the different material blades?

[@AgentJayZ]

Not with these, or with the composite compressor blades.

[@alanrcrews]

Do you have borescope photos to show us?

[@AgentJayZ]

The engine will be disassembled enough to remove the blades for inspection and measurement.

[@gregebert5544]

Not bad considering the engine came from your "junkbox"; curious about the leaks around the combustors.

[@paramtrx9558]

How can I get an autographed OV-10 Bronco shirt as a long time fan? Thx!

[@AgentJayZ]

I don't have shirts, and have nothing to do with the OV-10. But I think it's a cool plane.

[@TeemarkConvair]

oooo,,,exciting,,thanks

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

What are those harmonics caused by?

[@AgentJayZ]

Twenty extra points for vagueness. Answer: things making noises.

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

@@AgentJayZ That's a good enough answer. I was wondering if there was something wrong.

[@AgentJayZ]

There were some screeching noises on start, Since they went away, we stopped worrying. This is the first time this engine has turned for maybe 40 years.

[@ChildSpaceMethod]

@@AgentJayZ Amazing they can be stored for so long and powered up. In lesser engines we would be worrying about gaskets and O rings.

@@AgentJayZ Bearing noises perhaps?

[@patrickdouglas3498]

💜💜

[@audi_nv3951]

Anybody else notice the bolt drop at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="499">8:19</a> mark while on the test stand ??

[@AgentJayZ]

Discussed on the first day.

[@leoncellier4719]

Blades made of metal and glue, surely if you have the programme to do that with a 3D printer a CNC lathe would be the better option using a solid lump of metal, guaranteed not to have weak spots then.

[@AgentJayZ]

Surely. Also, much safer if we all just walked. Crashes are of only social consequence. No injuries ever. How far backward should we go?

[@milt_125cc7]

could an afterburner work on a centrifugal flow engine?

[@AgentJayZ]

Check out the Mig 17. After the compressor, whether it be centrifugal or axial, all jet engines are very similar.

[@grahamj9101]

A Gloster Meteor was flight tested with a crude form of reheat (afterburner) towards the end of the war, with the intention of increasing its speed for the interception of V.1 'Doodlebugs'. The engines would have been Wellands (R-R's version of the Whittle W.2B) and the top speed was reportedly increased by 40 miles/hr. And Frank Whittle came up with his No.4 Augmentor, which was an aft fan and reheat (afterburner) arrangement behind a W.2/700 engine. It was intended for use in the Miles M.52 supersonic research aircraft, which was cancelled, but not before the propulsion system had been ground run.

[@av8bvma513]

@@grahamj9101 You Sir, are a repository of astonishing and little-known facts! (& a gentle man and scholar)

[@IslamicRageBoy]

🎉

[@kirbymontrey3897]

How much weight do the 3d printed blades save/whats the potential benefit of these new blades?

[@AgentJayZ]

The weight is no different. The benefit would be the ability to make parts that are no longer available... as explained in the vid.

[@lucastownsend9891]

Test 12 hours

[@AgentJayZ]

12 hours is nothing. Did you understand the part where I said this is the first step in a long process? I thought not.

[@filepz629]

🫂

[@anthonynelson4015]

1st and im watching now

[@sabercruiser.7053]

👍👍🔥🔥🤌🤌 thank you