Failure Assessment of the First Stage High Pressure Turbine Blades

Ni-based superalloys are used as turbine blade material in which creep-fatigue is an important damage mechanism. Simulation and experiment methods are used to investigate and predicte the failure mechanism of the first stage high pressure turbine blades of an aeroengine after 600 hours service. The high pressure turbine blades were made of Ni-base superalloy DZ4, fabricated by DS investment casting. The largest stress point was obtained by finite element analysis. During the fatigue test, the high temperature and low cycle fatigue/creep load simulating the real working condition were applied on the blades until they fractured. And then several examinations were carried out to identify the fracture’s main cause, such as visual examination, SEM fractography and microstructural characterization. In conclusion, the fracture of the high pressure turbine blades was mainly caused by the interaction of the fatigue and creep. Besides, the oxidation accelerated the blades fracture.