New Delhi (NVI): The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed single crystal blade technology and supplied 60 of such blades to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as part of their indigenous helicopter development programme for helicopter engine application, defence ministry said today.
“It is part of a programme taken up by the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a laboratory of the DRDO, to develop five sets, 300 in number, of single crystal high pressure turbine (HPT) blades using a nickel-based super alloy,” the ministry said in a statement.
As per the defence ministry, very few countries such as the US, the UK, France and Russia have the capability to design and manufacture such single crystal components. The DRDO has been working for a long time to develop this technology which is a critical component in aero engines.
Helicopters need compact and powerful aero-engines for operating at extreme conditions and to achieve this, state-of-the-art single crystal blades having complex shape and geometry, manufactured out of nickel based super-alloys capable of withstanding high temperatures of operation are used.
The DMRL undertook this development based on its expertise gained during the development of such a technology for an aero-engine project earlier. Complete vacuum investment casting process to realise the blades, including die design, wax pattering, ceramic moulding, actual casting of components non-destructive evaluation, heat treatment and dimensional measurement, has been established at the DMRL, the statement said.
–PRT
