Megan McGregor

Inefficiences in gas turbines arise due to gas flowing though the turbine escaping from the working gas path. This is currently prevented by a shroud around the turbine blade tip. However, this adds to the mass of the blade, decreasing lifetime at a given operating temperature. An alternative approach is to remove the shroud and replace it with an abrasive layer, typically c-BN, fixed to the blade tip with an MCrAlY alloy. However, initial work has shown that such alloy systems have insufficient strength at the service temperature.

I am working to develop alternative NiAl-based alloys for this application, with a focus on characterising the relative importance of different properties for the desired application.