The effect of surface modification on fretting fatigue in Ti Alloy turbine components

Severe fretting damage has been observed on the pressure surfaces of fan and compressor blade dovetails/disks in an aerospace gas turbine engine. A study has been carried out to evaluate the effect of an ion implantation technique in combination with the presently used surface treatments, such as shot peening and coating, on the fretting fatigue life of titanium alloy gas turbine engine components. The results from fretting fatigue tests, residual stress measurements, and nanoindentation tests were used to quantitatively evaluate the effect of various surface treatments on the fretting fatigue life of the fan blade and disk materials. Results from microstructural characterization and analyses of elemental and phase distributions within the implanted region are used to understand the effect of ion implantation on the surface properties of the alloys. Finally, an attempt has been made to evaluate the potential for improving the fretting fatigue life of the engine components using various surface modification techniques.