Prof. Kumar presents Aircraft Engines: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

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PRESENTS with support from NOVA

Aircraft Engines: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

A discussion led by Professor Sharvan Kumar
School of Engineering, Brown University

Saturday, November 13, 2010
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Blackstone Memorial Library
758 Main Street, Branford CT

http://www.blackstone.lioninc.org/

Who should go: No age restrictions, kids & adults are encouraged to attend.
Plus, it’s FREE!

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The desire to fly faster, fuel efficient and more comfortable/quieter aircrafts has placed on unprecedented demand on new materials for aircraft engines.  Aircraft engines use a variety of materials for the different components within the engine depending on whether they are rotating or static parts and whether they are in the front or aft of the combustion chamber.  Engine manufacturers have become incredibly innovative with engine design and material usage.  To a significant extent, processing technology has played a key role in enabling these innovations and designs.  The current materials used in the engine however are operating at close to their melting temperatures and the quest for new materials that can operate the engine hotter has been underway and is one of the biggest technological challenges in Materials Science.  In this discussion/presentation, I will highlight the anatomy of a jet engine, identify the parts we will focus on and then outline some of the enabling technologies as we transition from the early engines through the current day engine and the kind of thinking that is evolving from a Materials standpoint and design standpoint for the engines in the twenty-first century.