New development of niobium alloy in aviation

1) Niobium-tungsten alloy strengthened by solution and precipitation has the advantages of low density, good molding at room temperature and high strength at high temperature. It can be processed into various engine parts and has become the preferred material for new aerospace engines. It is necessary to carry out further optimization research to improve the alloy's room temperature strength and other technical indicators to meet the requirements of the engine under different working conditions.

2) The density and high temperature strength of low density niobium alloy are better than that of high temperature alloy, which meets the requirements of "lightenness" in the development of aerospace engine technology and plays an important role in further improving the engine payload. However, the current size and specification of low density niobium alloy are limited, and the deformation processing technology is not fully mature, so further research is needed.

3) Oxidation resistant coating is the "bottleneck technology" limiting the application of niobium alloy. Although domestic coating research institutes have improved the oxidation resistance of silicide coating by various means and raised the service temperature of niobium-tungsten alloy to 1600℃, there is still a big gap between them and the cutting-edge technology of aerospace engines, and further research is still needed.