GE Aviation reports that its facility in North Carolina has shipped its 100,000th turbine shroud made from ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials.
GE’s Alabama facility also recently shipped its 100,000th additively manufactured (AM) fuel nozzle tip, the company said.
The North Carolina facility began producing CMCs in 201 and is reportedlythe aviation industry's first mass manufacturing site for jet engine components made from CMCs. The Alabama site began producing fuel nozzles in 2015.
Both parts are made for CFM International’s LEAP engine, which features 18 shrouds and 18 or 19 fuel nozzles, depending on the specific model.
CMCs can be one-third the weight of traditional metal alloys with two times the temperature capability, helping improve engine thermal efficiency, thus reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions, according to GE.
This story uses material from GE Aviation, with editorial changes made by Materials Today.
