AIA Recommendations for Ultrasound Inspection of New- Make Turbine Engine, Life-Limited Rotating Parts

The aero gas turbine industry has collaborated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to study and provide guidance regarding the inspection process for the subsurface volume of critical nickel-based engine hardware, through the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) team AIA A-18-003. Data from across a broad spectrum in the industry is needed for this work since the probability of an uncontained rotor event from any cause has proven to be extremely low. Following an uncontained event from a melt anomaly in a nickel high pressure turbine (HPT) disk in 2016, industry teams including this team AIA A-18-003, team AIA A-18-004, the AIA Jet Engine Nickel Quality Committee (JENQC), and the AIA Rotor Integrity Steering Committee (RISC) have collected data and considered ways to improve rotor damage tolerance through improvements in inspection technologies, melting and manufacturing practices, and part design and lifing. This report documents the findings from the evaluation of Ultrasonic (UT) forging inspections. The inspection guidance and recommendations provided here are integral components of a broader damage tolerance strategy for critical parts. A comprehensive damage tolerance strategy includes part manufacturing, service management, and engineering design characteristics to effectively minimize potential threats.