Damages of RD-33 Engine Gas Turbine and their Causes

The objects of the investigation are damaged gas turbine blades and vanes of the RD - 33 jet engine as a result of normal operation in Slovak Air Force service. On the damaged turbine blade optical endoscopic analysis was performed to identify aspects and consequences that accompanied the oxidation and fractures. Damage of the blades and vanes was analyzed with regards on gas corrosion, gas erosion, material burning, as well as cracks and fractures that occurred during the operation of the engine. The research results showed significant oxidation along vanes, where cracks, leading to the destruction, were initiated. Toward the damage of the blades significantly contributed also the fact that higher temperatures cause higher thermal stress sometimes enhanced by a clash of blades with small material sucked by the engine during operation. The subsequent mechanical deformation resulted in places of oxidation to cracking and a gradual detaching of the blade material in the form of partial fractures.