Short of Rhenium for Flight Engine Blade in China

The technology of flight research and development has caught up with developed countries, but there has been big problem for the short of raw materials, which are mainly in rare earth metals with high performances, such as rhenium.

Rhenium is a metal with melting point of 3,180℃, similar to tungsten, which is 3,308℃.

Rhenium owns good physical and chemical performances, which results to a wide application in heat resistance parts in aerospace. One of the main use is as additive of 3% ~ 7% in flight engine Ni-based single crystal blade for its deformation and cracking resistance.

Engine Blade

Engine schematic

Engine 3D view

The reserve of rhenium all over the world is really rare with a whole quantity of proven quantity of 2,500tons and whole resource of 7,300~10,300 tons. But it is reported as only 237tons in China by Kunming Institute of Precious Metals.

Rhenium is significant and necessary metal in the development of flight engine, but its shortage has been some restriction for the research. Importing Re or finding alternative metals have been a new research for Chinese aerospace development.

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