Long March 2FT1

Long March 2FT1 2

Impression of the Space-Aircraft

According to Japanese newspaper The Sankei Shimbun, China will soon complete the establishment of its integrated space and air force. The force will have its own management independent from Chinese army, navy and air force.
Both Chinese air force and the Second Artillery Corps. will participate in the force so that the force will be a combination of various arms of the services. There will be ground force, force with space and aerospace equipment, rocket troops, etc. in it. Its major tasks will be space defense, support for air, ground and marine combat operations and development in space and universe.
In light of the reports of The Sankei Shimbun, Canada’s Kanwa Defence Review and other media, Japan and the US seek to jointly establish a space surveillance and control system to monitor China’s space activities closely. The two countries’ speculate that China’s Second Artillery Corps is planning to establish a new arm of the services that contains troops of networking technology and electronic warfare. Those troops will be the basis for the combat capabilities of the integrated space and air force that the PLA is establishing.
Sankei Shimbun’s report points out that the US and Japan will jointly intensify their space surveillance with a clear division of labor. The US will use optical telescopes and ground-based radars to monitor Chinese satellites; while Japan will use its EPS-5 ground-based ballistic missile defense radar to identify Chinese satellites and other vehicles in their orbits in space so as to undertake a part of the tasks.
According to Kanwa’s speculation, the Second Artillery Corps will take the lead in carrying out the integrated space and air battle plan that the US and Japan are worried about. The Corps’ automatic command system has long been a networked one. Recently, its command management system has been connected by network with Chinese navy and air force to provide the foundation for the implementation of integrated space and air battle.
The report says that the Corps’ networked troops have the system for collecting, transmitting, processing and displaying intelligence and providing assistance for decision making and functions of surveillance and control. Its system that collects information can call for its use reconnaissance satellites, reconnaissance aircrafts of the navy and air force and other equipment. Its information transmission and processing system is equipped with advanced computers while its system that assists decision making and analysis consists of computer center, database and combat simulation system. The sophisticated equipment can help the Corps obtain at anytime information support from navy and air force and closely monitor the activities of other countries’ relevant equipment in space and on earth.
Qianzhan.com says that it is precisely US militarization of space that has forced China to deploy corresponding defense force in order to ensure prevention of China’s space assets from being attacked.
In addition, all computers at the terminals of the Corps’ automatic command system have been replaced by military notebook computer for field operations. That enables commanders of the Corps’ troops to obtain at anytime information on space and air battlefield through the terminals for making the decision to deal with the enemy.
According to Kanwa’s speculation, the establishment of electronic warfare troops also reflects the Corps’ intention to enhance its integrated space and air capabilities. Through its independent electronic reconnaissance and the integrated reconnaissance of the electronic warfare troops of the air force and navy, the reconnaissance capabilities of the Corps’ long- and mediau-range missile troops have been greatly enhanced. .
Such information system facilitates making clear the movements of the space and air combat systems of the US and other countries, in particular those of their satellite and missile interception system in outer space. Once it is found that China’s assets in space are in danger of being attacked, the Corps can attack with missiles the radars and wireless command facilities of the enemy’s space and air attack system.
Source: qianzhan.com “Surprising emergence of the new integrated space and air force shocks the world” (summary by Chan Kai Yee)

Lunar Rover on The Moon

According to a report at Japan’s The Diplomat website on June 16, as the world biggest energy consumer, China is profoundly aware of the urgency to find alternative energy source to overcome its energy predicament.
It is, therefore, putting in lots of resources to exploit the newest and most unavailable non-traditional energy: nuclear fusion.
According to the website, the nuclear fusion research now mostly focuses on the nuclear fusion with deuterium or tritium as material.
There is lots of deuterium in various kinds of water but no natural tritium on earth. Tritium has to be produced by hitting neutrons at lithium.
However, there is the isotope of another element helium-3 on the periodic table of elements able to generate substantial nuclear fusion.
Helium-3 is an isotope of helium, very light in weight. Nuclear fusion of helium-3 is very efficient in generating lots of electricity free of waste. The radiation from the fusion is negligible. Unfortunately, there is almost no helium-3 on earth.
However, there is indeed helium-3 on the moon, which has come from the sun for billions of years in solar wind. As a result the dust on the surface of the moon is filled with helium-3. There must be about 1.1 million tons of helium-3 deposit from the surface to the depth of a few meters on the moon.
The electricity generated by 40 tons of helium-3 is equal to the annual consumption of electricity in the United States. Nuclear fusion of helium-3 will greatly reduce world consumption of fossil fuels and greatly enhance human productivity.
The human race shall first return to the moon before it can provide the earth with electricity for centuries from nuclear fusion.
At present, only China has this idea and a lunar program to send astronauts to the moon in early 2020s. If China wins in the second “moon competition” and has established a sustainable station on the moon to mine helium-3 there. It will have a monopoly like British East India Company in the past that will create lots of wealth for China.
At least, the consequence will be tremendously significant.
Of course, when fossil fuel has nearly been used up, other countries will also begin their lunar program to break China’s monopoly but that will be the situation long after China has become very rich from its lunar expedition.
Source: mil.huanqiu.com “Japanese media: China targets nuclear fusion material on the moon, which will probably enable China to have energy hegemony” (summary by Chan Kai Yee)

 

 

  

Bradley Perrett, Asia-Pacific bureau chief of the Washington-based Aviation Week & Space Technology says that Chinese demand for rare metal - Rhenium reveals improved Chinese combat aircraft engines
China needs large supplies of rhenium — a rare metal that increases the temperature-resistance of turbine blades — to design and produce an engine that can handle higher internal temperatures, increasing performance and durability. Perrett claims that China is actually following the global pattern of rhenium consumption because around 80% of the figure is used to produce aviation turbines. The use of rhenium can imply two upward steps in turbine metallurgy, the expert said. It can be used to improve nickel-based superalloys, while those alloys can be formed as single-crystal blades.
Both technologies allow a turbine, especially a high-pressure one, to operate at a greater temperatures, according to Perrett."Rhenium melts at 3,182C (5,759F), compared with 1,455C for nickel," said Perrett, "The improved superalloys are almost certainly earmarked for combat aircraft engines, such as the WS-10 Taihang, which powers the J-10 and J-11 fighters. Chinese production of high-bypass turbofans must be very low, and their performance is not so important." 

 

 

DD6 is China's second-generation nickel-based single-crystal superalloy

1. First generation nickel-based single-crystal superalloy was called DD3. This technology was probably used in the WS-10A and WS-13 turbofan engines.
2. Newer second-generation nickel-based single-crystal superalloy is named DD6. This latest technology will probably be incorporated into the WS-15 turbofan engine.

 
Figure 1. (a) HAADF image of alloy DD6 before the creep test. (b) Element mapping images of major constituents corresponding to the area denoted by a white rectangle in (a). (c) Distribution of elements Re and W along the direction perpendicular to the interfaces. The dashed vertical lines show schematically the γ/γ′ interface.

Source: ScienceDirect.com - Scripta Materialia - Distribution of rhenium in a single crystal nickel-based superalloy

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DD6 single crystal alloy TLP diffusion bonding process

"DD6 single crystal alloy TLP diffusion bonding process
发表于 2012/08/17 由 admin

DD6 is China's second-generation nickel-based single crystal superalloy with high temperature strength, good overall performance, and organizational stability. With the first generation of nickel-based single crystal superalloy DD3, Cheng Wen capacity increase of about 40 ° C; compared with foreign widely used second-generation single crystal alloys, tensile properties, long-lasting performance, oxidation resistance and heat corrosion all reached and even some more than its level, and containing rhenium low low-cost advantage. Of the alloy is suitable for the production of work below 1100 ℃, gas turbine blade and other high temperature parts with complex cavity [1-3]. Apparently alone casting technology to manufacture the hollow blades with complex cavity is very difficult, even impossible, only the casting and welding the two processes combining to make it a reality. The single crystal alloy as a single crystal highly efficient gas-cooled modular blade manufacturing process, the most important one of the key technologies, foreign countries have to conduct more studies, transient liquid phase diffusion bonding (TLP diffusion bonding) on ??the single crystal turbine blades connection shows a clear advantage and feasibility [4,5]. P & W Company has adopted the TLP diffusion bonding technology to produce outside the compound single crystal blades, and is used on the F100 engine [4]. Developed in our second-generation nickel-base single crystal superalloy DD6 for the study, TLP diffusion welding head the organization and performance analysis.

A test of materials, methods and equipment
Test the parent material for the DD6 single crystal alloy, its composition and typical rupture properties shown in Table 1, the standard heat treatment specifications for the 1290 ° C, 1h from +1300 ° C, 2h +1315 ° C, 4h, air-cooled +1120 ° C, 4h, air-cooled +870 ° C , 32h, air-cooled. TLP diffusion bonding intermediate layer alloy is prepared for DD6 are basically the same, the main component DD6 base metal, adding a certain amount of B as the melting point depressant elements, use the form -150 purpose powder.

Surface preparation before welding in order to prevent the machining stress lead to recrystallization in the base metal in the welding thermal cycle, using the + wire cutting + sanding base metal heat treatment processing. Before welding, all samples with acetone ultrasonic cleaning to oil.

Diffusion welding temperature used to match the temperature of solution treatment with the base metal, ie, 1290 ° C, holding time requirements through tests to determine in accordance with the joints lasting performance.

Docking sample connector metallographic sample and performance samples are first 0.1mm thick stainless steel gasket sandwiched between both ends of the specimen connected surface, and TIG welding positioning, then as usual brazing fill plus brazing powdery intermediate layer alloy is placed in the sample above the binder positioning. Connection, the intermediate layer alloy melt into the cracks in the formation of joints. In order to ensure that the two matching samples of crystal orientation consistent to avoid or reduce the formation of the joint to reduce the mechanical properties of grain boundaries in the test specimen strict matching processing and precise positioning of assembly and welding to ensure that two specimens relative position.

Figure 1 shows the form of the specimen measured the lasting high temperature mechanical properties, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis by means of diffusion welding the head of the organization of different holding time were observed and analyzed."


 China built indigenous DD3 nickel-based single-crystal superalloys prior to 1995

 Fig. 1. Microstructure of the DD3 single-crystal superalloy, respectively, solidified at undercooling of (a) 130 K; (b) 155 K; (c) 170 K; (d) 180 K; and (e) 210 K. (Source: Recrystallization mechanism for the grain refinement in undercooled DD3 single-crystal superalloy)

Most people seem to be unaware that China has been building DD3 nickel-based single-crystal superalloys for about twenty years.

The indigenous WS-10 turbofan engine project started in 1986. By 1992, the "first test engine [was] completed and bench testing began." Therefore, we can deduce China was probably building DD3 single-crystal superalloys a few years prior to 1992.

The earliest English citation (see article below) that I found for China's DD3 single-crystal superalloy was in 1995. Also, the earliest English citation that I found for China's DD6 second-generation single-crystal superalloy was in 2003.

The point of these citations is to match the known dates for China's DD3 and DD6 single-crystal superalloys with the known dates for China's first tests of the WS-10 and WS-15 turbofan engines. They match almost perfectly.

China was building DD3 nickel-based single-crystal superalloys by the late 1980s or early 1990s and the indigenous WS-10 engine was tested in 1992.

Also, GlobalSecurity reported that China successfully tested its WS-15 engine prototype in 2005. Based on the citation, we can place the approximate date of China's manufacture of DD6 nickel-based single-crystal superalloys around the early to mid-2000s.

The timeline for the DD3 and DD6 superalloys fits the dates for testing the WS-10 and WS-15 turbofan engine prototypes.

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Advanced Performance Materials, Volume 2, Number 3 - SpringerLink

"Advanced Performance Materials
Volume 2, Number 3 (1995), 217-229, DOI: 10.1007/BF00705445
Some recent developments of advanced titanium alloy and nickel base superalloys in BIAM

M. G. Yan, Y. F. Han, C. X. Cao and Z. T. Wu

Abstract

A brief review of recent research and development works of some advanced Ti alloys and Ni base superalloys in the Institute of Aeronautical Materials, Beijing (BIAM) is reported. In which, the tensile deformation and fracture characteristics in an agr-beta Ti alloy, the creep behavior of Ti3Al intermetallic alloy and effect of heat treatment and crystal orientation on the creep properties of a single crystal Ni base alloys DD3, are presented. The applications of the above mentioned alloys in aeronautic industry are described.
 
Mechanisms of Low Cyclic Fatigue of DD6 Alloy at Elevated Temperature--

"《Journal of Aerospace Power》 2003-06
Mechanisms of Low Cyclic Fatigue of DD6 Alloy at Elevated Temperature
LI Ying, SU Bin (Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials, Beijing 100095, China)

Low cycle fatigue mechanism of a single crystal nickel-base superalloy,DD6,has been investigated at 760℃ and 980℃. It was found that there were two kinds of sites where crack initiates, one being the surface of the specimens and the other being the sub-surface. Microcracks and oxide layer on the specimen surface are potential crack initiation sites in this superalloy. Secondary crack,reared ridge, and microcrack in the front of the main crack tip can all hinder crack propagation during low cycle fatigue.

【Key Words】： aerospace propulsion system single crystal superalloy low cycle fatigue crack initiation crack propagation
【CateGory Index】： V232
【DOI】： CNKI:SUN:HKDI.0.2003-06-005"

Graphene may give rise to a revolution in future aircrafts and spacecrafts.

Graphene is a material that most people are not familiar with but researchers in many countries are busy working on. It is a new material formally discovered in 2004, for which two British scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov became Nobel Physics Laureates in 2010. Its special characteristics make it possible for the production of transparent mobile phone as thin as a piece of paper, batteries able to be fully recharged in a minute, bullet-proof shirt and other science-fiction products.
For real military application, graphene is very thin and nearly transparent pure carbon one atom thick. It is remarkably strong for its very low weight, more than 100 times stronger than steel. This makes it the best materials for aircrafts and spacecrafts.
However, there is drawback: It is forbiddenly expensive, 15 times more expensive than gold. That may be a problem for the United States as it has to reduce military spending due to its huge budget deficits, but no problem for China which has an unlimited military budget.
China certainly does not grudge however great spending for this revolutionary new materials in order to achieve integrated space and air capabilities.
Sources related to the Industrial Aviation Material Research Institute of China Aviation Industry Corporation revealed to Global Times on May 27 that they have obtained the technology for mass production of graphene film and powder and successful used graphene to make an alloy of graphene and aluminum, the first such alloy in the world, with exceptional qualities for aircrafts and spacecrafts.
With exceptionally good materials such as graphene, China will develop a hypersonic aerospace bomber carrying more than 100 hypersonic missiles.
Why can an aerospace bomber carry more than 100 hypersonic missiles? Because such missiles on the bomber are flying at the hypersonic speed of Mach 22 along with the bomber.
They need no fuel for their speed but the little fuel to control them to hit their targets.
There is no defense against such hypersonic missiles in the near future.
Source: Global Times “Bare the mystery of China’s super new material that may lead to a revolution in aircrafts and spacecrafts” (summary by Chan Kai Yee)

Jiaolong-600 Large Amphibious Aircraft

In order to satisfy urgent need in extinguishing forest fire and emergency rescue at sea, provide equipment for the establishment of national emergence rescue system to serve economic and national defense development, China has an urgent demand for large medium- and long-range firefighting amphibious aircrafts.
In June 2009, relevant state authority approved the project of the development of Jiaolong-600 large firefighting/emergency rescue amphibious aircraft.
The special aircraft research institute of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China is to design the aircraft while China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., Ltd. is in charge of the project.
The aircraft carries a crew of three including two pilots and one mechanist. It will have a boat-shaped fuselage of big length-width ratio, T-shaped tail wing and a retractable frontal three-point landing gear. It is powered by 4 WJ6 engines and can take off from a runway not shorter than 1,800 meters or a water area 1,500 meters long, 200 meters wide and 2.5 meters deep.
It is installed with an integrated navigation electronic system, infrared and optical survey system and marine rescue and first aid facilities for speedy and effective forest firefighting and marine emergency rescue tasks.
So far, the project has entered the manufacturing stage and begun to produce parts and components of the aircraft.
Large structural parts will be made and onboard equipment will be delivered by the end of 2014 and maiden flight has been scheduled at the end of 2015.
Note: The amphibious aircraft is especially useful in giving emergency treatment to those wounded in a future naval battle in the East or South China Sea.
Source: huanqiu.com “China begins to build Jiaolong-600 large amphibious aircraft: maiden flight at the end of 2015 perhaps” (summary by Chan Kai Yee)

Graphene aerogel, propped up on the stamen of a flower. The cube, which is roughly an inch across, probably weighs less than 5 milligrams.

Graphene aerogel, sitting on top of a plant’s leaves

The graphene aerogel, balancing on the petals of a flower.

Graphene aerogel, balanced on the spine of a plant

Another shot of the graphene aerogel, balanced on the spine of a plant

Scientists have created the world’s lightest material: A graphene aerogel that is seven times lighter than air, and 12% lighter than the previous record holder (aerographite). 

A cubic centimeter of the graphene aerogel weighs just 0.16 milligrams — or, if you’re having a problem conceptualizing that, a cubic meter weighs just 160 grams (5.6 ounces). The graphene aerogel is so light that an cube inch of the stuff can be balanced on a blade of grass, the stamen of a flower, or the fluffy seed head of a dandelion.

Most aerogels are produced using a sol-gel process, where a gel is dehydrated until only the aerogel remains. Some aerogels are also produced using the template  method — aerographite, for example, is created by growing carbon on a lattice (template) of zinc oxide crystals — and then the zinc oxide is removed in an oven, leaving just the carbon aerogel. 

To create the graphene aerogel, however, researchers at Zhejiang University use a novel freeze-drying method. Basically, it seems like the researchers  create a solution of graphene and carbon nanotubes, pour it into a mold, and then freeze dry it. Freeze drying dehydrates the solution, leaving single-atom-thick layers of graphene, supported by carbon nanotubes. The researchers say that there’s no limit to the size of the container: You could make a mini graphene aerogel using this process, or a meter-cubed aerogel if you wish.
The end result is an aerogel that weighs just 0.16 milligrams per cubic centimeter, and has truly superb elasticity and absorption. 

The graphene aerogel can recover completely after more than 90% compression, and absorb up to 900 times its own weight in oil, at a rate of 68.8 grams per second. 

With these two features combined, lead researcher Gao Chao hopes that the material might be used to mop up oil spills, squeezed to reclaim the oil, and then thrown back in the ocean to mop up more oil. 

Beyond filtration, graphene aerogel might be used as insulation — or, if it’s as conductive as aerographite (which seems likely), graphene aerogel could enable the creation of lighter, higher-energy-density batteries.

Ground effect vehicle Xiangzhou-1

On April 6, CCTV published a high-key report on the successful marine test of China’s ground effect vehicle Xiangzhou-1, which is a sea skimmer flying at low attitude above ground and sea with a speed much quicker than a ship but slower than an aircraft. When the first such vehicle developed by the Soviet Union appeared for the first time in the Caspian Sea, it was regarded by people as “Caspian Sea Monster”.
Xiangzhou-1 is 12.7 meters long, 11 meters wide and 3.9 meters high with a maximum takeoff weight of 2.5 tons. Its cruise speed ranges between 140 and 160 km/hr. with a maximum speed of 210 km/hr. The speed may be increased to 500 km/hr for a large ground effect vehicle.
As it uses ground effect, it saves fuel compared with an aircraft but is much quicker than a ship. China plans to use it as a quick means of transport for its islands in the South China Sea.
Source: qianzhan.com “Shocking Emergence of China’s ‘Caspian Sea Monster’ after completing sea test”

F-22

F-22 Fighters

According to the report of an Italian media (the Chinese name of which means progressives), US military has recently withdrawn its F-22 fighters from Japan back to Guam allegedly for routine overhaul.
However informed sources say that according to US military and arms dealers’ established practice, whenever they have a new weapon, especially a new weapon deployed at an important strategic base to scare the enemy, the weapon must be intensively publicized.
It is impossible for the weapon to be withdrawn for routine overhaul.
There must be some mystic reason. According to the Italian media, the major reason for the withdrawal was that an F-22 was discovered and locked on by China’s radar that is able to detect stealth fighter jets.
The report says that it has learnt that mystic reason from PLA internal reference material.
  
Jet Engine in developing with have thrust-to-weight ratio of 15

Recently, Indian website Niti Central believes that China will become a leading superpower relying on itself for development.
In late June last year Hong Kong’s SCMP published a report that confirmed China’s 19 priority research projects including quantum telecommunication and high-performance jet engine.
The F119 turbofan used by F-22 is now regarded as the most advanced as it has a thrust-to-weight ratio of 8, but the jet engine China is developing will have a ratio of 15 surpassing F119 by far.
It proves Niti Central‘s report that China is making efforts independently to surpass the US and become a leading superpower.
Source: qianzhan.com “Has F-22 fighter jet discovered China’s military secret at the Diaoyu Island? Emergency withdrawal” (summary by Chan Kai Yee)
Source: SCMP “Exposure of China’s top secret military projects: new jet engine surpassing F-22 by far”