Chinese researchers are working on a new superalloy cooling technique that could significantly improve the performance and lifespan of high-temperature turbine engine parts.
This development could have important effects on China’s next-generation military aviation programs.
According to China’s state-run Science and Technology Daily, the innovation may be a critical step toward enabling advanced jet engines, including those designed for sixth-generation fighters and future hypersonic platforms.
New superalloy cooling engines
Dalian University of Technology in northeast China is researching how superalloy turbine discs are made, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
These discs are critical parts of a jet engine, as they support the turbine blades and must withstand high temperatures and strong forces during flight.
They are also essential for converting the thermal energy from fuel combustion into the rotational force that powers an aircraft.
By developing a method that rapidly cools the forged metal using a uniform mist of high-speed water jets, the Dalian team claims to have achieved a fourfold improvement in crystal grain size distribution and a cooling speed 3.75 times faster than conventional methods.
In one experiment, an ultra-high-temperature disc at 1,200°C (2192°F) was cooled at 673°C (1243°F) per minute, an unusual figure in China’s domestic metallurgy research.
“This level of cooling meets the demands of the new generation of aviation engines,” said project leader Shi Jinhe. “We will accelerate the application and transformation of these results.”
The announcement marks an important step in materials engineering and may help China reduce its technology gap with Western countries in engine development.
The performance of the turbine disc affects the engine’s thrust, efficiency, and lifespan. This is particularly vital for China’s sixth-generation fighter programs and hypersonic platforms with exponentially higher thermal loads.
While the report stops short of quantifying the impact on operational engine performance, Chinese defense analysts already highlight the technique’s relevance to hypersonic propulsion.
Hypersonic, stealth dominance
In turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engines, one of the most promising architectures for hypersonic flight, the turbine section must withstand extreme temperatures when transitioning to ramjet or scramjet operation.
High-performance superalloys are foundational to making such engines viable.
China has had difficulty creating reliable engines for its J-20 stealth fighter, a fifth-generation aircraft.
The WS-10 engines had limitations, and developing the stronger WS-15 engines took a long time.
It wasn’t until July 2023 that a J-20 prototype with twin WS-15 engines started flight testing. This came more than ten years after the J-20 was first introduced.
Those delays highlighted China’s “heart disease,” a conversational term in Chinese military circles referencing the nation’s inability to build world-class engines.
But with the successful deployment of the DD6 superalloy in the WS-15 and reports of an even more heat-resistant DD9 superalloy in development for future engines, China is now clearly pushing forward on multiple fronts: materials science, precision manufacturing, and propulsion design.
Beijing has designated engine technology a strategic priority under its military modernization roadmap.
If the Dalian technique can be scaled for production, it could improve turbine disc life cycles, reduce engine failure rates, and support a new class of high-thrust, thermally resilient propulsion systems, exactly what is required for hypersonic strike and sixth-generation air dominance platforms.
Whether these lab breakthroughs translate into operational capability remains to be seen. But the signal is clear: China is accelerating its engine development to catch up and compete at the edge of atmospheric flight.
