Chinese scientists hail success of new hypersonic engine that military ‘did not think would work’
- Researchers say a new manufacturing method will allow them to produce high-quality, ultra-modern weapons at a low cost
- The team adapted a process that has been used to make conventional military equipment for decades, but many doubted it would work for more complex technology
They said a new manufacturing method allowed them to make titanium alloy components that laboratory and real-world tests had found to perform far better than those made using traditional methods, allowing them to go straight from the furnace to the engine assembly line without further processing.
This breakthrough will also “pave way for the development of more advanced components” for hypersonic flight, Yin Zhongwei and his colleagues with the Aerospace Research Institute of Materials and Processing Technology in Beijing wrote in a paper published in the Chinese-language Journal of Propulsion Technology last week.
The ramjet engine the team built allows a missile or aircraft to travel at least five times the speed of sound.
The air inlet, which is designed to protect the engine from turbulence that could extinguish burning fuel, is one the largest and most important components but it is difficult to make.