Materials Challenges for Sustainable Propulsion

Aviation is projected to continue growing as a contributor to worldwide fossil fuel consumption and emissions. To that end, the global aviation community is looking to aircraft propulsion as an obvious area for continued improvements in fuel burn aligned with overall sustainability initiatives. In parallel, research teams and various OEMs are exploring novel concepts in electric / hybrid electric propulsion. Additional constraints and opportunities also exist as a result of ongoing efforts to replace materials of concern in legacy propulsion systems. An overview of Pratt & Whitney efforts across these areas will be presented, with a focus on the important role of materials & processes in industry efforts to reduce aviation's environmental impact.