Two authoring teams from “UEC-Perm Engines” (a part of Rostec United Engine Corporation, a member of Russian Engineering Union (Soyuzmash of Russia)) have been named winners at the annual “Aircraft Builder of the Year” award of 2024. The award is organized by the Union of Aircraft Manufacturers of Russia.
In the nomination “For the Creation of a New Technology”, the team from the Chief Welder's Department was awarded for their work “Import Independence in the Technology of Applying an Abradable Thermal Protective Coating and the Material Used for Parts of the Hot Section of Gas Turbine Engines in the PD Engine Family”. The authors of the work are Chief Welder Dmitry Maximov, Deputy Chief Welder Pavel Drozdov, Leading Specialist of the Metallography and Materials Inspection Bureau Tatiana Batrakova, Head of the Spray Coating Technology Bureau Yuri Boronnikov, and Leading Engineers of the Spray Coating Technology Bureau Maxim Kuznetsov and Ilya Sitnikov.
The company has successfully developed and implemented a domestic equivalent of an imported material for the abradable thermal protective coating. This development fully replaces the foreign powder that had been used as the primary material in production for a decade. Conducted metallographic and thermal cycling tests have confirmed that the domestic material possesses identical characteristics, with its porosity meeting the established requirements.
The application of this new development ensures the minimization of blade-tip clearances in the turbine, which increases engine efficiency and operational reliability. The technology for applying the thermal protective coating using the domestic material has already been implemented in production. The material has passed 1000 thermal cycle tests and will be used in the serial production of all future PD family engines.
In the nomination “For Training the New Generation of Specialists for the Aircraft Industry among Enterprises”, the diploma was awarded to Director of Human Resources Mikhail Voroshilov, Head of the Training Center Zhanna Dautova, and Deputy Head of the Training Center Ksenia Shakirova for their work “Building a Sustainable Model for Career Guidance and Retaining the New Generation of Specialists at the Enterprise”. The authors proposed an algorithm for shaping the company's value system as a response to a complex set of challenges, ranging from human resources management to competitive leadership.
“By developing and successfully implementing new materials, coatings, and design solutions, we are strengthening the technological independence of our county's engine manufacturing industry. A crucial component of this major goal is developing the professional competencies of every employee, which guarantees the high quality of every engine made in Perm,” stated Sergey Kharin, Executive Director of “UEC-Perm Engines” and member of the Regional Council of the Russian Engineering Union (Perm Regional Branch).
