🚀 go-pugleaf

On Sat, 7 Apr 2001 08:13:13 +1000, "RT" <r.thomas@cqu.edu.au> wrote:

>
>Stealth Pilot <tailwind@eyeeyenetblotnetblotau.useless.decoys> wrote in
>message
>> the very best of the crop is produced in Perth West Aust.  by Turbine
>> Engine Technologies. The guy concerned, Chris Monkley,  is a go getter
>> with the financials to carry off his projects correctly. He
>> demonstrated to me a gas turbine about 5" dia and about a foot long
>> that had a fadec control unit. started absolutely reliably and
>> delivered something like 14lbs thrust. To get them right he has GE
>> cast the turbine rotors for him in the correct alloys as a mono
>> crystal investment casting.
>
>How many stages and axial or centrifugal, d'y'know?
>
Chris has done some really cunning engineering of the unit and it is
in low volume commercial production. I dont want to steal his smarts.
It is a single stage centrifugal compressor with one power rotor.

btw I'm not singing the guy's praises for any other reason than my
being aware that his work is a quantum jump forward from the other
efforts around, (based on  my model engineering awareness of
Shreckling's work and the others of like ilk.)

The guy has done it right and has a unit capable of hundreds
(thousands) of hours of reliable operation.

To give an indication of the quality of his work, he suffered a
bearing failure problem like all of these turbines do so he contracted
a german bearing maker to make him ceramic ball races to his required
dimensions. they cost *him* over $70 a pop. no further problem.

I asked him how tough the ceramic balls were so he got one out and
laid it on the tang of a Dawn vice and gave it one unholy thump with a
large ball pein hammer (like *really* laid into it). he now has a ball
pein hammer and a vice, each setup as an aircraft rivet set :-)
never even looked like breaking.

If I tell you any more it is the firing squad for you. His phone
number (I think) is in the reply to phils' query.
Stealth Pilot