Ballistic penetration testing of the containment wall of a marine gas turbine

The paper considers alternative gas turbine containment designs for the prevention of consequential damage in the unlikely event of a turbine disk failure. One design relies on an external bandage of high-strength steel sheet, another has a hard ceramic facing on the inside of the turbine casing. The ballistic resistance of analogous target models is investigated by means of blunt cylindrical projectiles launched by a compressed air gun. The energy absorbing capability of the target is determined by measuring the projectile velocity before and after penetration. Velocities are determined by means of a digital high-speed camera system. The ceramic facing increases the energy absorption of the plain casing plate by a factor of six. The projectile could not penetrate a casing plate supported by a thick package of high-strength steel sheet at a projectile velocity of 435 m/s.