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Other literature type . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Other literature type . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Other literature type . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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High-Entropy Alloys in Cryogenic Turbopump Bearings: Wear, Fatigue, Friction, and Rotor dynamic Stability

Authors: Ullah, Asad;

High-Entropy Alloys in Cryogenic Turbopump Bearings: Wear, Fatigue, Friction, and Rotor dynamic Stability

Abstract

High-Entropy Alloys (HEAs) have emerged as next-generation bearing materials for cryogenic turbopumps used in high-performance liquid rocket engines. These turbopumps operate under extreme thermomechanical and tribological conditions, including rotational speeds exceeding 50,000–120,000 rpm, cryogenic temperatures as low as 20 K for liquid hydrogen (LH₂), high Hertzian contact stresses, severe lubrication starvation, pressure oscillations, cavitation, and intense vibrational and rotordynamic loads. Conventional bearing materials—such as M50 steel, 440C stainless steel, Cobalt-based alloys, ceramics, and advanced coated steels—struggle to survive such environments due to rolling contact fatigue (RCF), hydrogen embrittlement, cryogenic brittleness, thermal shock sensitivity, and rapid wear. HEAs, due to their multi-principal element architecture, exhibit exceptional cryogenic strengthening, low-temperaturetoughness, improved resistance to adhesive and abrasive wear, high resistance to hydrogen-induced damage, and stable microstructures under extreme thermal cycling. This research paper presents a comprehensive analysis of HEAs for turbopump bearings, examining their thermodynamic foundations, deformation mechanisms, wear behaviour, cryogenic fatigue performance, hydrogen embrittlement resistance, rotordynamic stability effects, and long-term failure modes. The investigation demonstrates that HEAs significantly outperform conventional bearing alloys under extreme cryogenic, mechanical, and dynamic loading, positioning them as a transformative material platform for reusable liquid rocket engines such as SpaceX Raptor, Blue Origin BE-4,ArianeGroup Prometheus, and NASA RS-25 upgrades.

Keywords

Wear, Rotordynamics, Rocket Engines, Hydrogen Embrittlement, Cryogenic Turbopumps, High-Entropy Alloys, Rolling Contact Fatigue

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Green