In recent years, China’s high-performance bearings for aero-engines have made major breakthroughs in theory, materials, manufacturing and craftsmanship, and some have even reached international leading levels.
With the implementation of the “two machines” major special projects, China’s aviation bearing industry is expected to take the express train of the aero engine industry, greatly improving the advanced nature and autonomy of the major equipment in aviation bearing field, and ensuring key types of advanced engines including WS-15 and WS-19.
The development of key models of advanced aero-engines is needed to achieve the “China dream of equipping a strong army.”
On July 7, 2018, Liu Daxiang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, stated for the first time in a public lecture that China’s fourth-generation military small bypass ratio aero-engine project is progressing smoothly (J-20’s supporting engine WS-15), of which the design will be approved in the next three to five years.
All of this is due to the breakthrough of a series of engine basic technologies in China. The level of engine technology depends entirely on the “the height of your shortest board”. Due to breakthrough of aerospace bearing steel material technology, the new engine can make a major progress.