Engines
Technology
Composites to Reduce
Weight of Aero Engines
The jet engine is the most complex element of an aircraft and one of the most complex human-made products ever developed, housing thousands of individual components and ultimately determining fuel efficiency for aircraft
by Sukhchain Singh
PHOTOGRAPH: GE Aviation
GE90 Engine
A
t present, the single-most important aspect of aircraft operating cost is fuel which represents 33 to 40 per cent of global airline expenses and even at somewhat moderated cost inflation could soon climb to 50 per cent or more. Aero engine manufacturers have replaced metal with composites to mitigate the weight increase of the engines. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the application of composites in aircraft engines was relatively
limited. More than half of the total composite volume was directly associated with nacelle components, such as thrust reversers, acoustic liners, cascades, blocker doors, radial drive fairings and cowlings. On some models, aramid fibres (often in the form of dry-fibre belts) were used to reinforce aluminium fan cases. Composite nose cones, a variety of air ducts and engine air-oil seals were fairly common as well. A modest attempt in aero engines weight reduction! SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 5 • 2020
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