Tests of the largest turbofan engine in the world have been completed

Created on 23.05.2019 08:19

The final flight tests of the GE9X turbofan engine manufactured by the American company GE Aviation have been completed. The completion of engine testing for the Boeing 777X remotor aircraft at the flying laboratory marks another step towards the commissioning of the engine with the largest fan ever produced for commercial aircraft. Flight tests began in December 2018 — conducted more than 50 flights with a total duration of about 320 hours.  

The first flight took place on March 13 last year, behind schedule: initially it was expected that this would happen at the end of 2017. The first round of flight tests was postponed for several months after GE announced the discovery of problems in the lever of the rotation of the blades in February 2018.

The main testing phase was completed on may 7. It primaritly confirmed the parameters for certification by the Federal aviation administration (FAA) of the United States. “Testing took place at a high angle of attack (AOA) to ensure that the engine continues to operate normally under adverse conditions,” said senior test pilot of GE Aviation John Ohman.

The GE9X TURBOFAN engine with a design thrust of 45.4 t has a fan with the largest diameter in the world — 3.4 m, mounted in a composite housing and equipped with 16 blades of carbon fiber of the fourth generation. Among other unique characteristics of turbojet — 11-stage high-pressure compressor with a compression ratio of 27:1, the combustion chamber TAPS III (with a double ring swirler pre-mixing) of the third generation, the use of composite materials based on ceramic matrices in the combustion chamber and turbine.

Aircraft deliveries are planned to begin in 2020. This power plant is also designed for the less capacious Boeing 777-8, which will be put into operation in 2022.

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