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GE tests GE9X composite fan blades

GE AVIATION has begun testing

the new composite fan blades

for its GE9X engine, which will

power Boeing’s 777X aircraft.

The GE9X front fan will be the

largest of any GE engine at 132

inches (3.35 m) in diameter and

includes a durable, lightweight

composite fan case similar to the

fan case on the GEnx engine.

Compared to a metal fan case, the

composite case will lower engine

weight by 350 lbs (159 kg).

“The GE9X fan blade will feature

new high-strength carbon fi bre

material and a steel alloy leading

edge,” says Bill Millhaem, general

manager of the GE90 Program at

GE Aviation. “This new material,

along with a higher fan tip speed,

will improve the effi ciency of the

low-pressure turbine (LPT) and

deliver more than 1.5% fuel effi -

ciency improvement compared to

the GE90-115B engine.”

The GE9X fan blades will be

fourth-generation composite

blades. GE Aviation developed

the fi rst composite fan blade for

its GE90-94B engine in 1995;

composite blades also feature in

the GE90-115B and GEnx

engines.

Boeing rolls out first 787-9

BOEING HAS completed its fi rst

787-9 Dreamliner, the second

member of the 787 family. The

aircraft was moved to the fl ight

line, where teams are preparing

it to fl y shortly.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s

construction is 50% composite

materials. At 20 ft (6 m) longer

than the 787-8, the 787-9 will

extend the 787 family in both

capacity and range, carrying 40

more passengers and has an

The fi rst 787-9 rolled out of Boeing’s Everett, Washington, factory on 24 August.

additional range of 300 nautical

miles (555 km).

The second and third 787-9s are

in assembly. First delivery to

launch customer Air New

Zealand is set for mid-2014.

At the Paris Air Show earlier this

year, Boeing launched the 787-10

Dreamliner, the third and largest

member of the 787 family.

Boeing; www.boeing.com

Vestas tests 80 m offshore blade

DANISH WIND turbine producer

Vestas has produced the fi rst

prototype 80 m blade for its

V164-8.0 MW off shore wind

turbine at its R&D centre on

the Isle of Wight, UK. The blade

will now undergo extensive

testing.

The 80 m blade, which is the

longest Vestas has ever

produced, is based on the struc-

tural shell design, a proven

concept in which the loads of

the blade are carried in the shell,

rather than using a spar at the

centre of the blade. In order to

validate the strength and relia-

bility of the blade it will be tested

to its limits for six months, repro-

ducing the challenging wind

conditions of the North Sea over

a simulated 25 year lifetime.

The V164-8.0 MW prototype will

be installed in the fi rst quarter of

2014 at the Danish national

testing centre in Østerild.

Vestas; www.vestas.com

The length of the blade is the equivalent of nine double-decker London buses.

The GE9X engine will have 16

fan blades, which is fewer than

the GEnx and the GE90-115B

engines. This reduction is

possible as a result of advances

in three-dimensional (3D) swept

design that enables engineers to

create a more swept design and

large fan chord. The new high-

strength carbon fi bre material

allows the blades to be thinner

than blades made from current

carbon fi bre material, with the

same strength and durability.

These improvements will

enhance fuel effi ciency and cut

hundreds of pounds of weight

from fan blades and the struc-

ture needed to support them.

The lower blade count and new

carbon fi bre composite material

will enable GE to increase the

fan tip speed. The increased tip

speed will improve the effi ciency

of the LPT, contributing to the

engine’s fuel burn improvement.

The GE9X engine for Boeing’s

777X aircraft will be in the

100,000 lbs thrust class with a

10% improvement in fuel burn

over today’s GE90-115B.

GE Aviation;

www.geaviation.com

RP0613_appsNews 5 01-11-2013 09:38:02