GE Aviation has begun testing on its new composite fan blades for the GE9X, the next-generation GE90 engine that will power Boeing’s 777X aircraft. This validation test is the first of several testing programmes GE has planned this year for the GE9X fan module.
The first round of fan blade tests took place in June at the ITP Engine testing facility in the UK and focused on validating the new composite material for the fan blades. The results were very positive. GE plans a second round of tests at ITP to further validate the new fan blade composite material and a new metal material for the fan blade leading edge.
This autumn, GE plans to run Universal Propulsion Simulator (UPS) fan performance tests on a fan rig at a Boeing facility in Seattle, Washington. Work is already under way on the fan rig and facility for these tests.
Bill Millhaem, general manager of the GE90 Programme at GE Aviation, said: “The GE9X fan blade will feature a new high-strength carbon-fibre material and a steel-alloy leading edge. This new material, along with a higher fan tip speed, will improve the efficiency of the low-pressure turbine and deliver a fuel efficiency improvement of more than 1.5% compared to the GE90-115B engine.”
The fan blades in the GE9X engine will be fourth-generation composite types, of which there will be 16 — fewer blades than for the GEnx and the GE90-115B engines. This fan blade reduction is made possible by advancements in three-dimensional swept design that allow engineers to create a ‘more swept’ design and large fan chord. Moreover, the new high-strength carbon fibre material allows the blades to be thinner while maintaining the same strength and durability.