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Technology update
PW 6000 completes endurance test
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Pratt & Whitney has recently completed a 1000-cycle endurance test on
its new PW 6000 engine. The second unit assembled by the company was
tested to validate the engine's design as well as find any problem areas
well before the engine enters service, which is expected in late 2002.
Two other engines are also undergoing various altitude, stress, and
endurance tests. The PW6000 is aimed specifically at the 100-passenger
jet market and is the launch engine for the Airbus A318.
PW6000 flight testing, which is scheduled later this year, will be
conducted using the company's new flying test bed aircraft. Engineers
have also successfully finished test rig runs that addressed bird
ingestion, fan blade failure containment, and gearbox durability tests.
"On the PW6000 we have taken the next step in engine development beyond
the propulsion system reliability process Pratt & Whitney pioneered in
the early 1990s to win an early ETOPS certification," said Thomas
Davenport, Vice President of PW6000 programs.
Frank Bokulich
Aerospace Engineering August 2000
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