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The work reported in this paper has been conducted by a team from GE-Aircraft Engines, GE-CR&D, and Sundstrand under a contract sponsored by the USAF, Wright Laboratories, WPAFB, Contract No. F33615-90-C-2052. The objective of this contract is to prove the feasibility of an Integral Starter/Generator (IS/G) through the preliminary design stage and demonstrate the starter/ generator technology in the externally mounted version utilizing switched reluctance machine technology. This paper will report on the progress for the EIS/G-system through the initial testing stage. Comparison of the finished hardware with the design results presented earlier will lead of the paper. This is followed by the discussion of the early testing results for the system testing. Recommendation on additional testing will be presented at the end of the paper.

Aircraft starting and generating systems heretofore have been largely the result of joining together available components. Recent studies have demonstrated that substantial benefits in weight, cost, size, and performance may be realized through a total system approach. This paper identifies the types of information required, and the methods of system analysis employed, to design an optimized system.

A new ultrathin-backed semipermeable membrane has been developed which shows considerable promise as a gas separator for engine bleed air to provide nitrogen-rich air for aircraft fuel tank inerting. The membrane is a silicone, polycarbonate copolymer of 1500 Å effective thickness, deposited on a reinforced porous backing. The selective removal of oxygen provides oxygen concentrations of less than 9% in the inerting gas. Small-scale testing demonstrated that the backed membranes are suitable in the aircraft environment. A system using such membranes avoids the logistic and service requirements of tanked liquid nitrogen.

Previous studies had demonstrated the economic and technical feasibility of producing high-quality forgings for aircraft turbine engine parts from hot-isostatically pressed (HIP) Rene 95 powder billets. The present program was aimed at developing a production practice for making HIP + forged turbine discs. The major goal was improved product fabricability and reliability with minimum cost. The program was conducted using argon atomized Rene 95 powder. Experimental studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of powder characteristics, HIP parameters, preform design, and forging conditions on forgeability, microstructure, and mechanical properties. The results of these studies were incorporated into a pilot production run in which 10 disc forgings were made and evaluated. The selected process involved the consolidation of -60 mesh powder to full density by hot-isostatic pressing at a temperature above the γ' solvus temperature.

The major technological developments which have made possible the trend towards higher temperatures in modern aircraft gas turbine engines are discussed. The relative importance of manufacturing processes, material developments, cooling techniques, analytical design procedures, rupture and cyclic life considerations, and aerodynamic and mechanical design improvements are discussed along with illustrative examples and technical data. The need for a balanced design approach is stressed, and examples are given where trade-offs can be made. It is noted that the advances in aircraft engines during the last 10 years have been based on the evolution of sound engineering principles, extensive component and engine development, and careful consideration of the operational requirements rather than a tremendous breakthrough or revolutionary concept in any one area.

This paper presents the effect of certain powerplant characteristics which must be considered in selecting the engine for a VTOL airplane. Selection factors discussed include: power matching, disc loading, aircraft control provisions, weight trades, and transition. The interrelationship of propulsion and airplane characteristics are based on subsonic considerations with emphasis on VTOL rather than STOL. The discussion is applicable to engines for VTOL aircraft of 0.3 to 0.9 Mach number and of the fixed wing category. Powerplant selection for VTOL demands timely attention to many details not existing in conventional aircraft.

This paper discusses the technology, components and systems incorporated in the design of the LM1600 I/CR marine gas turbine propulsion system as well as describing some of the novel and imaginative ways that the highly acclaimed F404 fighter aircraft engine has been modified and adapted to provide the nucleus for this sophisticated marine propulsion system. Specifically, the modifications to the compressors, the high and low pressure turbines and the power turbine design characteristics are described. The proven materials technology from the highly successful LM2500 marine gas turbine has been applied to this engine as well.

Researchers now have the means to evolve complex manned and unmanned space missions using all of their complex support systems in a fully adaptive visual environment. The expected interactive nature of space missions requires powerful, flexible and comprehensive simulation hardware and software to develop and verify concepts, systems, and procedures. Correlation of visual, sensor, and radar imagery is essential due to new sensor blending and fusion techniques that characterize complex systems and missions. Only through total visual, non-visual and mission environment simulation, combined with analytical tools, can reliable systems and missions be developed. The same can be said of the simulation-based training programs that must be developed for ground and flight mission crews. If maximum situational awareness cannot be trained through simulation, it may be too risky, too expensive or even too late to acquire during a mission.

The General Electric Company has recently been in the process of developing two new turbofan aircraft engines-the TF34 and the F101. The TF34 has been developed for the U.S. Navy's S-3A antisubmarine warfare aircraft and has been selected by Fairchild-Hiller for the U.S. Air Force A-10A; the F101 is being developed for the U.S. Air Force B-1 strategic bomber. Each of the new aircraft programs has the common requirement for subsonic endurance. The S-3A and A-10A requirements include subsonic operation only while the B-1 includes supersonic capability as well as subsonic. This basic mission-mix difference combined with major differences in engine/air vehicle installation features and different levels of technology applied due to the relative chronology in the respective development programs leads to contrasts in the design features of the major components of the engines.