Posted on 12/28/2011 10:31:18 AM PST by SWAMPSNIPER
Raw power!
GE... bah. To be built in China?
Will GE be sharing this with the Chinese?
Do any of those include any sort of a meatgrinder for geese and crows and what not?
More Power! hAR hAR hAR!
I saw a slow motion video of the initial testing for this engine where the testers were propelling frozen chickens into the rotating fan to mimic this exact condition. The blades sliced the chickens up as neatly as a butcher with a machete. Thus, I don't think there will be any Chesley Sullenberger heroics needed by 777 pilots. :)
...the OTHER interesting fact about the GE test bed 747 is its powered by 3 Pratt Whitney Engines.
That engine really sucks.
Only when they are RR powered.
Bird strikes per wiki (note that a Canada Goose can weigh up to 11 lbs):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_strike
“The force of the impact on an aircraft depends on the weight of the animal and the speed difference and direction at the impact. The energy of the impact increases with the square of the speed difference. Hence a low-speed impact of a small bird on a car windshield causes relatively little damage. High speed impacts, as with jet aircraft, can cause considerable damage and even catastrophic failure to the vehicle. The energy of a 5 kg (11 lb) bird moving at a relative velocity of 275 km/h (171 mph) approximately equals the energy of a 100 kg (220 lb) weight dropped from a height of 15 metres (49 ft).”
“On September 22, 1995, a U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft (Callsign Yukla 27, serial number 77-0354), crashed shortly after take off from Elmendorf AFB. The plane lost power to both port side engines after these engines ingested several Canada Geese during takeoff. The aircraft crashed about two miles (3 km) from the runway, killing all 24 crew members on board.”
The engine must be able to continue to make power for birds up to 5.5 lbs. From 5.5 lbs to 8.0 lbs birds, the only requirement is that the engine be able to shut down safely. That only works if you have remaining engines with enough power to get to a landing. Again, Canada geese can weigh up to 11 lbs., so for strikes above 8.0 lbs there is no certification testing to assure even a safe shut-down!
http://www.birdstrikecanada.com/documents/DemersChristopher_LargeAirTransportJetEngineDesign.pdf
“Large flocking birds (>2.5 lbs.) were further studied subsequent to the adoption of FAR §33.76 in response to increasing populations of Canada and Snow geese. This resulted in an update to FAR §33.76 in 2007, which now includes a requirement for continued engine operation after ingestion of a large flocking bird (4 to 5.5 lbs., depending on engine size). This update to the FAA large flocking bird requirements was developed in an international cooperative effort that established harmonized regulations with the European (Joint Aviation Authority / European Aviation Safety Agency) authorities.
“These federal regulations are uniformly applied to every manufacturer of aircraft jet engines certified in the United States, and must be met or exceeded to receive FAA Type Certification for a specific engine design. The regulations are also crafted to address passenger and crew safety during bird encounters. This is done by demonstrating a safe engine shutdown from the expected ingestion of the largest birds. In addition, it must be shown that after the ingestion of medium and large flocking birds the engine will continue providing sufficient power to perform a flight diversion or air turnback and safe landing.
“For very large birds (up to 8 lbs.), the design consideration is to protect the ability to safely shut down the engine. For flocking birds (up to 5.5 lbs.), the engine must continue to make thrust for continued flight and for executing a diversion and safe landing.”
Is that 'flocking birds' the same usage as in the "get the flock outta here..." scene in Porky's?
Captain Sully’s final words before landing in the Hudson : “Dang those flocking birds!”?
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