GKN Aerospace Delivers Rotating Frames for Clean Sky Open Rotor Engine Project

GKN Aerospace has delivered the two rotating frames for a major research programme exploring open rotor aero-engine designs with the goal of achieving a 20% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

The Open Rotor engine project is part of the Clean Sky Sustainable and Green Engines (SAGE) programme, a 50% European Union-funded, multi-partner activity aimed at lowering fuel consumption and emissions through more efficient aero-engine architectures.

GKN has delivered the front and aft rotating frames for the SAGE2 Open Rotor demonstrator engine to Snecma S.A. The rotating frames act as hubs for the two rows of propellers and are located in the propulsor module at the rear of the engine. In total the company will deliver 27 individual parts for these rotating frame modules.

GKN Aerospace deliveries will be completed by the end of February in preparation for engine assembly and testing at the Snecma test centre in Istre, France. The test programme is scheduled to complete this year.

“The challenge with the design and manufacture of rotating frames lies in the fact that they have the geometric complexity of a traditional static turbine structure but, because they rotate and transfer torque to the propellers they are safety critical parts with quality requirements, stress concentrations and load paths that are completely different to current static frame designs,” said Henrik Runnemalm, Vice President, Research and Technology at GKN Aerospace Engine Systems. “We have applied a number of novel, precision manufacturing technologies - including new welding and machining techniques - to produce these structures and have evolved new non-destructive inspection methods which will inspect these complex geometries to the level required for critical rotating parts. Throughout this development programme we have worked closely with the Swedish manufacturing technology centre, (Produktionstekniskt Centrum - PTC), at Innovatum in Trollhättan as well as a number of smaller, highly specialised Swedish companies.”

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