Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Carlton
GE took a leap forward with the GE-90 that no other manufacturer would do. The risk of carbon fiber on a fan is significant. Typically, it doesn't have anywhere near the impact resistance of titanium. However, the compelling weight benefits on such a large engine were irresistible for GE and resulted in reduced weight for the entire supporting front end of the engine. With an engine that has a weight of about 17,000 lb.........every lb. is important.
To date, there have been no GE-90 fan "incidents" that I'm aware of.........a tribute to GE's design and rigorous testing.
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Brian,
That the GE-90 was a breakthrough use of fiber is a surprise!
CFAN is just south of Austin and it seems like it's been there for a zillion years so I was under the impression carbon fiber had been used in turbofan applications for quite some time. Learn something new every day.