Turbine engine fan blades

Turbine fan blades play a critical role in overall functionality of an airplane. They connect to the turbine engine located in the nacelle, a large chamber that contains wind flow to generate more power. These usually 6 ft long blades create high wind velocity and 80% of the plane s thrust. 

As designed, the RP blades are essentially hollow with an internal rib structure. These rib like vents direct, mix, and control airflow more effectively which reduces the amount of energy needed to turn the blades and cuts back on noise. Most engine noise actually comes from wind turbulence that collides with the nacelle. By directing air out the back of the fan blades, the noise can be reduced by a factor of two. And by drawing more air into the blades, engine efficiency is improved by 20%. 

There also exists an embedded elastic dampening material in the blades, which minimizes vibrations to improve resiliency. Because the blade is lighter and experiences lower centrifugal force fiarther enhanced the blade s durability occurs. Small-scale wind tunnel tests show they last 10 to 15 times longer than any existing blade. The No. 1 maintenance task is the constant process of taking engines apart to check the blades. 

These new blades should lend themselves to more efficient production techniques. If you use titanium, you need to buy a big block of it and machine it down to size, wasting a lot of material. As reported, this is very time consuming, and one has to worry about thermal warping. The RP allows for mass production. It is fabricated into a mold, making the process more precise and ensuring the blades are identical. NASA will test the new blades in large-scale wind tunnels at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. If successful, they could see installation by year 2004. 

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