Easily 50% of the value of a commercial jetliner lies in its engines, a reflection of the immense technological development new engines require- the Rolls Royce Trent that powers the Boeing 777-200ERs of American Airlines is no exception, with 18,000 parts in many ways it’s more complex than the 777 itself. And if there’s anything that’s pretty damn impressive in aviation technology today, it’s the commercial jet turbofan engine. The Trent 800 series turbofan of the Boeing 777 represents the renaissance of Rolls Royce after its privatization in 1987. At the time GE and Pratt & Whitney dominated the commercial engine market with Rolls having only 8% market share. Using the three spool RB.211 (used on the Lockheed Tristar and Boeing 757) as the basis, the Trent engine emerged as a family of engines based on a common core with various sections scaled up or down as needed. The success of the Trent has now made Rolls Royce the number two commercial aircraft engine manufacturer in the world after GE with a nearly 40% market share in wide body jetliners. Each small blade in the high pressure turbine of the Trent 800 moves on a disk spinning at 10,000 RPM in an environment 400F hotter than the melting point of the titanium that makes up the HP turbine blades- each blade only inches high generates the horsepower of a Formula 1 race car at full throttle. The blades are a single crystal nickel alloy with laser drilled holes that cool the blade combined with an advanced ceramic coating. The centrifugal forces at the tip of the HP blade are as if a double decker bus were suspended from each blade tip! But despite this harsh environment, each HP turbine blade can operate for 10 million miles before getting replaced! #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KDFW #DFW #airport #igTexas #planespotting #airlines #Boeing #777 #American #DFWavgeek #instagramaviation #N799AN #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #Avgeekery #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge (at DFW Founders Plaza)
