Press archive detail

• Telemetry runs successfully completed in Munich

Munich, May 28, 2014 – The high-speed low-pressure turbine for Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower® Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine to power the A320neo has passed the mandatory stress tests with flying colors. These extremely complex telemetry runs, an official certification requirement for this module made by MTU, are considered one of the biggest challenges in engine testing. They serve to measure the vibrational stresses acting on the blades, along with the thermal load and temperature distribution. In a laborious manual process that took a couple of months, MTU’s high-speed low-pressure turbine was fitted with some 400 special measurement sensors. During 20 hours of testing, the propulsion system was put through its paces, also at overspeed conditions.

The German engine experts are pleased with their turbine. Oskar Schnell, Director, Program Management, PurePower PW1100G-JM, said: “The stress test went well. All the test results have matched our predictions, and in fact we finished ahead of schedule.” With the stress tests successfully completed, the engine has passed another important milestone on its way to certification, which is scheduled to take place this year.
    
This was not the first time that the engine specialists in Munich conducted this type of test: They had put the GTF engine cousins of the PW1100G-JM engine that power the Mitsubishi Regional Jet and Bombardier’s CSeries to the acid test in the test cell in Munich earlier, so that this test was the third of its kind. All tests were witnessed by colleagues from Pratt & Whitney. Cooperation is excellent. “The team did a perfect job conducting the test runs. It’s very important for the engineers to be here with us on site, so we can reach decisions quickly if need be,” adds Kurt Scheidt, Senior Manager, Engine and Flight Test at MTU. 

The PW1100G-JM will enter into service on the Airbus A320neo next year. To date the PurePower engine family has completed more than 9,000 hours of testing, including more than 1,200 hours of flight test hours. Pratt & Whitney has more than 5,500 Pure-Power engine orders and commitments, including options.

About MTU Aero Engines
MTU Aero Engines is Germany's leading engine manufacturer and has been a key player in the global engine industry for 80 years. It engages in the development, manufacture, marketing and support of commercial and military aircraft engine modules and industrial gas turbines. The company is a technological leader in low-pressure turbines, high-pressure compressors, manufacturing processes and repair techniques. Figuring significantly among MTU's core competencies are the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of commercial engines and the service support it provides for industrial gas turbines. These activities are combined under the roof of MTU Maintenance, which is one of the world’s largest providers of commercial engine MRO services. MTU operates affiliates around the globe; Munich is home to its corporate headquarters. In fiscal 2013, the company had a workforce of some 8,700 employees and posted consolidated sales of some 3.7 billion euros.