Progress in the field of aerospace propulsion has heightened the
need to combine advanced technologies. These benefits will provide
guidelines for identifying and prioritizing high-payoff research
areas, will help manage research with limited resources, and will
show the link between advanced and basic concepts. An effort was
undertaken at the NASA Lewis Research Center to develop a formal
computational method, T/BEST (Technology Benefit Estimator), to
assess advanced aerospace technologies, such as fibrous composites,
and credibly communicate the benefits of research. Fibrous composites
are ideal for structural applications such as high-performance
aircraft engine blades where high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight
ratios are required. These factors--along with the flexibility
to select the composite system and layup, and to favorably orient
fiber directions--reduce the displacements and stresses caused
by large rotational speeds in aircraft engines.
T/Best can readily evaluate typical blade manufacturing processes
and the benefits of using composites to construct fan and compressor
blades, as well as determine how to update blade geometry to maximize
a rotor's efficiency. The bar graph compares these benefits with
those of state-of-the-art titanium blades. The pie chart shows
the cost required to manufacture composite fan blades as estimated
with T/BEST.
Previous articleLast updated April 30, 1997
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