Progress in Aeroengine Technology (1939--2003)

Second only to the invention of an airplane by the Wright Brothers 100 years ago, the jet engine has revolutionized both military and civil aviation. We present a survey of the key aeroengine technology trends. Since 1939, engine thrust has increased over 100-fold and the (thrust/weight) ratio to 7. Whereas the early jet engines barely lasted for less than 10 hours, today's civil engines can stay on wings for up to 10,000 hours, and high-performance military engines can last several hundred hours. Advances in blade cooling technologies and high-temperature materials have permitted an increase in turbine inlet temperature from 1280 to 3200°F. Today, engine thermal efficiency is approaching 50%. Also, today's most powerful aeroengines already meet the International Civil Aviation Organization ultra-low gaseous and smoke requirements. Finally, civil and military technology is moving along the direction set by the versatile affordable advanced turbine engines (VAATE) propulsion capability goals. The spectacular achievements of the last century truly provide an outstanding start for many future achievements to come in the field of aeroengine technology, along the lines of the VAATE goals