Pressure Ratio Optimised Fan Integral to Low speed Engines (PROFILE

Pressure Ratio Optimised Fan Integral to Low speed Engines (PROFILE)

Building on the success of the Trent family of three shaft engines Rolls-Royce has announced its intent to develop UltraFan™, a novel Very High Bypass Ratio (VHBR) geared architecture. This provides a significant improvement in propulsive efficiency and will be available for the next generation of aircraft 2025 and beyond. A fundamental enabler for this new architecture is the development of a large diameter, low speed, low pressure ratio fan system. This represents a step change in fan technology and entails significant technical challenges including structural integration of the fan system into a geared architecture and mechanical integrity of the blades during impact scenarios. PROFILE is a project to investigate and mitigate these challenges through a blade mechanical rig programme, academic research, and a comprehensive fan system design study.