GE Aviation GE9X

Engineers at GE Aviation just assembled the world’s largest jet engine and put it on a test stand at the company’s test site for jet engines located in the woods near Peebles, Ohio.  GE also built the first U.S. jet engine in 1942.  The brand new GE9X front fan spans a full 11 feet in diameter (3.35 meters), a world record and is a winner in several disciplines.

GE is using additive manufacturing, known as 3D printing, to essentially print parts from the ground up. The engine has 3D printed fuel nozzles and the most extensive use of parts made from lightweight and ultra heat-resistant materials called ceramic matrix composites (CMCs).  The technology allows engineers to design complex internal shapes that were previously impossible to achieve.

The material used inside the combustor and the turbine built out of CMCs operates in temperatures as high as 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit.  The hotter the engine runs, the more efficient it is in reducing fuel burn and emissions.  The GE9X is designed to generate 100,000 pounds of thrust but the world record belongs to the engine’s predecessor, the GE90-115B, which generated 127,500 pounds of thrust.  For comparison, one space shuttle main engine produces 375,000 pounds.

GE has been testing the new design for the GE9X carbon fiber blades on a scaled-down 

testing rig at Boeing. Image credit: GE Aviation

GE Aviation will be the exclusive engine maker for the new Boeing 777X, the next-generation version of the 777.  The engine is scheduled to enter service by the end of the decade.