LEAP-1B engine under ground testing photo: CFM CFM International’s LEAP turbofan engine is performing exceptionally well in ground and f...
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| LEAP-1B engine under ground testing photo: CFM |
The engine has logged more than 1,500 test hours to date, including 75 total flight test hours.The engine was first flight tested on 6 October, on a modified Boeing 747 flying testbed at GE Aviation Flight Test Operations in Victorville, California.
CFM is currently executing the most extensive ground and flight test certification program in its history. The total program, which encompasses all three LEAP engine variants, includes 28 ground and CFM flight test engines, along with a total of 32 flight test engines for Airbus, Boeing, and COMAC.
The engine has successfully completed more than 2,600 cycles on many of the most demanding tests, including early icing; cross wind; bird ingestion; emissions; acoustics; and early endurance testing.
Although all three LEAP engine variants will fly on the modified testbed, the configuration currently being tested is a LEAP-1C fully integrated propulsion system (IPS). This IPS is an industry first and unique to the LEAP-1C. CFM provides the engine as well as the nacelle and thrust reverser developed by Nexcelle. These elements, including the pylon provided by COMAC, were designed in conjunction with each other, resulting in a total system that provides improved aerodynamics, lower weight, and easier maintenance.
The LEAP engine will provide double-digit improvements in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared to today’s best CFM engine, along with dramatic reductions in engine noise and emissions.
CFM officially launched the LEAP engine, which is the company’s first all-new centerline engine in nearly 40 years, in 2008.
At the time of the launch, there was no specific aircraft application. However, in 2009 Chinese COMAC chose the LEAP-1C engine as the sole Western powerplant for the C919 in 2009, Airbus followed in 2010 when it selected the LEAP-1A engine as an option on the A320neo family and in 2011, Boeing selected the LEAP-1B as the sole powerplant for its new 737 MAX.
The first ground tests of the first full LEAP engine started on September 2013. It’s a LEAP-1A engine, which is the powerplant for the Airbus A320neo.
Leap features a host of advanced technologies to help reduce its fuel consumption by 15%, nitrogen oxide emissions by 50% and noise to 15 decibels. Thereby, there will be fewer fan blades (18 against 24 to 36 in CFM56 engines) and they will be lighter, since they are made of composite materials using a proprietary woven 3D RTM (resin transfer molding) process. The use of these new composites on fan blades and other components would reduce the weight of each aircraft by about 1,000 pounds (450kg).
CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between French Snecma (Safran) and US General Electric.
