CFM photo CFM International has begun flight testing the third variant of its new LEAP turbofan engine family, the LEAP-1B engine on Ap...
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| CFM photo |
The LEAP-1B is the exclusive powerplant for the Boeing 737 MAX airliner family which is slated for Entry Into Service (EIS) in 2017. The flight testing is a two-year program that will culminate in engine certification in 2016.
The engine behaved well and completed multiple aeromechanical test points at various altitudes during the five-hour, 30-minute maiden flight.
Over the next several weeks, the flight test program will encompass a comprehensive test schedule that will gauge engine operability, stall margin, performance, emissions, and acoustics. It will also further validate the advanced technologies incorporated in the engine, including the woven carbon fiber composite fan, the Twin-Annular, Pre-Mixing Swirler (TAPS) combustor, ceramic matrix composite shrouds in the high-pressure turbine and titanium aluminide blades in the low-pressure turbine.
This LEAP-1B engine is part of the most extensive ground and flight test certification program in CFM's history. There are currently a total of 26 LEAP engines (all three models) on test, with 10 additional engines in various stages of final assembly.
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 the aircraft manufacturers. Over a three-year span, these engines will accumulate approximately 40,000 engine cycles leading up to entry into service. By the time this engine enters service, CFM will have simulated more than 15 years of airline service with 60 different engine builds.
Along with the LEAP engine and other refinements, the 737 MAX is on track to deliver 14 percent more fuel efficiency than today’s most efficient Next-Generation 737s and 20 percent more efficiency than the first Next-Generation 737s to enter service.
The first engine began ground testing on June 13, 2014, three days ahead of the schedule set when the program was launched in 2011.
In 2011, Boeing selected the LEAP-1B as the sole powerplant for its new 737 MAX, extending a more than 30-year relationship. CFM has been the only engine provider for the 737 aircraft family since the 737 Classic entered service in 1984.
Two engine families have contributed significantly to the design of the LEAP engine, the CFM56 and the GE90/GEnx series of engines. The GE90/GEnx contributed the high-efficiency core architecture to minimize fuel consumption, while the CFM56 legacy drove reliability and maintenance cost design practices.
The other two variants, LEAP-1A for Airbus A320neo and LEAP-1C for the Comac C919 is already undergoing flight testing. LEAP powered A320neo was recently rolled out.
To date, the 737 MAX has accumulated 2,724 orders from 57 customers worldwide. CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran) and GE, is the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines, and has delivered nearly 28,000 engines to date.
