Development trends and future expectations of jet engine

Abstract

Nowadays, nearly all large commercial aircraft are powered by gas turbine engines. Having been developed for about 80 years of engines applied on commercial aircraft, from low bypass ratio turbojet engines to high bypass ratio turbofan engines since the first turbojet engine was patented in 1930 by Frank Whittle, gas turbine engines still have a high potential to improve the performance. Currently, motor thermodynamic efficiency can still rise in the following decades; composite materials, for instance, gamma titanium aluminum and polymer matrix composites, are becoming widely used in airliner propulsion due to their lightweight and high-temperature capability. Accordingly, environmental issues related to gas emissions have also become vital due to the continued flourishing of commercial airliners. In this paper, the development of gas turbine engines applied on commercial airliners from low bypass ratio turbojet engine "Nene1" to high bypass ratio turbofan engine "GE9X," and the current advancement of jet engines applied will be discussed in order to gain possible improvement on the performance of jet engines. Current conditions and expectations of jet engines will be discussed with specific examples, focusing on efficiency, materials and manufacturing, and environmental issues. In the paper, the engines mentioned are all related to commercial aircraft.