iscover
The Soviets have achieved considerable success with large contra-rotating propel/ors driven by turboprops of up to 14,000 shp and have been doing so for more than thirty years - their offer of mutual collaboration could be of interest to the West. Pictured is a Tu-20 Bear long-range reconnaissance aircraft which typically cruises at Mach 0. 75 using what is essentially propfan technology. (MoD)
Propfan The Latest Buzzword In Aviation
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The basic concept of the propfan has been with aviation for many years now though it is only in the past few years that a return to propellors for short to medium-haul 100/150-seat aircraft has been accepted as viable. Modern powerplant technology and advanced materials for propeller blade design spurred on by the second oil price hike of 79/80 have all contributed to the re-emergence of what today is termed the propfan.
Every large airframe and powerplant manufacturer alike are looking seriously at what propfans can offer. Most agree that savings in the region of 20% for propfans with a single set of blades and as much as 30% for those with contra-rotating blades can be had compared with the new generation of turbofans such as the CFM56-3 an. d the IAE V2500.
Primary problems surround noise. Internal noise can be largely overcome by mounting the engines on the rear fuselage aft of the rear pressure bulkhead. External noise though, is presently a problem owing to the supersonic speed attained by the large scimitar-shaped airfoil blades. Boeing and McDonnell Douglas feel that the latter problem will be beaten over the next few years with research programmes already committed to making the propfan a success.
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