By Maiki Vlahinos and Ryan O’Hara, nTopology

Using nTopology’s advanced geometry kernel it is now possible to produce a next generation high-performance Heat Exchanger (HEX) for the aerospace industry, as shown in Figure 1, using advanced materials and manufacturing methods. When coupled with ANSYS CFX, the evaluation of high-performance designs can be achieved in ways that were not previously possible.

Figure 1: Triply Periodic Minimal Surface high performance HEX for applications in aerospace turbine engine applications

 In aviation, thrust is required to propel air and space-craft through the atmosphere. The engine combusts fuel and extracts mechanical work from this combustion to generate the thrust required for flight. In all engines, the process of combustion and mechanical work produces excess heat that must be dissipated. Specifically, the oil in the engine needs to be cooled to maintain the lubrication of components that rotate within the engine. In modern aircraft, the fuel spends much time stored in the wings, where it gets extremely cold. As such, it can be used to cool many of the subsystems of the aircraft. A FCOC exchanges heat between the engine oil and the fuel in such a manner that the engine oil is cooled whilst the fuel is heated up. This exchange of heat serves two purposes: the cooled oil properly lubricates the engine while heating the fuel prevents the formation of ice crystals within the fuel.

The design shown here was inspired by an America Makes project where it was required to leverage additive manufacturing on a legacy shell and tube HEX for both part replacement and to discover whether advanced design and manufacturing could be used to increase the performance of the legacy component shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: American Makes Fuel Cooled Oil Cooler in a shell and tube HEX configuration. 

Delivering Increased Thermal Performance In Space-Constrained Volume

Many aerospace capabilities are built upon hardware platforms that often cannot be changed without serious modifications. As such, it is imperative that design engineers are enabled to do more with less. One way this can be achieved is by using an advanced geometry representation to mathematically and precisely control the geometry within the interior volume of the design space. In this example, nTop Platform was used to define a volume that could be used to iteratively design a modified FCOC that maximizes surface area while minimizing mass (thickness) of its interior walls. With these constraints these are the only two ways to increase the performance of a HEX.

Heat transfer through a wall can be calculated as:

q = U A dT (1) 

And the Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) is:

Where

k = thermal conductivity (W )  (3)   s = material thickness (m) (4)

                                    mK

Maximizing surface area can be accomplished by utilizing a Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS); one known as a gyroid, which has both a high strength to weight ratio and very high surface area to mass ratio, is used in this case study [Gyroid = S in(x)Cos(y) + S in(y)Cos(z) + S in(z)Cos(x)]. By using a gyroid structure in the HEX, a 146% increase in surface area was achieved when compared to a more traditional tube-and-shell HEX of the same size. When coupled with advanced manufacturing methods, these TPMS structures enable parts with both high-strength and heat-dissipative requirements to be designed in a manner that was previously impossible to achieve.

To minimize the wall thickness of the HEX, a cutting-edge nano-functionalized high-strength 7000 series aluminum alloy (7A77), that has been developed specifically for additive manufacturing, was chosen for fabrication. Through the increased strength of this alloy the wall thickness of the FCOC was minimized while still meeting critical burst-pressure structural requirements of the aircraft. With nearly twice the yield strength of AlSi10Mg (a traditional cast grade aluminum alloy for AM) the walls of the gyroid can now be approximately half the thickness of previous designs. By using nTop Platform to design the internal core with a gyroid structure it was possible to increase the surface area by 146% and reduce wall thickness by half, which increased the overall heat transfer of the FCOC by approximately 300% within the same volume as the legacy design.

Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation for Predicting Performance

ANSYS CFX, an advanced computational fluid dynamics solver, was utilized to evaluate the performance of the FCOC. Throughout the design iteration phase several CFD simulations were used to evaluate the design. Driven from initial simulation results it was possible to redirect how the energy was being distributed inside the gyroid, thereby increasing the total heat-transfer coefficient by an additional 12%. A repeatable workflow was developed from nTop Platform into ICEM (for mesh refinement and conversion) and ANSYS CFX, aiding in rapid design iteration.

Figure 3: HTC values with the oil velocity streamlines are shown in the color map on the left with fuel HTC while the color map on the right shows the fuel velocity streamlines with the oil HTC.

Fuel and oil fluid properties and boundary conditions at mass flow rates of approximately 0.45 k g /s and 0.3 kg/s were used respectively. The left image in Figure 3 shows a contour plot of the heat-transfer coefficient inside the fuel domain as well as the streamlines of the oil. The image on the right in Figure 3 depicts a contour plot of the heat-transfer coefficient inside the oil do-main with fuel streamlines moving through the gyroid. With a gyroid core that is only about 100mm (3.9in) in height and 60mm (2.4in) in diameter the overall performance was 3KW (10,200 Btu/Hr).

Design Methodology

Now we will focus on the procedural steps that were used to deliver the advanced capability that was previously described. The process for translating geometry from nTop Platform to the chosen CFD tool is summarized by the process shown in Figure 4. The process is defined by the user isolating the fluid domains of the HEX, producing volume meshes of these fluid domains in nTop Platform, and then importing these fluid-volume meshes into the CFD tool, applying the appropriate boundary conditions, and then solving the fluid simulation.

Figure 4: This flow chart depicts the process workflow necessary to get into CFD from nTop Platform. It can be used for a single or multi fluid domain HEX.

The initial design concept for the FCOC went through several iterations on paper as well as in Computer Aided Design (CAD) before entering nTop Platform. The main design considerations were: minimizing pressure drop, enhancing flow characteristics, introducing impingement to improve the HTC, and design for additive manufacturing. As shown in Figure 5, hot oil enters the top pipe (1), moves around the blue dome, enters the gyroid (depicted as a red cylinder), enters the inner diameter and exits out the pipe at the bottom (2). The cold fuel enters through the bottom left opening (3), impinges on the oil outlet pipe, moves up through the gyroid, impinges on the blue dome and exits top right (4).

Figure 5: Original design concept of the Fuel Cooled Oil Cooler (created & depicted in Creo)

The CAD bodies and surfaces seen in Figure 5 were used to define the volume of the HEX and then leveraged to design the infill volume for a TPMS structure. The sketcher and revolve tools in Creo were used to generate the outer shell and dome structures of the HEX.

Heat Exchanger Design Using nTop Platform

After the boundary representations were finalized in Creo, the assembly was saved as individual parasolids and the bodies were imported into nTop Platform. Once imported, in order to properly leverage CAD geometry in nTop Platform, it was necessary to convert the part(s) to an nTop implicit body.

nTop Platform has the unique capability to create TPMS structures in a Cylindrical Coordinate system, Figure 6. This is beneficial to HEX design more broadly and fluid flow in particular. The ability to create these structures in a Cylindrical Coordinate system is also beneficial because you get a symmetric/uniform shape that is circumferentially continuous, as opposed to the gyroid structure that is created in a Cartesian Coordinate system. These gyroid structures are also self-supporting and lend themselves to not only being structurally and thermally efficient, but also readily fabricated in a variety of AM processes without the need for additional support structures during the building process.

Figure 6: Cylindrical Gyroid

Using nTop Platform we can vary the circumference count, radius & height periods, cell size and wall thick-ness of the gyroid to meet the design requirements of the HEX as shown in Figure 6. With that level of control, the designer can tailor the shape of the gyroid to meet performance requirements such as surface area and cross-sectional flow area. This geometric control also allows the designer to adjust the way the fluid will enter and exit to minimize overall pressure drop while optimizing the system-level performance of the HEX. Figures 7, 8 and 10 show how the cell size, circumference count, and height period can be adjusted to achieve a smooth fluid passage throughout the HEX.

Figure 7: Comparison of the fuel exit geometry from the gyroid core

Figure 8: Comparison of the oil exit geometry from the gyroid core

Figure 9: Various inlet configurations were considered to maximize flow and manufacturability of the HEX during the design process.

Figure 10: A comparison of two gyroid designs where the cell size, circumference count, and height period are constant but with the radius period varied. The image on the left encourages the oil to not fully enter the gyroid but rather go straight down the outer shell. Whereas the image on the far right encourages the oil to flow into the gyroid.

 Up to this point we have imported and converted our CAD geometry into nTop implicit bodies and generated our fluid domains. The next step in the design process of the HEX will be to create the baffles or flow diverters. These keep the two fluids from mixing. A simple Boolean Intersect block is used to create the baffles. The primary challenge in this step is generating the volumes used to intersect with the fluid volumes. This may require the designer to convert extra CAD entities (faces, edges, vertices) as well as assign parametric control parameters so that as the CAD geometry changes the workflow will be repeatable. Once the intersecting volumes have been generated it is just a matter of selecting the appropriate fluid to block out.

The majority of intersecting volumes were created from extracting CAD surfaces, which were converted to nTop implicit bodies and thickened. The other intersecting volumes used primitive geometry blocks to generate new geometry. The primary block used was the torus, which was then remapped, to create an arched passage way, as shown in Figure 9, that produced a structure that was more amicable to additive manufacturing. Figure 11 depicts the blocks & steps associated with generating the baffles for the FCOC.

Figure 11: This screenshot depicts the nTop Platform blocks that form the gyroid core and fluid volumes. These numbered “parent” blocks require inputs to be complete. These inputs are other blocks and/or general input parameters that control the design and influence the performance. Block (1) Gyroid Core New creates HEX core, block (2) Fuel Fluid New creates one fluid domain and block Oil Fluid New creates the second fluid domain using a Boolean Subtract of Blocks (1) and (2) from the original body used to create the volumes.

Now that the process of creating the baffles is completed, it is necessary to assemble the newly formed HEX core to the components of the HEX. A Boolean Union is used for these operations. During this process, nTop Platform can seamlessly create a fillet between the periodic baffled structure and the “solid” geometry, in this case, the outer shell that was previously drawn in Creo.

Export to ANSYS CFX

At this point in the design, the validation and verification process begins. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and CFD can be part of the simulation validation and are often used as a precursor to experimental testing. The discretization of nTop Platform implicit geometry for use in a CFD simulation will be described in this section.

As previously described in Figure 4, now that the fluid domains and HEX walls have been generated it is necessary to generate a volume mesh of these regions. Meshing these volumes is achieved through a relatively simple combination of blocks that discretize nTopology’s native implicit-geometry representation into a series of surface triangles and volume tetrahedral elements as shown in Figure 13.

After meshing is complete, the volume meshes can be exported as an ANSYS Fluent mesh (a CFD mesh file type option available from nTop Platform) and imported into ICEM CFD, an ANSYS module used for mesh refinement, conversion, and as a boundary selection tool. Depending on the type of physics being solved, a user would typically choose either CFX or Fluent solvers. For example, Fluent is preferred for high-mach numbers/supersonic flow while CFX is preferred for turbo machinery and other incompressible flow simulations. In order to set up and define any type of computational analysis, the user must apply boundary conditions to select surfaces. These include, but are not limited to, the fluid inlet and outlets faces. Within ICEM we are able to select individual elements. This allows the user to select the surfaces for boundary conditions. Another example of a boundary condition would be a symmetry plane. A very useful reason for selecting faces is to apply boundary layer meshes and perform simple mesh refinement at a localized area.

Figure 12: This is a depiction of the ANSYS Workbench Schematic for the fluid simulation analysis. ICEM CFD and ANSYS CFX were used to perform the final simulation.

Figure 13: The meshing process inside nTop Platform. On the left of the image is the model tree which depicts the blocks used to create and export the mesh. In the center is the mesh of the HEX core and on the top right of the image is the export window with ANSYS Fluent as the format option.

When the boundary faces are defined and the meshes converted, each fluid domain is imported separately into ANSYS CFX. The faces defined are recognized and can easily be assigned to their proper boundary condition. The fuel and oil inlet mass flow rates were set to 0.45 kg/s and 0.3 kg/s respectively with 0 kPa outlet.

Once the nTop Platform-to-CFD-workflow has been set up you can continue to utilize it throughout the design iteration process. Mesh outputs from nTop Platform can be recognized in ICEM as the design updates, which can then be re-imported and the entire CFD work-flow repeated.

Conclusion

The overall feasibility of performing CFD on complex geometry generated in nTop Platform has been demonstrated. nTop Platform allows the user to create complex geometries (TPMS structures, fluid volumes, smooth lattice-solid transitions), while maintaining complete control over the geometric model, and then easily allows the user to export the geometry outside of nTop Platform for validation and verification. The ability to do such complex operations in a single tool while integrating with external CAE tools is unprecedented and can allow for rapid design iterations to be achieved on complex geometry.

By Derek Schroeder
Universal Machines Sales, Supervisor – Proposals & Applications, GROB Systems Inc.

Industry is moving inexorably towards automation, in which unmanned machines can increase productivity while reducing waste. Prior to 2015, about one in ten 5-axis universal milling machining centers sold by GROB Systems Inc. featured automation, but now nearly half do. Subject to pressures to reduce scrap and increase throughput, smaller job shops often lack the budget for higher end 5-axis machines. Now, new 5-axis machine technology is available to help them evolve in this Industry 4.0 era of machine monitoring and connected machines.

Smaller job shops looking for machining solutions that increase productivity

Smaller job shops are looking for flexible solutions that can be used for every challenge, customer, and market – from medical, aerospace, and automotive, to mold and die and energy. One example of entry level 5-axis machine technology being developed for these smaller job shops is GROB Systems’ new Access Series 5-Axis Machining Center, which offers many of the features of high-end machines but at a price that results in a short payback time.

With the new technology, job shop owners can be assured of getting as much spindle utilization as possible. They can also keep machines running when no one is there. For example, if they are changing a part at first shift, they can keep the machine running without an operator for several shifts, resulting in less cost to the customer. In addition to running automated for production runs, the flexible machine can also be operated in manual mode for part setups, prototyping, or small batch runs.

Three linear and two rotary axes permit 5-sided machining, as well as 5-axis simultaneous interpolation. The axis arrangement provides an extremely large swivel range, larger than most other options for positive angle of solutions. For negative angles, two options give good access to the part without having to make different fixtures and compensate in other ways. This means the largest possible part in the work area can be machined with maximum tool length.

The compact machine concept provides smaller job shops with a small footprint, but with features often found only in larger machines. One key feature is a rigid spindle axis, designed so the machine is most rigid at the part, thanks to an optimally positioned bearing close to the operating point. This rigidity at the part means the machine can remove material faster, with less vibration and a more constant process. The rigidity also reduces tooling costs, enabling operators to be more productive, and increasing the profit from the machine.

Another design feature is a long Z-travel path, which enables tool change to happen outside of the work area. Many other designs require tool change to occur in the work area, which provides a smaller available area for the part. The new machines provide 1,020mm of Z-axis travel – the longest in this machine class – while other competitive machines range from 400mm to 650mm.

Active cooling of heat-absorbing components and assemblies makes for efficient machine cooling, and a unique overhead machining function offers excellent chip fall and reduced thermal load in the component. Operators can choose between Siemens and Heidenhain machine control systems.

The reference axis’ linear guidance system can be equipped with a temperature-controlled cooling function, and a wide-opening work area door ensures safe and ergonomic access. The machining process is viewed through a laminated safety glass.

Most flexible job shops need tool storage capacity, and the new technology offers a variety of options for storing tools inside the machine. The single disk option enables job shops to hold approximately 50 tools around the outside of the disk; the double disk option increases tool capacity without making the machine bigger.

The machine uses GROB’s Swivel Axis Calibration (GSC) technology to find and compensate for volumetric errors. Unlike other technology that can compensate for four positions/compensation points using the controls, GSC is freely definable and can compensate for 40-50 positions/compensation points.

The entry level 5-axis technology can run on the same platform as other machines, which can all be connected to the same automation. Since operation across the range of machines is identical, operators and maintenance staff already have familiarity, making transition easier.

Linear pallet storage system with low investment

© credit |GROB Systems Inc.

The entry level 5-axis machine technology is available with a linear pallet storage system (PSS-L) that can be used for a wide variety of part types. Flexibly configurable according to user requirements, the PSS-L provides a complete solution from a single source in a standardized design and an interface optimally matched to the machine.

The PSS-L is a modular system for individual machines or for interlinking the same machining systems. It can be used with different machine types, numbers of machines, and numbers of setup stations. Users can customize the mechanical layout to make it fit plant or part requirements and can customize the software. For example, if the user has a database for tracking fixtures or tooling offsets, the machines can communicate with the database and control that data. Up to five machine tools can be connected to pallet storage racking with a maximum of 87 pallet positions. The PSS-L can also operate as an independent machine.

The PSS-L provides a longer and unmanned production period and allows optimum access to the machine’s work area during automation, for example for manual loading or setup work.

Customers can connect a mix of machine types on one line, keeping all operations in the same system, performing them all in the same cell. For example, they may perform part turning operations first, then move to a milling-only second operation. If they want to segregate operations between machines they can do so. The key is that they do not have to remove the part from a lathe for turning and then move the part over to the linear system.

The PSS-L features a linear traveling pallet changer system with a pallet gripper to transport the

© credit | GROB systems Inc.

materials between setting stations, work-piece deposits and machines. It does not use any cable track and the pallets are staged close to the machine to prevent long exchange times. An easily accessible setup station features crane loading capability.

The system also comes with production control software, so users have a simple, intuitive organization of pallets and parts with associated process steps. Customers can have autonomous part and pallet control while considering resources, along with monitoring and verification of tool resources for all scheduled orders.

Proven in the field

The new technology was launched in September 2019 and is already being used in Europe and Asia. One example is an aerospace repair center in Poland, which did not have the budget for a larger machine and is using the new unit for engine repairs and overhaul. A UK aerospace manufacturer purchased a unit because they liked the idea of getting all their machines from one supplier. They had several large GROB machines and will use the smaller units to automate all the existing machines, which are used for manufacturing aerostructure parts. A mechanical engineering firm in Germany looking for a lower cost solution opted for the Access unit to manufacture parts for their own automation products. A final example is a die and mold shop in Germany, which purchased a unit as a lower cost alternative to the higher cost machines they already had on their production floor. The unit is being used for manufacturing of injection molds.

The new Access Series 5-Axis Machining Center and PSS-L automation technology will be available in North America by summer 2020. The machines are being built in the Bluffton, Ohio manufacturing facility.

Users opt for a single system to navigate challenging automation issues 

Automation often involves many issues that may be difficult to navigate. Many are looking for one supplier that can furnish all required equipment, rather than one supplier for automation and one machine tool builder for the machine. The new machining center and linear pallet storage system fits the bill, with one supplier supporting an entire system that is ideal for increasing unmanned operation and reducing scrap and waste.

NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission is on its way to the Red Planet to search for signs of ancient life and collect samples to send back to Earth.

Humanity's most sophisticated rover launched with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at 7:50 a.m. EDT July 30, 2020, on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

"With the launch of Perseverance, we begin another historic mission of exploration," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "This amazing explorer's journey has already required the very best from all of us to get it to launch through these challenging times. Now we can look forward to its incredible science and to bringing samples of Mars home even as we advance human missions to the Red Planet. As a mission, as an agency, and as a country, we will persevere."

The ULA Atlas V's Centaur upper stage initially placed the Mars 2020 spacecraft into a parking orbit around Earth. The engine fired for a second time and the spacecraft separated from the Centaur as expected. Navigation data indicate the spacecraft is perfectly on course to Mars.

Initially, telemetry indicated the spacecraft had entered safe mode, likely because a part of the spacecraft was a little colder than expected while Mars 2020 was in Earth's shadow. Once the spacecraft left Earth's shadow and temperatures became nominal, the spacecraft operators began to reset systems to cruise mode for the journey to Mars.

The Perseverance rover's astrobiology mission is to seek out signs of past microscopic life on Mars, explore the diverse geology of its landing site, Jezero Crater, and demonstrate key technologies that will help us prepare for future robotic and human exploration.

The Martian rock and dust Perseverance’s Sample Caching System collects could answer fundamental questions about the potential for life to exist beyond Earth. Two future missions currently under consideration by NASA, in collaboration with ESA (European Space Agency), will work together to get the samples to an orbiter for return to Earth. When they arrive on Earth, the Mars samples will undergo in-depth analysis by scientists around the world using equipment far too large to send to the Red Planet.

While most of Perseverance's seven instruments are geared toward learning more about the planet's geology and astrobiology, the MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment) instrument's job is focused on missions yet to come. Designed to demonstrate that converting Martian carbon dioxide into oxygen is possible, it could lead to future versions of MOXIE technology that become staples on Mars missions, providing oxygen for rocket fuel and breathable air.  

Also future-leaning is the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which will remain attached to the belly of Perseverance for the flight to Mars and the first 60 or so days on the surface. A technology demonstrator, Ingenuity's goal is a pure flight test – it carries no science instruments.

Over 30 sols (31 Earth days), the helicopter will attempt up to five powered, controlled flights. The data acquired during these flight tests will help the next generation of Mars helicopters provide an aerial dimension to Mars explorations – potentially scouting for rovers and human crews, transporting small payloads, or investigating difficult-to-reach destinations.

The rover's technologies for entry, descent, and landing also will provide information to advance future human missions to Mars.

"Perseverance is the most capable rover in history because it is standing on the shoulders of our pioneers Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity," said Michael Watkins, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

About seven cold, dark, unforgiving months of interplanetary space travel lay ahead for the mission.

"There is still a lot of road between us and Mars," said John McNamee, Mars 2020 project manager at JPL. "About 290 million miles of them. But if there was ever a team that could make it happen, it is this one. We are going to Jezero Crater. We will see you there Feb. 18, 2021."

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of America's larger Moon to Mars exploration approach that includes missions to the Moon to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis program.

JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and will manage operations of the Mars Perseverance rover. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management, and ULA provided the Atlas V rocket.

GE Aviation’s GE90 engine has surpassed 100 million flight hours. In November, the aircraft engine will mark 25 years in service. Under the wings of the Boeing 777 family, the GE90 engine reached the 100-million-hour mark averaging more than 4 million hours a year. To put this accomplishment in perspective:

• The GE90 engine’s 100 million hours equates to nearly 11,500 years of flying

• Throughout its 25-year span, the GE90 engine has flown approximately 55,726,866,160 miles* – equal to 300 roundtrips to the Sun or 199 roundtrips to Mars (*At 100 million hours, 6.5 hours average flight, average cruise speed 560mph)

• During its lifetime, the GE90 engine has hauled approximately 143,274,960,000 lb** – that equates to 20,795 Saturn V rockets or 883 Washington Monuments (**Capability per flight at 226,000 lb of freight, assuming 90% capacity)

• At typical passenger seating for the Boeing 777-200ER and Boeing 777-300ER, about 2.5 billion passengers have flown on GE90-powered Boeing 777 airplanes

“The GE90 engine has proven to be extremely reliable for our customers, and we are very excited to celebrate the 100-million-hour achievement, said Mike Kauffman, GE Aviation’s GE90 program general manager. “This is a testament to all those involved in this milestone, including our dedicated product support team that will continue to maintain the GE90 for many years to come.”

Since entering service in 1995, GE has delivered more than 2,800 GE90 -94B and upgraded -115B engines to 70 operators around the world. The GE90 engine family powers all Boeing 777 models and is the exclusive powerplant on the 777-300, -200, and 777F.

Together, the engine powers more than 1,200 aircraft. It’s architecture and mechanical design have influenced every GE and CFM turbofan in the last 20 years, from the popular GEnx and CFM LEAP engine to the Passport for corporate jets and the next-generation GE9X engine for the Boeing 777X. (CFM is 50/50 joint venture between GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines.)

The GE90-115B has been one of GE’s greatest technical achievements:

• It held the world-record at 127,900 lb of thrust (lbf) for 13 years

• The GE90 engine powered a Boeing 777-200LR during what was once the world's longest flight by a commercial airliner, 13,422 miles in 22 hours, 42 minutes, flying from Hong Kong to London over the Pacific, over the continental U.S., then over the Atlantic Ocean to London

• The GE90 is the first jet commercial engine to enter service with composite fan blades and inward opening bleed doors. A GE90-115B fan blade was exhibited in New York’s Museum of Modern Art

• In 2015, the GE90 engine became the first commercial engine to incorporate an FAA-approved 3-D-printed part (T25 sensor)

The GE90-115B engine faces some of the toughest demands daily on a high-thrust commercial jet engine. Despite this, the engine has achieved the lowest maintenance burden to date through service bulletin terminating action acceleration and analytics-based field programs implementation. It also has a world class dispatch reliability rate of 99.97%.