Engines

Abstract

Engineering design is how we turn ideas into hardware and engine models are used to capture a design concept and demonstrate how well it performs before the hardware is produced. Preliminary design is where many decisions are made in a new engine program and where the results will determine how significant corporate resources will be committed for many years. In this chapter we look at the preliminary design of a complete engine system and consider how it fits into the bigger picture and relates to the mission, the cycle, component design and development, and on to manufacture and testing. We propose a workflow starting from the core compressor and then working aft and forward until all components are included. We describe the relationships between components, how to integrate design constraints into the overall model and the use of trade studies to make the major design decisions. We illustrate the role played by performance beyond preliminary design in both supplying the specialist component designers with the information they require as well as validating the cycle deliverables during the development phase of a program.