General Electric CF6
In series General Electric CF6 is a widely used jet engine thrust of the middle class of the U.S. manufacturer General Electric. The original model was the first TF39 turbofan engine with high bypass ratio.
History
The CF6 is based on the military model TF39. This is the first engine designed by General Electric, which enabled a high by-pass ratio of up to 8:1 and thus the fuel consumption compared to older models significantly reduced. Ultimately TF39 -1 and -1A produced a total of 463 pieces 1968-1971 and supplied to operate the C -5A fleet of the TF39 in the versions.
The newly to be constructed engine should be used with the new aircraft generation of wide-body aircraft, which should operate at high frequency medium-haul routes. The first eligible for this pattern were the McDonnell Douglas DC -10 and the Lockheed L- 1011. For the placement of these models are also competitors of General Electric (GE), Rolls- Royce and Pratt & Whitney competed with their engine designs. The two main operators of the DC -10 ( Series 10 ) in the U.S., United Airlines and American Airlines, decided after tests in the spring of 1968, for Model CF6 -6 from GE, which was then made about 190 kN thrust.
The second model, the Lockheed L -1011, however, was awarded to Rolls- Royce, who provided this aircraft with its RB211. The market was so divided. The Lockheed were fitted during their entire time in the service exclusively with RB211; for future aircraft types kindled a distribution struggle between the CF6 and RB211 that lasts basically until today.
The routes were to be dealt with longer and thus the aircraft heavier, therefore, as it both stronger and more fuel-efficient engines were used. This led in 1969 to the development of Version CF6 -50, which could be offered with a thrust range 205-240 kN and the " Series 30 " baptized long-haul version of the DC-10 was using.
A new venue for the competition for the first stocking was the invitation to the model of a completely new manufacturer: The company Airbus, a pan-European consortium developed its first aircraft, the Airbus A300. The current CF6 -50 version won the tender of the launch customer Air France, and GE was allowed to assemble in 1971 the prototype of the A300 and the following six models for Air France. This decision opened for the CF6 a very large market. Rolls- Royce had been through the evacuation of the British government from the Airbus project ( it rose until 1979 again) with the A300 out of luck, and so was the emerging market, which includes the A310 included from 1982, between the CF6- 80C2A (214 -222 kN) and the models of Pratt & Whitney divided.
An originally unfortunate decision by GE, not to participate in the tender of the Boeing 747 had to be compensated by a clever strategy later. About a tender of the U.S. Air Force for a new airborne guidance system, which based on the B747 Boeing E-4, the CF6 found 1973 access to Boeing's top model. The increasing cost pressure from rising oil prices (oil crisis in 1973 ) forced many airlines to pay attention to more interoperability. Those airlines DC -10 and A300 operated in its fleet were now to be ordered in a position to their B747 CF6 engines and were able to save money on maintenance.
In competition with the new Airbus aircraft Boeing developed the Model 767 for medium range high passenger volume. GE responded and designed the CF6- 80C2B1 that was ordered for the B767 from the very beginning. In this aircraft type clashed all three major manufacturers, each was able to secure a market share here. The Boeing 767 flying next to the CF6- 80C2B1 also with the RB211 -524 Rolls- Royce and Pratt & Whitney PW4062 by. The same was true of the B747 -400, which was also ordered with the three above-mentioned engine types. In addition, GE has brought various versions of the CF6- 80C2 on the market, such as the CF6- 80C2B7F, where the " F" stands in the nomenclature for FADEC.
The CF6 has been constantly evolving, which can be fixed to make an almost unmanageable number of minor versions (such as CF6- 80E1A4 ). The latest version has been certified for the Airbus A330, which since 2002 is for Air France in the service. As a successor to the CF6 General Electric developed since 2004, the GEnx, the first went to the Boeing 747-8 into service.
The CF6- series is a great success to date. The engine is in service since 1969, was sold to over 200 customers with more than 2,400 commercial aircraft and has until today more flight hours than any other engine of a wide-bodied aircraft.
Competing models
The CF6 shares the market with only two significant competitors. The Rolls-Royce RB211 is as successful as the CF6. It is competitively use on Boeing 767-300 and 747-400. Most importantly, no longer produced since 2005 Boeing 757 was a great success for the Rolls- Royce RB211 -535. Currently flying about 600 samples of this type with the said Rolls- Royce engines, which also are considered very reliable. In newer aircraft types such as the Airbus A330 Rolls- Royce is currently and in the future with the models of the Trent 700 series, a competitor to the CF6.
The second competitor is Pratt & Whitney, which initially offered her Pratt & Whitney JT9D in competition with the CF6, for example of the first models of the A310. Later, this manufacturer has developed the PW4000 series. It was similar to extensively developed as the CF6 series from GE. So she now has a similarly wide range of applications, which includes the types A300 -600, A310 -300, A330, B747 -400, B767 -200, B767 -300ER, B777 and MD -11.
- CF6 -6: about 191 kN
- CF6 -50: 205-240 kN ( long-haul version for A300, DC10 and B747 )
- CF6- 80: 214-310 kN ( Completely revised version )
- CF6 -80A: 214-222 kN
- CF6- 80C2: 234-282 kN ( bigger fan diameter, improved compressor and optimized high-pressure turbine)
- CF6- 80E1: 293-310 kN ( further enlarged fan, higher compression)
Common aircraft models
- McDonnell Douglas DC -10 ( CF6 -6 or CF6 -50)
- McDonnell Douglas MD -11 ( CF6- 80C2D1F )
- Airbus A300 ( CF6- 50; early models ) Airbus A300- 600 ( CF6- 80C2 )
- Airbus A300 -600 ST ( CF6- 80C2A5F; Beluga )
- Airbus A310- 304 ( CF6- 80C2A2 )
- Airbus A310 -308 ( CF6- 80C2A8 )
- Airbus A330 -300 ( CF6- 80E1, CF6 - 80C2A5F )
- Boeing 767 ( CF6 -80A; early models ) Boeing 767-200 ( CF6- 80C2B4F )
- Boeing 767-300 ( CF6- 80C2B4F )
- Boeing 767 - 400ER ( CF6- 80C2B8F )
- Boeing 747-300 ( CF6- 80C2B1 )
- Boeing 747-400 ( CF6- 80C2B1F, early models )
- Boeing 747-400 ( CF6- 80C2B5F, CF6 - 80C2B8F )
- Lockheed C -5 Lockheed C5M ( CF6- 80C2L1F )
Furthermore, the CF6 use is in the military versions of the above civilian aircraft, such as E-4, KC -10, B767 - tankers, AWACS B767 and A330 Multi Role Tanker. Outside of aviation, it takes place in the series LM2500, LM5000 and LM6000 as a stationary gas turbine application as a drive for ferries, frigates, fast freight vessels or electrical generators.