TURBOFAN ENGINE - USED IN MODERN AIRCRAFT, ITS CONSTRUCTION AND ADVANTAGES

MECHANICAL TIPS AND STUDY MATERIAL

You might have seen the engines fitted on the wings of aircraft. These are are turbofan engines which are most common in today's aircraft. In the last section we have studied about the jet engines, the basic principle of of turbofan engines are also same but with slight alterations. Let's first look at the working of such engines.

• It consists of huge fan at its front section which can drive in enormous amount of air into the engine. These blades are made up of titanium.
• The huge fan at the front of aircraft sucks large amount of air into the engine. Unlike the turbojet engine, where all of all the air enters the combustion chamber, in turbofan engine some part of air enters the engine for combustion and rest of the air is flown over the engine. This is called as "bypass air". 
• The cool air flowing over the engine not only cools the engine whic helps in reducing the noise of engine but also helps in generating extra thrust. It consumes lesser fuel than the other types of jet engine. This is one of the reasons why modern planes uses turbofan engine.

Advantages of turbofan engines

• Compact in size than turboprop engines
• Reduced noise of engine during take off and landing even.
• Large fan can suck huge air, hence it can develop more thrust.
• Low fuel consumption as compared to turbojet.
• It is capable of providing transonic speed (up to 0.9 mach number).