Committed to aircraft innovation
Hutchinson and Pratt & Whitney Canada are developing a new ‘out-of-autoclave’ composite manufacturing process to make a better, more efficient turbofan aircraft engine casing.
Autoclaves are pressure vessels used to process composite parts and materials using elevated pressure and temperature. Hutchinson’s ‘out-of-autoclave’ process uses a closed mold and the application of a vacuum, pressure and heat without the use of an autoclave. This leads to the development of an air duct component for the cold zone of the engine, meaning a turbofan engine that will be quieter and lighter and more environmentally friendly.
Dedicated to improving efficiency
By incorporating composite materials, Hutchinson and Pratt & Whitney Canada are able to reduce weight, noise and engine cost by developing and using proprietary materials, innovating one-shot and mechanized processes, integrating multiple functions to composites and developing state-of-the-art engineered structural parts.
The work is still ongoing; however, once successful the engine casing will go into production on Pratt & Whitney engines intended for commercial and business aircraft, helping to reduce our carbon footprint and increase efficiency while we fly.
