How powerful are GE90 engines?
The General Electric GE90 is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines built by GE Aerospace for the Boeing 777, with thrust ratings from 81,000 to 115,000 pounds-force (360 to 510 kilonewtons). The GE9X is the most powerful aircraft engine in history and the quietest GE engine ever produced (pounds of thrust per decibel). The engine will bring up to 10% specific fuel consumption improvement compared to the GE90-115B.The GE9X is the largest commercial aircraft engine with a fan diameter (134 inches / 340 cm) nearly equal to the fuselage width of the Boeing 737. The GE9X can produce 134,300 bf (pound-force) of thrust and is 5% more powerful than GE90.The GE9X is the largest and most powerful commercial aircraft engine ever built, incorporating advanced technologies that enable more efficient, quieter flight with fewer emissions.Most recently, GE’s introduction of the GE90 with its higher-than-typical bypass ratio, has set a new standard for engine noise in terms of decibels per pound of thrust. The GE90-powered Boeing 777 is quieter than the CF6-powered Boeing 767, even though the 777 is 35 percent heavier than the 767.The GE9X can produce 134,300 bf (pound-force) of thrust and is 5% more powerful than GE90. However, despite the maximum capability, GE9X is currently rated at, and certified for, 110,000 lbf of takeoff thrust.
What makes the GE90 engine so special?
Powering the twin-engine Boeing 777 aircraft, the GE90 engine combined record thrust and high reliability with lower noise, emissions, and fuel consumption to become an iconic jet engine recognized worldwide for its size and innovations. The GE9X is the world’s most powerful commercial jet engine designed to power the Boeing 777X. Yet to enter commercial service, the GE9X holds the Guinness World Record for most thrust ever achieved by a commercial jet engine, having generated 134,300 pounds-force (lbf) of thrust.
What makes the GE90 engine unique?
Starting with the GE90, all of GE’s large new engines boast fan blades made from carbon-fiber composites, thin sheets woven from carbon fibers and fused together like phyllo dough with a special resin. This has helped to reduce the weight of jet engines by hundreds of pounds, which allows blades to be bigger. The major innovation of the GE90 was that it used 22 carbon fiber composite fan blades, technology first developed for the GE36. These blades provided double the strength at one-third the weight of traditional titanium fan blades.