ROLLS-ROYCE SHIPS FIRST BLISK FOR JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER SDD
PROGRAMME
2 April 2003
Rolls-Royce has produced
its first LiftFan™ blisk for the Joint
Strike Fighter (JSF) in the programme’s
System Development and Demonstration (SDD)
phase.
The blisk,
which was machined from a solid piece of
material, was completed at the company’s
factory in Annesley, Nottinghamshire,
England and has been dispatched to the
Rolls-Royce facility in Indianapolis,
Indiana, US. There it will be assembled
into the first SDD aerodynamic rig for
the LiftFan, which is due to be tested
in July of this year. The first F135
STOVL engine will go to test in early
2004.
The blisk
pictured was manufactured as a single
part in order to meet a demanding test
schedule. Future SDD blisks, which will
have fan blades friction bonded onto the
hub, are already in manufacture.
Notes to
editors:
A blisk (also called an
integrally bladed rotor or IBR) is a
one-piece component, consisting of a
disk and blades. One of its major
advantages over the conventional disk
and blade arrangement is the potential
weight saving through the elimination of
the fixings that secure the blade root
to the disk.
Rolls-Royce is a member of the F135
STOVL Propulsion System team, which is
led by Pratt & Whitney. Rolls-Royce
received a $1 billion contract from
Pratt & Whitney in December 2001 for the
development work undertaken during the
SDD phase.
A
high-resolution version of the image is
available with this release on the
Rolls-Royce website at
www.rolls-royce.com/latestnews.
For further information,
please contact:
Justine Steele
Head of Communications – Defence
Aerospace
Tel: +44 117 979 0991
Email:
Justine.steele@Rolls-Royce.com
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