College, Pratt&Whitney Partner to Improve Aircraft Engines
Pratt&Whitney has established a strategic university partnership with The Ohio State University focused on world-class engineering research in the field of power transmission and gear technology for aircraft engines.
Pratt&Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. company, will work with the university on fundamental and applied research initiatives that support the design and development of more efficient and environmentally friendly gas turbine engines. The university’s primary focus will be research in the field of power transmission and gear technology.
“This long-term partnership between Pratt&Whitney and our lab will allow us to perform fundamental research in the fields of fatigue, tribology, dynamics and mechanical design with applications to aircraft engines,”says Ahmet Kahraman, director of the College of Engineering’s Gear and Power Transmission Research Laboratory.“Use of gear sets in aircraft engines provides great improvements in fuel consumption as well as reducing pollutants into the atmosphere. Therefore, this research program will give us the means to impact the energy and environmental concerns we are facing as a society.
“This also will be a great opportunity for our students to perform research in support of aircraft gear technology,”Kahraman adds.
The Gear and Power Transmission Research Laboratory, a 30-year-old industrial consortium, focuses on research activities for improving reliability, efficiency and power density and decreasing noise and cost associated with gears and transmissions for members of industries including autos and small vehicles, trucks/heavy transportation, wind turbines, aircraft and manufacturing.
“We are very excited about the addition of Ohio State as one of our University Centers of Excellence,”says Paul Adams, senior vice president, Pratt&Whitney Engineering.“Pratt&Whitney is committed to differentiating our products with technology through investment in fundamental research and development. Ohio State has outstanding technical capabilities that complement our fundamental research needs for the development of new technologies in the gear and power transmission area.”
For example, Pratt&Whitney’s PurePower PW1000G engine uses advanced gear system technology to set a new standard of performance for aircraft engines with double-digit reductions in fuel consumption, CO2 and NOx emissions, engine noise, and operating costs. By establishing a long-term relationship with the university, the company intends to enhance its significant investment in gear and transmission technologies with additional improvements and to work closely with the innovative faculty and students at Ohio State.
Pratt&Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and commercial building industries.
