MTU Report 1 2014 E · 2014. 11. 24. · MTU Aero Engines now offers its customers an even wider...

Pooled expertise

1/2014

Customers + Partners Products + Services

Production parts madeby laser melting

MTU Aero Engines AGDachauer Straße 66580995 Munich • GermanyTel. +49 89 1489-0Fax +49 89 [email protected]

Technology + Science

Improved ratios fortomorrow’s engines

Moving towards certification

6 – 11

Customers + Partners

Pooled expertiseBrazilian high-flyer Servant of two mastersA powerful engine taking off to new horizons

12 – 1516 – 1920 – 2324 – 27


Improved ratios for tomorrow’s enginesOff the beaten track

28 – 3132 – 35

Products + Services

Production parts made by laser meltingA good bit of detective work

In Brief

Masthead

36 – 3940 – 43

44 – 4545

Contents

Cover Story


More REPORT

as eMagazine or interactiveapp for Android tablets andthe iPad. Go towww.mtu.de/report

The PW1100G-JM engine to power the Airbus A320neo is scheduledto obtain certification in 2014. The series of low-pressure turbinestress tests, which were successfully conducted at MTU AeroEngines in Munich early this year, marked a major milestone alongthe way to approval.Pages 6 – 11


Pooled expertise

Under the EU’s technology program ENOVAL, MTU Aero Engines isdeveloping innovative low-pressure turbine technologies for use inthe engines of the future. Very high bypass ratios will make the en-gines more efficient, quieter and cleaner, but also larger and heavier. Pages 28 – 31

Improved ratios for tomorrow’sengines

GOL began operations in 2001 with six Boeing 737s, and has grownto become the world’s fourth-largest low-cost carrier. Since the verybeginning, the carrier has been supported by MTU Maintenance. GOLis the Portuguese word for “goal”—a perfect match in the year of thefootball World Cup in Brazil. Pages 16 – 19

Brazilian high-flyer More and more airlines are leasing aircraft and engines. Thanks to twojoint ventures with Japanese trading giant Sumitomo Corporation,MTU Aero Engines now offers its customers an even wider range ofservices, catering to engines throughout their entire lifecycle. Pages 12 – 15

Additive processes are rapidly spreading from one industry sector tothe next. In aviation, too, they are playing an increasingly importantrole. In the field of engine construction, MTU Aero Engines hasachieved a breakthrough: The Munich-based company is among thefirst engine manufacturers in the world to use additive processes tomanufacture production parts.Pages 36 – 39

Production parts made by lasermelting

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Editorial

Dear Readers:

As MTU Aero Engines AG’s new Chief Executive Officer, it gives me great pleasure topresent the latest edition of our customer magazine. Growth in commercial aviationcontinues unabated this year—and will make great demands also on MTU. After all,we are playing a decisive part in the ramp-up for the production of the newest enginegenerations. At the same time, the aviation industry is stepping up its efforts to opti-mize the use of resources, the aim being to make tomorrow’s aircraft and engineseven more fuel-efficient, cleaner and quieter. For its part, MTU, as a manufacturer ofpropulsion systems, has for many years been working to develop the technologiesneeded to further enhance the environmental compatibility and eco-efficiency ofnext-generation engines in a bid to drive innovation.

A truly game-changing propulsion system is the Geared Turbofan™ engine jointlydeveloped by Pratt & Whitney and MTU. Its main application is the A320neo, Airbus’snext-generation single-aisle aircraft, which will be powered by a PW1000G-familyengine. In this edition of our magazine, we are pleased to report on two key mile-stones MTU has helped achieve in this program.

A major milestone on the way to engine certification, which is slated for this year,was the series of low-pressure turbine stress tests successfully completed at MTUin Munich early this year. In terms of precision, these telemetry tests are extremelydemanding—not only for the engine, but also for the testing team. Read our coverstory to learn more about the test program.

Additive manufacturing techniques are rapidly spreading from one industry sector tothe next. In the field of engine construction, MTU reached another crucial milestonein May 2013 when the company—as one of the first engine makers worldwide—start-ed applying additive processes to manufacture production parts. At our Munichlocation, we are using selective laser melting to produce borescope bosses for thePW1100G-JM engine to power the A320neo.

Our ongoing investment in new technologies also helps our customers remain at thetop of their game. Both aircraft manufacturers and airlines face the challenges tobring engine lifecycle costs down and to reduce the environmental impact of avia-tion. To be able to attain these goals, we are relying on a close-knit network amongall the key players in our industry. MTU has taken on leading roles in all majornational and international research and development programs. One of these, theENOVAL research project, is featured in an article in this magazine.

I hope you will enjoy reading about the interesting topics covered in this issue.

Sincerely yours,

Reiner WinklerChief Executive Officer

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Cover Story

Movingtowards

certificationThe PW1100G-JM engine to power the Airbus A320neo isscheduled to obtain certification in 2014. The series oflow-pressure turbine (LPT) stress tests, which were suc-cessfully conducted at MTU Aero Engines in Munich earlythis year, marked a major milestone along the way toapproval. This telemetry testing is extremely demandingon both the engine and the testing team, as it really putsthe Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine through its paces.

By Patrick Hoeveler

After months of preparation, there is a palpablesense of nervous anticipation in the air. Every-thing has to run like clockwork, because the

engineers don’t have much time: Their highly sensi-tive instrumentation has a limited useful life. The de-velopment test cell at MTU Aero Engines in Munichis where the action is, and all eyes are on thePW1100G-JM engine, the engine to power the AirbusA320neo. A quick glance at the hustle and bustle inthe control room is enough to get an idea of just howimportant these tests are; there are ten times asmany people at work there now than for a normalendurance run. After all, this stress testing is part ofthe mandatory certification process for the low-pres-sure turbine developed and produced by MTU. This iswhere engineers measure the vibrational stressesacting on the blades, along with the thermal load andtemperature distribution for the individual enginecomponents.

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The engine arrived in Munich in early January, but muchof the work on the high-speed low-pressure turbine wasdone a good three months earlier. MTU’s specialists set upthe low-pressure turbine in a laborious manual process,making sure it was fitted with the necessary instrumen-tation—special measurement sensors on the stationaryand rotating components. These strain gages are ultra-thin strips of metal some three by five millimeters in size.They connect to the shaft via fine soldered wires thatthen lead on to the telemetry transmission unit, whichsends the data to the stationary receiving unit. There area total of around 1,500 measuring points on the engineto be tested. “Given the limited useful life of the straingages, the engine has to be up and running immediatelyand the telemetry to function straight away,” explainsKurt Scheidt, Senior Manager, Engine and Flight Testingat MTU. “It gets very hot inside the turbine, and since theextremely sensitive measurement sensors are exposedto high thermal and mechanical loads, we need to cap-ture the signals as quickly as possible.” As part of thetests, the engine must also be accelerated to an over-speed condition. The tests, which were scheduled to take20 hours in all, included temperature measurements in theturbine—or, more specifically, measurements of the com-ponent temperatures in stationary operation and whensubjected to load cycles. “This allows us to see whetherour calculations are correct,” says Oskar Schnell, Director,

Program Management, PW1100G-JM engine at MTU. “Theresults allow us to make an assessment as to the in-serv-ice life of the components.”

These extremely complex and expensive telemetry testscount among the greatest challenges in engine testing,and for good reason. But the effort is worth it: “It’s greatthat we get immediate, first-hand access to the informa-tion,” says Scheidt. “The data tells us a great deal aboutour modules and enables us to calibrate our computa-tional models more accurately. These insights then feedinto the designs for future programs,” adds Schnell.

But MTU was not venturing into unknown territory withthis most recent series of tests; the stress test was thethird of its kind that the Munich-based engine manufac-turer has conducted. “The first one, on the PW1500Gengine for the CSeries, presented us with a lot of newchallenges. We adapted the test bed for the GTF engine.When the PW1200G engine for the Mitsubishi RegionalJet came along, we could draw on the lessons learnedfrom our previous experience. And now we’ve got it downto a tee,” explains Scheidt. As on the previous occasions,the stress tests were again witnessed by a team fromPratt & Whitney. “Cooperation with our partner is excel-

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Cover Story

lent. It’s very important for the engineers to be here withus on site, so we can reach decisions quickly if need be,”he adds. And there were no problems: “The stress testwent well; in fact we finished ahead of schedule,” con-firms Schnell. “All the LPT test results have matched thepredictions, and everything is on track.”

One thing that did pose a challenge to the team of testengineers in Munich this time was the new interfaces forthe instrumentation. With this on-board data system(OBDS), the signal conditioning boxes—which convertpressure readings from the strain gages into digital sig-nals—are affixed directly to the engine pylon. “This way ittakes just eight hours to connect up an engine, whichreduces the time it has to spend in the test cell. In thepast, the connections required pressure lines that wereup to 30 meters long. This new system greatly increasesthe flexibility of the test stand,” says Scheidt.

The engine, which is slated for certification this year, isone of MTU’s most important projects. “The PW1100G-JMengine, currently the most powerful member of thePW1000G family, will enter service on the A320neo fam-ily jets in the fourth quarter of 2015. Down the road, thegeared turbofan engine will gradually replace the V2500

Prior to carrying out the strain gage telemetry tests,MTU Aero Engines in Munich also conducted testsusing its non-contact blade vibration measurementsystem (BSSM). This method allows vibrations to bemeasured without making physical contact. Instead,sensors are fitted in the casing around the rotor tomeasure the time of arrival of the blade tips at thesensors and generate a signal. If a blade is vibrating,it will pass the sensors either slightly earlier orslightly later than it should—depending on its deflec-tion at the time. An analysis of these time differ-ences then provides information on the vibrationalamplitude and frequency. Compared with the straingages, then non-contact technique has the advan-tage that it senses all blades, and not only some ofthem. In the long term, the BSSM could replace thecostly and time-consuming process of applyingstrain gages—provided the regulatory authoritiesagree. This latest series of tests will provide a basisfor comparison with the procedure currently used.

Non-contact vibration measurement

The highly sensitive instrumentation calls for utmost precision.

The PW1100G-JM will power A320neo family aircraft from the fourth quarter of 2015.

engine, MTU’s biggest commercial engine program interms of revenue,” says Bernhard Köppel, Senior Manager,Flight Physics & Operating Cost Analysis, New Programsat MTU. “The fact that more than 2,500 orders and com-mitments have been received for PW1100G-JM enginesand it has achieved market share of more than 50 per-cent on the A320neo family shows how competitive thisnovel product is. The PW1100G-JM engine offers signifi-cant improvements in terms of fuel consumption, emis-sions, noise and maintenance costs.”

Although the telemetry runs have been completed, workis far from over for MTU’s testing department. Forinstance, spin tests are being conducted on a special testrig to determine the robustness and durability of compo-nents, such as turbine disks. MTU Aero Engines doesn’tjust carry out these specialized tests on low-pressure tur-bine components; under contract from Pratt & Whitney,other components, too, are put through their paces at theMunich facility, so the test engineers’ schedule remainsas full as ever.

Cover Story

MTU’s center of excellence for blisk production boasts the latest in equipment.

Final assembly of 30 percent of all A320neo engines will take place in Munich from spring 2015.

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Assembly of the PW1100G-JM engine is no less of achallenge to planners than its development and testing.30 percent of all GTF engines for the A320neo family willbe assembled in Munich. “In the space of just threeyears, we’ll be ramping up to the planned maximum out-put. That’s why we have to ensure we have a stable pro-duction assembly process in place as quickly as possi-ble,” says Oskar Schnell, Director, Program Manage-ment, PW1100G-JM engine at MTU. To this end, the spe-cialists have come up with a sophisticated procedure inwhich five pre-assembly stations for components arearranged in a kind of fishbone formation either side ofthe two core assembly stations and the five main assem-bly stations that each engine passes through as it isassembled. “Assembly is scheduled in such a mannerthat the amount of work to be performed at the stationsis equally balanced for a given takt time. This ensures ahigh level of visibility in assembly, since the assemblystatus of the engines is easy to see and any problemscaused by missing parts are identified early on. The linemust be busy at all times without ever coming to a stand-still,” explains Elmar Stichlmaier, Consultant Engineer,Assembly, Commercial Programs at MTU. His team hasthoroughly analyzed the system. In order to achieve theoptimum process design and to accurately calculate thefloor space required, the specialists for the first timeused a full-scale cardboard model of an engine. “Thatallowed us to see immediately how we could handlelarge parts such as fan casings, which have a diameterof around 2.30 meters, without damaging them,” saysStichlmair.

His goal is to have final assembly of a PW1100G-JM en-gine take no longer than 20 days. The lines will go pro-ductive in April 2015; responsibility for delivery of allparts and components lies with Pratt & Whitney. Theacceptance test runs will be performed in test cell III inMunich, which is currently used exclusively for develop-ment testing but will be modified for production use.What’s most important here is to ensure a clear separa-tion between electrical systems and the instrumenta-tion, so that the calibrated production test cell is notaltered by development testing later on. At the sametime, MTU Maintenance Hannover is adapting one of itstest cells for the PW1100G-JM engine to have an addi-tional test facility ready when the need arises. But theramp-up for the GTF engine programs is also having aneffect on component production: MTU Aero EnginesPolska will be assembling all of the low-pressure tur-bines—an annual total of up to 600 modules.

New solutions for final assembly

For additional information, contactOskar Schnell+49 89 1489-6069

For multimedia services regarding this article, go towww.mtu.de/report


Pooledexpertise

There’s no denying the market trend—more and more airlinesare leasing aircraft and engines. Thanks to two joint ventureswith Japanese trading giant Sumitomo Corporation, MTU AeroEngines now offers its customers an even wider range of serv-ices, catering to engines throughout their entire lifecycle.

By Silke Hansen

n increasing number of airlines are opting tolease rather than buy. Leasing keeps capitalinvestment down and offers more flexibility in

building up fleets—two good reasons why small start-ups and big flagship carriers alike are swearing bythis model. It’s also a global trend: Over recent years,the share of leased aircraft in the worldwide passen-ger and cargo fleets has risen steadily. Current esti-mates peg this share at 35 percent—and even more inthe case of new aircraft.

In response to this market trend, MTU has expandedits leasing business by forming two new joint ven-tures with Japanese trading company Sumitomo Cor-poration, both of which are based in Amsterdam, theNetherlands: MTU Maintenance Lease Services B.V.,in which MTU Maintenance holds an 80-percent stake,and Sumisho Aero Engine Lease B.V., in which MTUAero Engines holds a ten-percent stake. MTU Mainte-nance Lease Services specializes in short- to medium-term leases of up to one year, while Sumisho focuseson long-term leasing arrangements.

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“Both joint ventures with Sumitomo Corporation combine ourexpertise as high-class engine MRO provider with Sumitomo’sexcellent market position in the lease business,” said Dr.Stefan Weingartner, President, MTU Maintenance, at the con-tract signing ceremony in September last year. One of thesubsidiaries of Sumitomo Corporation is SMBC AviationCapital: With 400 aircraft and 800 engines, the company isthe world’s fourth-largest aircraft lessor. “The increased de-mand for engine leasing calls for an expansion of our existinglease business, and I am proud that we are partnering with aglobal leader on this important project,” Weingartner added.In fact, the relationship between MTU and Sumitomo goesback a long way. Peter Barrett, Chief Executive Officer ofSMBC Aviation Capital, says: “With this new partnership weare continuing our successful collaboration with MTU.

The range of services on offer is rounded off by materialmanagement, a new line of business aimed at recoveringcomponents from engines that have reached the end of theirservice lives. Plans are to dismantle so-called teardownengines and salvage parts with sufficient residual servicelife for use as spare parts in MRO, either on the customer’srequest or on MTU’s own initiative. The idea behind this con-cept is quite compelling, given that the share of the enginesin the total aircraft value rises from 30 to as much as 90 per-cent as the aircraft ages. “You also have to consider thatmaterial costs account for 70 to 80 percent of the total costof a shop visit,” says Kuhn. In conjunction with such usedparts, that is engine-run parts that meet the airworthinessauthorities’ standards, MTU Maintenance can draw on itsextensive technical know-how. “Our experience and exper-tise allow us to reliably assess the technical condition ofengines and individual components,” says Friis-Petersen.What’s more: MTU offers a wide range of high-tech repairtechniques, some of which are marketed under the nameMTUPlus repairs. So instead of being parked in an aircraftgraveyard in the desert, engines come to MTU’s shop to becannibalized.

For additional information, contactMartin Friis-Petersen+31 20 705 25 91

Sumitomo Corporation has been working closely with MTUMaintenance in promoting MRO activities in Japan for manyyears. These joint ventures are a valuable addition to our air-craft leasing business and allow us to pool services to offeran integrated range of products.”

The assets MTU Maintenance brings to the table in this part-nership are its world-class technical expertise and its longyears of experience in the maintenance of a variety of en-gines, among them the V2500, CFM56, CF34, CF6, PW2000and GE90. MTU is already providing its existing customerswith lease engines, for example to keep a customer’s aircraftflying during a scheduled shop visit or to prevent aircraftfrom being grounded because of an inoperative engine. “Ourservice is highly flexible and we keep a good mix of different

engine types available in our pool,” explains Stephan Rihm,Vice President, Engine Pool Services. Many MRO customersalready make use of this extra service, and Rihm and histeam handle around 100 leases a year. Today, the businessgenerates 30 million U.S. dollars in revenues per year; themid-term objective is to bring annual revenues to over 100million U.S. dollars. “So far, we’ve been offering lease enginesas part of our MRO service packages only. With the new jointventures, we will take our leasing business one step furtherand acquire third-party customers, the aim being to broadenour customer base—particularly also for engine MRO, ourcore business,” explains Jürgen Kuhn, Vice President, Busi-ness Development, MRO.

Under the new collaboration the availability of lease engineswill be further improved. Sumitomo’s financial strength—theconglomerate also includes Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corpo-ration—opens up new financing options for MTU Mainte-nance. “We will be significantly expanding our engine pool,”says Rihm. A second GE90, the world’s most powerful com-mercial engine, will be added to the pool before the year isout. “Airlines are increasingly looking for short-term leases,”observes Martin Friis-Petersen, Managing Director of MTUMaintenance Lease Services. The reason is that, despite thefact that smooth flight operations are absolutely critical toprofitability, airlines tend to have fewer and fewer spare en-gines of their own.

Through the Sumisho Aero Engine Lease joint venture MTUwill gain a foothold also in the long-term engine leasing busi-ness. “This puts us in a position to offer business models thatcover an engine’s entire lifecycle,” says Florian Markhauser,Representative, Controlling, Commercial MRO, outlining theadvantages. MTU and Sumitomo have put together a compre-hensive overall package that is tailored to their customers’specific needs over the product life. Their offerings includethe whole gamut of services, from the provision of brand newengines on long-term leases for new aircraft all the way to

the recovery of components from engines that have reachedthe end of their service lives. Markhauser adds: “Upon thecustomer’s request, MTU can, for example, perform end-of-lease inspections or engine repairs and overhauls, or provideadvice on possible optimizations during shop visits.” In otherwords, the company can offer its customers full-service one-stop solutions.

Material management

MTU Maintenance Lease Services B.V. is headquartered in Amsterdam’s World Trade Center.

MTU is already providing its customers with spare engines at short notice, if required by them. With the new joint ventures, MTU is taking its leasing business one step further and acquiring third-party customers.


Brazilian high-flyer

As it happens, GOL is not an abbreviation, Gol actually is the Portuguese word for “goal” in foot-ball. Brazilians are crazy about football, that’s why this is the perfect choice for a brand name. Itgoes back to the year 2001, when GOL started operations with six Boeing 737s. The beginningof a success story: Today, GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes is the world’s fourth-largest low-costairline, with over 40 million passengers carried annually. And the brand name is still a perfectmatch in the year of the football World Cup in Brazil.

By Andreas Spaeth

t was in the back room of a Mercedes bus repair shopin São Paulo, some time towards the end of the year2000. Christoph Heck, currently Vice President,

Marketing & Sales, The Americas at MTU MaintenanceHannover, recalls every detail: “We were sitting togetherwith some young entrepreneurs who had come up withthe idea of a start-up: a low-cost airline.” They weren’tjust any founders, but it was Constantino de OliveiraJúnior, offspring of the biggest Brazilian bus operator, andhis three brothers. So there was enough capital to getstarted and also plenty of expertise in the transport busi-ness. “They wanted to come up with something really big,and their plans sounded good,” remembers Heck. SoMTU already had a trustful relationship with the airline-

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to-be even before it made its first flight. That finally hap-pened on January 15, 2001, when GOL—with six Boeing737s—started competing in the race to dominate thelucrative domestic Brazilian market, the world’s fourthlargest in 2014. By 2020, it is even expected that Brazilwill be the third-largest market for domestic air travel,behind the U.S. and China. When GOL was established,passengers in the country of Sugarloaf Mountain had tur-bulent times behind them, with VASP and Transbrasilfolding in quick succession, followed by long-establishedVarig. Its successor, called New Varig, was taken over byGOL in 2007. GOL still operates ten Boeing 737s in fullVarig livery for flights to the Caribbean and Venezuela,using old Varig route rights.


operates 970 flights daily, serving a total of 65 destina-tions, among them eight in neighboring South Americanstates, four in the Caribbean as well as Miami and Orlandoin the U.S. Since the very beginning, the carrier has beensupported by MTU Maintenance: initially, when the fleetwas still young, only on a case-by-case basis, and sinceJanuary 2013 under a long-term contract running until2018 and covering the maintenance of half of theCFM56-7B engines in GOL’s fleet. “To date, almost 40GOL engines have undergone maintenance at our facili-ties in Hannover and Zhuhai,” says Axel Homborg,Director, Sales, The Americas at MTU MaintenanceHannover. The partnership is highly valued also by GOL:“With MTU, we have an extremely competent and reliablepartner on our side,” emphasizes Eduardo Calderon,Director, Supply Chain at GOL. “The fact that MTU is per-forming maintenance at two independent locations en-sures short and reliable turnaround times.”

Both partners see themselves as close team players. “Thesecret of our success is the intensive communication andcooperation between the teams of both companies,”reveals Claus Herzog, MTU’s representative in Brazil.“Many of the crucial elements of our cooperation are es-sentially the same as in football,” says Homborg, bringing

together the brand name of his customer and the majorevent of this year, the FIFA World Cup, the opening matchof which will take place in São Paulo on June 12. So it ismore than fitting that GOL is the official airline of the“Seleção”, Brazil’s national team. “We are the largestBrazilian airline and it is an honor for us to carry our foot-ball players,” says GOL’s CEO Paulo Kakinoff. “The synergybetween football and GOL is notorious.” And GOL is show-ing its commitment to the cause with a Boeing 737-800in a special green and yellow livery. Kakinoff already knowshow to deal with German partners: He previously workedfor car maker Audi and lived in Germany for two yearsduring that time. Kakinoff and his staff at GOL know aswell as their partners at MTU that there is one topic onwhich they can hardly agree: And that’s which team theywill be backing, hoping it will win the golden trophy in theend.

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Brazil, the world’s fifth-largest country, seemed to be agood breeding ground for a low-cost airline, with flying sofar being affordable only for the rich, while the majorityof the 192 million Brazilians had to make do using busesrattling along on congested roads. The journey fromBrazil’s Northeast, a region experiencing a steady outflowof migrants, to the industrial cities such as São Paulo andRio de Janeiro takes two to three days. Since its launch,GOL has won more than 50 million people who now reg-ularly travel by plane, a real success story. The growth ofthe start-up happened quickly, on average twelve aircraftwere added to the fleet every year, and GOL soon landedthe founding family in the global list of billionaires, eventhough 9/11 happened only eight months after the firstflight. Following the recent merger of Brazilian marketleader TAM with Chilean airline LAN to create LATAM,which is nowadays mostly controlled from Santiago deChile, GOL has become the biggest airline headquarteredin Brazil.

With over 40 million passengers a year, GOL is LatinAmerica’s biggest low-cost airline and the fourth-largestin the world, behind Southwest Airlines in the U.S. andRyanair as well as easyJet in Europe. With its current fleetof 36 Boeing 737-700s and 104 Boeing 737-800s GOL

The upcoming big sports events in Brazil, the footballWorld Cup in 2014 as well as the 2016 Summer Olym-pics in Rio de Janeiro, are ideal stages to promote an im-portant topic for the future of aviation: the use of biofuel.On October 23, 2013, GOL conducted Brazil’s first com-mercial flight powered in part by sustainable aviationbiofuel made from waste cooking oil and blended byPetrobras. Following the flight, GOL, Boeing and severalBrazilian research institutions founded the Brazilian Bio-jetfuel Platform, the aim being to launch a sustainablejet biofuel industry. Brazil already has an established bio-fuel industry and might be the first nation to set up pro-duction of biokerosene from biomass on an industrialscale. “This project will further advance the effort toexpand biofuel use in Brazil,” hopes GOL’s CEO PauloKakinoff. The airline plans to use sustainable biofuelson 200 flights during the World Cup. It then aims toincorporate biofuels into 20 percent of its flights oper-ating during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

Operating a fleet of around 140 Boeing 737s, GOL currently serves 65 destinations across the Americas.

Half of the CFM56-7B engines in GOL’s fleet are sent to MTU Maintenance for MRO.

A showcase of sustainability

For additional information, contactChristoph Heck+49 511 7806-2621


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Servant of two

mastersTime is money in the air freight business and efficiency animperative. That’s a fact they know particularly well atGerman cargo airline AeroLogic. Since 2009, the carrier,which operates a modern fleet of eight Boeing 777Fs, hasbeen flying to destinations around the globe from its base inLeipzig/Halle on behalf of both its shareholders, DHL Expressand Lufthansa Cargo. Having adopted lean principles tostreamline operations, the company has outsourced all sup-port services for its GE90 engines to MTU MaintenanceHannover and values the close cooperation with its partner.

By Andreas Spaeth

AeroLogic—the name of the airline speaks for itself:After all, it is about a very logical cooperation ofairlines, and also about logistics. Cooperation be-

tween DHL, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post, and freightairline Lufthansa Cargo started back in the year 2000. InSeptember 2007, the two companies then launchedAeroLogic as a joint venture in which both partners holda 50-percent share. Barely two years later, the start-upcommenced flight operations, following delivery of thefirst of eight brand-new Boeing 777Fs on order in May2009. On June 29, 2009, the first triple seven freighter,which bears the registration letters D-AALA, took off onits maiden flight to Singapore under an AeroLogic flightnumber. The airline had been assigned the rather fittingICAO code “BOX”. By December 2010, the fleet was com-plete. It has rarely happened before that a cargo airlinehas been built up from scratch in such a short time, witha focus on efficiency right from the start.


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One of the key factors contributing toAeroLogic’s efficiency is its base at Leip-zig/Halle: “The unrestricted operating permitaround the clock, ideal road and rail linksand the two parallel runways make this air-port extremely customer-oriented,” enthusesCEO Ulf Weber. Of course, choosing the righttype of aircraft is of utmost importance aswell. “The Triple Seven has been tailor-madefor the long-haul routes we are serving,” saysWeber. “We are one hundred percent satisfiedwith its cost-effectiveness, payload capacityand operational safety.” Currently the mostadvanced widebody cargo airliner with amaximum payload capacity of 106 tons and arange of 9,000 kilometers, the 777F burns 20percent less fuel than the Boeing 747-400F,thanks to its innovative wing and propulsiontechnology.

Because of AeroLogic’s specific businessmodel, the mission profiles of the 777Fs inthe carrier’s fleet vary greatly. The share-holders of AeroLogic are the company’s onlycustomers. Since AeroLogic is not acquiringcustomers on the free market, the companyis less well known than other cargo airlines.On weekdays, AeroLogic flies under the

operational responsibility of DHL Express andcarries mail and courier goods from Europeto overseas destinations, most of them inAsia, and also within Europe to distributioncenters like East Midlands, Bergamo andBrussels. On weekends, when express freight

AeroLogic operates a modern fleet of Boeing 777Fs, flying to destinations around the globe.

The final touches—a GE90 engine in the test cell at MTU Maintenance Hannover.

Pilots love AeroLogic

For additional information, contactFrank Schön+49 511 7806-4213


volumes are lower, Lufthansa Cargo takesover and uses AeroLogic’s aircraft mostly forflights to the U.S. In total, about 50 flightsserving 20 destinations are operated eachweek, the route network spanning fromSingapore and Seoul to Lahore and Tashkent

all the way to Los Angeles. “The combinationof short- and long-haul flights, sometimesassociated with harsh operating conditionslike sand-laden air and high temperatures,puts high requirements on the engines of ouraircraft,” says Michael Geis, Senior VicePresident, Maintenance at AeroLogic. Thecarrier’s Boeing 777Fs are powered by twoGE90-110B engines, the most powerful com-mercial engines in the world. “We are a leanorganization,” says Geis. “All repair and main-tenance work on our engines is outsourcedto MTU. For these services, MTU is our mostimportant partner.”

Since 2012, MTU Maintenance Hannoverhas been taking care of all 16 GE90s inAeroLogic’s fleet, plus two spares. The com-pany provides the whole range of services,from on-site support at Leipzig/Halle tomajor off-wing maintenance events. “In thesummer of 2013, we had the first GE90 herein our Hannover shop for a full performancerestoration,” recalls Malte Franke, SystemsEngineer, GE90 at MTU. “In this time-con-suming process, core engine modules, suchas the high-pressure compressor and high-pressure turbine, are dismantled and over-

hauled and components, for example bladesand vanes, are repaired or replaced as nec-essary,” explains Franke. The sheer size ofthis engine is a big challenge in itself, itsdiameter being roughly the same as that ofthe fuselage of a Boeing 737. “The tools weneed for the repair and overhaul of the GE90are incredibly large as well,” adds FabianSchön, Senior Manager, Customer Accountsat MTU. A decisive advantage, both for thecustomer and for the service provider, is theshort distance between Leipzig and Hannover.While the engines operated by other cus-tomers located further afield, like Air NewZealand or Virgin Australia, have to be disas-sembled into their modules before they canbe shipped to MTU for a shop visit,AeroLogic’s GE90s are delivered in one pieceon a flat-bed truck, the trip from Leipzig tak-ing a mere five hours. “Again, it’s the dimen-sions of the GE90 that make things difficult,because such special road transports cantake place only at night,” explains Schön. Bymid-2016, he expects that all GE90s inAeroLogic’s fleet will have made the journeyfrom Leipzig to Hannover and back once.

At AeroLogic, the cooperation with MTU ishighly valued. “The GE90 is particularly com-plex and its maintenance extremely demand-ing. There are not many companies that canhandle this engine,” says Geis, who is full ofpraise for AeroLogic’s partner. “Because ofits location in close proximity to our Leipzigbase, MTU can respond highly flexibly, fastand reliably to our needs. Our customersplace as much importance on punctuality asdo customers in the passenger flight seg-ment,” explains AeroLogic’s head of mainte-nance. “And especially because on-time oper-ations must be given top priority, it’s soimportant to have a partner like MTU literal-ly around the corner, as less time is lostwhen problems arise.” As far as MTU is con-cerned, Schön puts it like this: “We worktogether based on mutual trust and share thesame values.”

Pilots are the biggest employee group at AeroLogic: Out of some 250staff members, around 175 are flight crew. Among them are quite a fewwomen, over ten percent in fact. 2010 saw a first in the international aircargo business when a flighttook off with an all-female crewon board. AeroLogic is an at-tractive employer for pilots. Incooperation with a flight schoolin Essen, the company carriesout pilot training itself; anAquila training aircraft evenbears the livery of AeroLogic.“We are a small airline, andthere’s more of a family atmos-phere at our company. Appar-ently, this sparks people’s interest,” according to Joe Moser, AeroLogic’schief pilot. Despite high workloads and a modest salary, new job applica-tions are coming in all the time. Says Moser: “Where else can a youngpilot of 30 years fly a 250-million-dollar bird to the world’s metropolises?”A job based in Germany with good career prospects is an interestingproposition for young pilots.

An Aquila A 210 training aircraft besideBoeing 777Fs.

t the handover ceremony, Alberto Gutierrez,Chief Executive Officer of Eurofighter Jagd-flugzeug GmbH, said: “Delivery of the 400th

Eurofighter marks a historic milestone in Europe’slargest defense program. Now we must focus morestrongly on export campaigns in order to win newcontracts and new customers for this outstandingaircraft.”

At present, the Eurofighter Typhoon is in service withthe armed forces of Germany, Italy, Spain, the UnitedKingdom, Austria, and Saudi Arabia. These nations willbe joined by Oman as from 2017. The order bookcurrently stands at 571 aircraft, of which 400 havealready been delivered. Other nations that have ex-pressed a strong interest in the fighter include coun-tries in Scandinavia, the Middle East and Asia.


A powerfulengine taking

off to newhorizons

There was a festive atmosphere at Airbus Defence andSpace’s Military Air Systems Center in Manching when inearly December 2013 the German Air Force took delivery ofthe 400th Eurofighter Typhoon to roll off the productionlines. The event, which also included a laser show, was wit-nessed by high-ranking representatives from politics, busi-ness and the military. This aircraft delivery marked a successalso for MTU Aero Engines: After all, Germany’s leadingengine manufacturer has a 30-percent share in the EJ200engine powering the combat jet.

By Bernd Bundschu

A

24 25


The Eurofighter Typhoon is a joint European military pro-gram that brings together Germany, the United Kingdom,Italy and Spain. Final assembly of the Eurofighters for theGerman Air Force takes place in Manching at Airbus De-fence and Space, a division of the Airbus Group. MTUAero Engines in Munich is responsible for supplying theengine components and for final assembly of the EJ200engines. “Normally, the engines are delivered to theEurofighter final assembly line in Manching around 12months ahead of the scheduled aircraft delivery date,”explains Mutalle Ulucay, Senior Manager, EJ200 SupportServices at MTU Aero Engines. “To date MTU has supplied285 of the propulsion systems, including spares, to AirbusDefence and Space (formerly Cassidian) and to Germany’sLuftwaffe. Taken together, all assembly locations have al-ready delivered over 1,100 EJ200s.”

“Although it has been in production for a number of yearsnow, the EJ200 remains one of the most advanced jetfighter engines in its class. Its thrust-to-weight ratio of10:1 is world class and can measure up against any otherof today’s military engines. In terms of the technologiesused, the EJ200 is still the state of the art worldwide,”says Martin Majewski, Director, EJ200 Program at MTUAero Engines. This is owed in no small part also to MTU,the company having developed the low-pressure andhigh-pressure compressors as well as the electronic con-trol unit—components it now produces for all EurofighterTyphoon engines. “The low-pressure and high-pressure

26 27

compressors are manufactured using blisk (blade inte-grated disk) technology, which means that the disk andblades are produced as one single piece. Such configura-tions greatly help reduce the weight of the engine. Andthe highly sophisticated aerodynamic design of the air-foils permits very high compressor pressure ratios to beachieved while keeping the low-pressure compressor shortand compact,” explains Majewski. Other special featuresof the EJ200 include air-cooled turbine blades and vanesas well as advanced thermal-barrier and wear-protectioncoatings—features that add to the engine’s ruggednessand help achieve a long service life. “Meanwhile, the en-gines in service have accumulated more than 400,000flight hours, and evaluations show that the engine andcomponent failure rates are around one third lower thanthe limits stipulated in the specification,” continuesMajewski. “In fact, all Eurofighter Typhoon operators arefull of praise for the engine’s reliability and performance.”

Since all of the EJ200 engines for Germany’s Eurofightersare assembled and tested at MTU in Munich, the companypossesses the overall system expertise it needs as theexclusive service provider to the military to provide com-prehensive support as well as maintenance, repair andoverhaul services for the engines and modules operatedby the German Air Force. Assembly and maintenanceactivities are performed as part of MTU’s cooperationwith the Air Force in joint teams composed of MTU em-ployees and military staff. MTU undertakes to overhaulengines within a period of just 23 calendar days, andadditionally assumes responsibility for the assessment ofspare parts requirements as well as the procurement andprovisioning of the spares needed. “Our collaborationwith the German Air Force has always been—and remains—an integral part of the production, in-service support andmaintenance of the EJ200 engine at MTU. In 2005, it wasexpanded to include two further engine types,” explainsMajewski. “This collaboration goes back a long way andeverything runs very efficiently and smoothly.”

Since the failure rates of the EJ200 are low and theEurofighter fleet is still being built up, the workload forMTU’s maintenance shops is quite manageable at pres-ent. However, this business will slowly pick up as moreEurofighter aircraft join the German Air Force’s opera-tional fleet. From the fall of 2014, the EJ200 will be as-sembled at MTU’s Erding facility, which already assemblesand repairs the RB199 for the Tornado and the MTR390for the Tiger combat helicopter. “The intention is to lever-age further synergies as well as to respond to decreasingworkloads as a result of the reduction in the number ofaircraft operated by the German Air Force,” explainsUlucay. Because of their history of successful collabora-tion, MTU and the German Armed Forces are already ex-ploring options to take their partnership to the next leveland intensify their cooperation in the field of engine repairand overhaul (WEK-T). Among the things they are dis-cussing are availability concepts similar to the ones thathave become common practice in commercial aviation. The 400th Eurofighter—painted in special livery—was handed over to the German Air Force.

From the fall of 2014, the EJ200 will be assembled at MTU’s Erdingfacility.

Saudi Arabia is the first customer to choose the new support concepts,which ensure the availability of serviceable engines.

Support concept fornew customers

For additional information, contactMartin Majewski+49 89 1489-5369


Production of the EJ200 engine for partner countriesUnited Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain will come to anend in 2017 at the latest. As a result, the export marketwill play an increasingly important role for EUROJET TurboGmbH, the engine consortium. Existing export customersinclude Austria, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. The focus ofcurrent Eurofighter Typhoon export campaigns is now on

In early December, the German Armed Forces took deliv-ery of still another Eurofighter, which brings the totalnumber of fighter jets of this type in its fleet to 112. Thenew aircraft bears the markings 31+06 and will be basedat Tactical Air Force Wing 73 “Steinhoff” in Laage nearRostock. The jet will be used for training flights and forcontrolling of the German airspace.

countries in the Middle East. An important part of thesenew export campaigns are support concepts based onengine availability: Customers pay a fixed amount permonth or per year and, in return, the industry guaranteesthe availability of a defined number of serviceable en-gines. “Such a concept was agreed for the first time in acontract with Saudi Arabia concluded in June 2013 andhas since proved its worth,” says Martin Majewski, Direc-tor, EJ200 Program at MTU Aero Engines.

28 29

Improved ratios fortomorrow’s engines

Under the European Union’s technology program ENOVAL (ENgine mOduleVALidators) MTU Aero Engines is developing innovative low-pressure turbine tech-nologies for use in the engines of the future. Very high bypass ratios of up to 20:1 willmake the propulsion systems more efficient, quieter and cleaner. But these benefitscome at a penalty, as the engines will also be larger and heavier. A veritable challengefor engineers.

By Denis Dilba

The Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine developed jointly by Pratt & Whitneyand MTU is quite an impressive achievement: More efficient, cleaner andquieter than conventional powerplants, this engine will soon enter revenue

service on the A320neo and other new aircraft. But this success is no reason forthe design engineers to sit back and rest on their laurels. After all, the targetsdefined by the Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe,or ACARE for short, for the year 2035 are highly ambitious—and at MTU AeroEngines there is probably not a single engineer who does not know them byheart: Plans are to cut aircraft CO2 emissions by 60 percent, NOX emissions by84 percent and noise levels by 55 percent, as compared with year-2000 values.The GTF already makes a substantial contribution towards achieving these tar-gets, but there is still a lot of work down the road. This is why MTU has been par-ticipating in a number of EU technology projects for several years now, exploringoptions to enhance the efficiency of the engines of the future and, at the sametime, to reduce emissions and noise. Among these projects are LEMCOTEC andE-BREAK, which were launched in late 2011 and late 2012, respectively. Whilethe work performed under the LEMCOTEC project focuses on increasing theoverall pressure ratio to further improve the thermal efficiency of future engines,the main technological objective of E-BREAK is to modify materials and sub-sys-tems such that they will be able to withstand the ever higher pressures and tem-peratures prevailing in tomorrow’s engines.

Kicked off in early October 2013, ENOVAL is the most recent of the EU’s proj-ects aimed at developing technologies for the engines of the future. It bringstogether 35 partners, among them aviation companies, research institutes anduniversities, from ten nations. Responsibility for the overall coordination of ENO-VAL, which is short for Engine mOdule VALidators, rests with MTU. The ultimateproject objective is to increase the bypass ratio (BPR) to unprecedented levels ofup to 20:1. For comparison, take the highly popular V2500, for example, whichhas a BPR of 5:1, or the advanced geared turbofan engines with a BPR of 12:1. “Ifyou have a higher bypass volume—that is the mass flow of air ingested by the fan



30 31

that bypasses the core engine inside the nacelle—the propul-sion efficiency is increased and the engine burns less fueland emits less carbon dioxide,” explains Dr. Edgar Merkl,Senior Manager, European Technology Programs, who is theoverall project coordinator at MTU in Munich. “Moreover, theengine produces less noise, which is in no small part owed tothe lower flow velocities in the gas jet achievable with suchconfigurations and to the lower fan speed.” These are theprecise goals the engineers expect to achieve by the time theproject is completed in September 2017: a reduction in CO2

emissions by up to five percent and a noise reduction of 1.3decibels. These improvements will bring the overall cut in CO2

emissions to up to 26 percent and the total noise reductionto fully nine decibels as compared with a year-2000 engine.Achievement of the ACARE target of halving the perceivednoise has thus come within easy reach.

The focus of ENOVAL is on the further development of thelow-pressure system. “This includes all components that siton the low-pressure shaft, from the fan at the engine intakevia the gearbox and low-pressure compressor through to thelow-pressure turbine at the rear end of the engine,” explainsENOVAL Chief Engineer Dr. Jörg Sieber. While other partnersare working on the fan, gearbox and low-pressure compres-sor, the emphasis of MTU’s activities under the project is onthe high-speed low-pressure turbine. Taken together, the out-comes of the ENOVAL, LEMCOTEC and E-BREAK projects willprovide the enabling technologies for an engine to power thenext but one generation of aircraft, an engine that will standout for its extremely high bypass and pressure ratios.

The overall improvements achieved as a result of the highbypass ratios come at a penalty, is how Dr. Lothar Heller,ENOVAL sub-project manager in charge of the low-pressuremodules, describes the challenge design engineers are fac-ing: “To be able to handle the increased volumes of air the fanmust be larger. Hence, the engine will be larger and heavier aswell, and the aerodynamic drag is higher.” As a result, toachieve improvements for the overall system, the low-pressuremodules must be lighter and more efficient to make up forthese negative effects. Says Heller: “And that’s the tricky bit.”

One thing is for sure: The aircraft to be powered by suchengines must provide more space under their wings to accom-modate the bigger dimensions. “Future engines will be around35 percent larger than their year-2000 counterparts, with thesize of the ENOVAL engine generation exceeding that oftoday’s geared turbofans by some ten percent,” says Dr.Stefan Donnerhack, who is in charge of one of the ENOVALplatforms (Very Large GTF). According to the MTU expert,design engineers will have yet another major problem tosolve as part of the company’s ENOVAL activities: With in-creasing bypass ratios the fan pressure ratio tends to de-crease, which may result in an unstable airflow in the fan.“Active variation of the duct cross-section might be a viableremedy here,” explains Donnerhack. “The optimum solutionlargely depends on the aircraft mission profiles,” states project

coordinator Merkl. For engines optimized for short-haulflights maximum efficiency at cruising altitude is not a pri-mary requirement, as cruising is the shortest part of a typicalshort-haul mission. Things are entirely different for long-haulflights: As cruising at high altitudes accounts for the majorpart of a long-haul mission it is worth trying to squeeze outevery bit of improvement to further optimize efficiency, evenif it involves a weight penalty. Therefore, two different designapproaches are pursued under ENOVAL: engines operated onshort-haul routes, the bypass ratio of which is higher thanthat of today’s propulsion systems, but not high enough forthe benefits to be outweighed by size and weight increasesof the fan and entire engine, and very large engines operatedon long-haul routes that have ultra-high BPRs and—thanks tothe optimum cruising efficiency—can easily cope with theadded weight.

The main focus of MTU’s ENOVAL activities is on testing thenew components intended for these highly efficient engines.

Plans are to conduct a total of 17 rig tests, in which the com-ponents are put through their paces in an engine environ-ment, the emphasis being on investigating the interactionbetween the low-pressure turbine and adjacent modules.

At Graz University of Technology, MTU and Professor Dr.Franz Heitmeir, who chairs the Institute of Thermal Turbo-machinery and Machine Dynamics, are exploring possibilitiesto optimize the inter-turbine case, that is the duct betweenthe high-pressure and low-pressure turbines, the aim beingan improvement in low-pressure turbine efficiency. “To put itin a nutshell: An optimized inter-turbine case must be shorterand feature a steeper increase in diameter. Yet it must bedesigned such that stalling and the associated turbulences,which might cause power losses, are safely prevented,” ex-plains Heitmeir. Since the university already has a test facilitythat only needs to be modified for these investigations, test-ing might commence as early as in 2015. The tests to be con-ducted at the University of Stuttgart’s Institute of Aeronauti-

Under the roof of ENOVAL major players fromthe European aero engine industry—among themGE Avio, GKN Aerospace, Industria de Turbo Pro-pulsores, MTU Aero Engines, Rolls-Royce,Snecma, Techspace Aero and Turbomeca—coop-erate with small and medium-sized enterprisesfrom the aviation industry as well as with univer-sities and academic research organizations.ENOVAL has been set up as part of the EuropeanUnion’s Seventh Framework Programme and willrun for four years. It has an overall budget of morethan 45 million euros, of which 26.5 million eurosare funded by the EU.

cal Propulsion Systems, where a test rig is currently beingbuilt up for investigations into the interaction between the laststage of a high-speed low-pressure turbine and the turbineexit case, are slated to begin in early 2016. In this field, MTUcooperates with GKN Aerospace Engine Systems Sweden. “Ifwe succeed in improving the interfaces we will be able to fur-ther improve the low-pressure turbine’s efficiency. So far, littleimportance has been attached to these interactions,” ex-plains Heller.

Likewise in early 2016, another of MTU’s series of rig testswill be conducted at Bundeswehr University in Munich toinvestigate the effects of active flow control on engine aero-dynamics. At the moment, MTU’s engineers are preparing forthe ramp-up of the project. As part of their day-to-day activi-ties they are busy drawing up detailed plans, setting upteams and determining where the remaining rig tests can beperformed. Merkl is pleased with the results achieved so far:“A first review has shown that we are on the right track.”

Heller adds: “If we want to have the necessary technologiesready for incorporation in production engines from 2025 orso on, which is in time for the next generation of jetliners tosucceed the A320neo, we can’t move forward fast enough.But we hope to have first results and be able to furtherenhance our products in one or two years’ time.” This way,MTU is paving the way for taking on roles in new, emergingdevelopment programs. And ENOVAL project cooordinatorMerkl explains: “At the moment, with its participation in thePW1000G programs, MTU is a technology leader. We want tokeep it that way, and will take the right steps now.”

ENOVAL

For additional information, contactDr. Edgar Merkl+49 89 1489-2511

Short thinnacelle

Enoval low-pressure system modules

Enoval—main areas of research.

Integrated design of ITC, LPC and TEC

Low-pressureratio fan

Light-weightintermediate case

Variable areafan nozzle

Powergearbox

High-speedbooster

Low-pressure turbine• high-speed• low-speed

Integrated design• Inter-turbine case• Low-pressure turbine• Turbine exit case

Rig-Inlet LPT-Module

IGV ITC LPT TEC

Two-spool test rig at the Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery and Machine Dynamicsof Graz University of Technology.

“Oil paint” visualizes the highly complex 3D airflow in the inter-turbine duct.

IGV Inlet guide vaneITC Inter-turbine case

LPT Low-pressure turbine TEC Turbine exit case

32 33

Off the beaten track

Engine manufacturers aiming to achieve substantial fuelsavings need to do more than just optimize the componentsof conventional turbofan engines. This is why MTU AeroEngines is working with Bauhaus Luftfahrt to explore inno-vative concepts, such as modified thermodynamic cyclesand electric propulsion systems.

By Achim Figgen

There is no need to watch science fiction films tofind out what the aircraft of the future might looklike—in fact, taking a look at a concept developed

by think tank Bauhaus Luftfahrt will do. First presented inthe summer of 2012, the Ce-Liner (the letter C in thename stands for the distinctive shape of the wings) notonly stands out for its rather unusual appearance, it isalso a fully electric short-haul passenger aircraft thatmight be capable of meeting and even surpassing theEuropean Commission’s highly ambitious “Flightpath2050” emission targets. At least, that is the theory. Inpractice, there are still some problems to be solved. Onthe one hand, emission-free operation is possible only ifthe electric energy required can be produced from re-newable sources. On the other hand, batteries with anenergy density of some 2,000 Wh/kg, a prerequisite forthe Ce-Liner’s commercial viability, still need to be devel-oped. The best high-performance lithium ion batteriescurrently available deliver a maximum of 200 Wh/kg.


34 35

This is one of the main reasons why Dr. JörgSieber, Senior Consultant, Innovation Man-agement at MTU Aero Engines, believes thatit is still far too early to talk about the end ofthe conventional gas turbine engine as anaircraft propulsion system. And it’s also thereason why both Germany’s leading enginemanufacturer and Bauhaus Luftfahrt areworking on new concepts to make kerosene-powered aircraft engines even more power-ful and more fuel-efficient than they are today.

MTU’s Claire (Clean Air Engine) technologyprogram provides the roadmap for futuredevelopment efforts. Under this program, thecompany aims to improve the eco-efficiencyof engines, for example by reducing carbondioxide emissions in three stages by 15, 25and ultimately 40 percent.

The common approach to reducing fuel con-sumption is to increase the bypass ratio andthe overall pressure ratio. Over a decade ago,a bypass ratio of 5:1 was considered stand-ard, but since that time improvements in thedesign of fan and nacelle have steadilypushed this figure upward. The key to suc-cessful further developments, however, isPratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan™ (GTF)engine. “The current generation of gearedturbofans already achieves a bypass ratio of12:1,” explains Sieber, “and we’re already


Bauhaus Luftfahrt

working on technologies that will make itpossible to achieve a bypass ratio of 20:1.”

Representing the first stage of the develop-ment work performed under the Claire initia-tive, the geared turbofan technology marks amajor step forward towards a fuel-thrifty andquiet engine. Because the fan and the low-

ger jet powered by the GTF, Bombardier’sCS100, completed its maiden flight alreadyback in the summer of 2013. The engine spe-cialists at MTU have long been exploringalternative approaches. An intercooler placedbetween the low-pressure and high-pressurecompressors, for instance, would lower thetemperature of the air, which would result inless work for the high-pressure compressorand a higher overall pressure ratio. An evenmore effective option would be to install arecuperator in the engine exhaust that usesthe thermal energy of the exhaust jet to heatthe compressed air before it enters the com-bustion chamber. Solutions such as thesemight be relatively easy to implement in sta-tionary installations or aboard a ship, whereweight is not a primary concern. But whenused in aircraft construction, they call fornew concepts, materials and structures. Thisholds true also of new ideas that go beyondcurrent technologies, such as alternatives tothe thermodynamic cycle of a gas turbine. Intheory at least, isothermal expansion andcompression processes have great potentialto markedly boost thermal efficiency, as hasconstant-volume combustion. The technicalimplementation of such cycles, however, is atricky business. Isothermal compression, forinstance, would require coolers between theindividual compressor stages, thus addingenormously to the complexity of the engine.

So perhaps electric propulsion is a betteralternative for emerging aircraft generationsafter all. Professor Mirko Hornung, ExecutiveDirector, Research and Technology of Bau-haus Luftfahrt, is convinced that all-electricpropulsion systems will find applications inthe general aviation sector first, simply be-cause power requirements are considerablylower and ranges much shorter. Neverthe-less, the idea of using electricity as a “fuel”also on commercial aircraft has a certainappeal for the Bauhaus Luftfahrt researchers,though the most likely concept would be ahybrid system, in which a heat engine drivesa generator. The electricity produced there isthen fed to the electric motors, which in turndrive a fan or propeller. But this is a conceptthat comes with a huge drawback: Since thereare three power units instead of one, the dis-advantage of increased weight currently byfar outweighs the benefit in terms of efficien-cy gain. So the problem to be solved by theresearchers is to find another way to inte-grate this type of serial hybrid propulsionsystem.

pressure turbine no longer sit on a commonshaft, but are decoupled by a reduction gear-box, both components can rotate at theirrespective optimum speeds.

For forward-looking researchers such asSieber, the GTF concept is no longer anythingout of the ordinary. After all, the first passen-

Intercooled recuperated

Conventional

Intercooled

Intercooled recuperated

Intercooled

Conventional

100 20 50 100Overall pressure ratio

Ther

mal

eff

icie

ncy

The name Bauhaus Luftfahrt has been deliberately chosen. “Staat-liches Bauhaus”, a renowned school of design, was founded byWalter Gropius in Weimar in 1919 and moved to Dessau a few yearslater. It aimed to revolutionize modern architecture and to foster col-laboration between artists and craftsmen. In keeping with this tradi-tion, Bauhaus Luftfahrt has set out to become a multi-disciplinarythink tank for the research of innovative technologies for aviation.The Munich-based non-profit association was established in 2005by the three aerospace companies EADS (now Airbus Group), Lieb-herr-Aerospace and MTU Aero Engines as well as the BavarianMinistry for Economic Affairs. In 2012, IABG became a member ofthe institution. Bauhaus Luftfahrt currently has a staff of around 50researchers with engineering, natural sciences, business, culturalsciences and social sciences backgrounds who deal with the futureof mobility in general and with the future of air travel in particular. Inall Bauhaus projects, technical, economic, social and ecologicalaspects are taken into account in an integral approach.

The CSeries took to the skies for the first time in summer 2013.

Thermal efficiency of different gas turbine cycles.

LPC Low-pressure compressorHPC High-pressure compressorCom. Combustor

HPT High-pressure turbineLPT Low-pressure turbineIC Intercooler

HEX Heat exchanger

be to drive individual compressor stages sep-arately so that they can run at their optimumspeeds irrespective of the rotational speedof the turbine.

All this may sound rather revolutionary but,in the words of Bauhaus Luftfahrt ExecutiveDirector Hornung: “We’ve come a long way inour endeavors to optimize conventional de-signs and components. Now, it’s time to lookinto some more radical solutions.” Prof.Hornung and Dr. Sieber concur that a num-ber of the new concepts being consideredare technically feasible. How many of thesewill actually prove to be economically viableis something only time can tell. “In the thirdstage of the Claire technology program, whichfocuses on engines for the year 2050, we willexamine the most promising ideas, such asmodified thermodynamic cycles, hybrid ele-ments and improved propulsion integration,in detail,” says Sieber as he looks ahead.

“Electric motors can be scaled in size to suitrequirements without losses in efficiency.Therefore, the motors and propulsors couldbe fitted in places where they enhance theaerodynamic properties. This would allowmaking use of secondary effects to boost theefficiency of the overall system,” saysHornung. To put it another way: Should thestandard configuration consisting of two orfour big engines be abandoned in favor of alarge number of smaller engines with open orshrouded propellers? The neat thing aboutthis sort of concept is that if many small fansare arranged around the rear part of the fuse-lage, they can ingest the air flowing aroundthe aircraft fuselage, the so-called boundarylayer, and so drastically reduce the aerody-namic drag. Another conceivable optionwould be to use propulsors distributed alongthe wings to help control the aircraft, thuseliminating the need for flaps and/or rud-ders.

The futurologists of Bauhaus Luftfahrt alsobelieve that electric motors can be used toimprove the efficiency of individual enginecomponents. For instance, a secondary, elec-tric drive for fans would help meet peak powerrequirements and optimize the turbomachinefor cruising flight. Another possibility would

For additional information, contactDr. Jörg Sieber+49 89 1489-2513


Productionparts made bylaser melting

Additive manufacturing is the technology of the future. Usedto build up dental crowns and orthopedic implants, indus-trial tools, complex, lightweight car parts and even piecesof jewelry layer by layer, additive processes are rapidlyspreading from one industry sector to the next. In aviation,too, they are playing an increasingly important role. In thefield of engine construction, MTU Aero Engines has achieveda breakthrough: The long-established Munich-based com-pany is among the first engine manufacturers in the worldto use additive processes to manufacture production parts.

By Martina Vollmuth

r. Rainer Martens, MTU Chief Operating Officer,explains: “We’ve been making borescope bossesfor compliance and production engines using

additive processes for several months now, and havebeen very successful in doing so.” This makes Germany’sleading engine manufacturer one of the first companiesin the industry to use additive processes in production.While other manufacturers are also working with thenew technology, most of their products are still in theprototype stage. This is what sets MTU apart: Its bore-scope bosses made by selective laser melting (SLM)form part of the production low-pressure turbine casethe company is making for the PW1100G-JM engine topower the A320neo. “With this move, MTU has reaf-firmed its leadership in delivering innovation; for we areusing one of the most advanced technologies there is toproduce parts for one of the most advanced engines inthe world, the Geared Turbofan™,” Martens emphasizes.

Borescope bosses are attachments that allow the blad-ing to be inspected for its condition and for potentialwear and damage at regular intervals. They are riveted tothe case and serve as access ports for borescopes. “Weused to make these parts by casting or by milling them

D

Products + Services

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Products + Services

Germany’s leading engine manufacturer began looking into options touse additive manufacturing about ten years ago. “We started off mak-ing tools and development parts with a simple geometry,” says Dr.Karl-Heinz Dusel, Senior Manager, Rapid Technologies. In a secondphase, SLM parts were produced as substitutes for conventional ones,such as injection nozzles and grinding wheels for use on the shop floor.At around the same time, work on the borescope bosses for the GTFengine to power the A320neo began to pick up speed. This broughtabout significant changes for the company. “By becoming a manufac-turer of blanks, MTU was venturing into completely new territory,”explains Prof. Dr. Thomas Uihlein, Consultant, Technology TransferManagement at MTU.

“In the past we simply bought the blanks we needed rather than pro-ducing them ourselves. So we had no prior experience to draw on,and there were no processes, methods or structures for the manufac-ture and certification of these blanks,” says Uihlein. “We had to buildeverything up from scratch.” It took two years just to generate therequired standards and specifications and to compile the necessary

data. Suddenly confronted with challenges they had never faced before,MTU’s engineers had to get to grips with the materials and equipmentfor this new production method. “For example, we had to perform newanalytical calculations for components we had been familiar with fordecades,” says Uihlein. The specialists also encountered non-conform-ances that cannot be detected using conventional inspection and testmethods. That’s why the process proper must be closely monitoredto ensure early detection of departures from specification require-ments. At MTU, an online system is used for the purpose.

Further improvements to facilities, processes and methods are in thepipeline. For example, the parts MTU produces have to undergo anextra processing step because otherwise their excessive surface rough-ness would compromise their structural-mechanical properties. “Weneed surface finishes that match those of castings, which only requirerework of the mating surfaces,” Uihlein explains.

“Additive manufacturing is particularly suitable for producing parts inmaterials that are difficult to machine, as, for example, nickel alloys,”according to production expert Dusel. MTU sees great potential forthe technology in engine construction. The company expects additivemanufacturing methods to prove a boon especially with complexcomponents, such as bearing housings and conceivably also turbineairfoils. Says Chief Operating Officer Martens: “We are currently press-ing on with SLM, giving its further development top priority in numer-ous technology projects and programs, as the technology opens thedoor to entirely new designs, cuts production and lead times andbrings down production costs.” As part of its activities under CleanSky, the largest aeronautical research program ever launched inEurope, MTU is manufacturing a seal carrier using the SLM technique.The inner ring with integral honeycombs will be installed in the high-pressure compressor and contribute to a weight reduction, lighter-

weight designs being one of the key objectives in engine and aircraftconstruction. Another advantage: It takes much less time to producethis seal carrier, as multiple work steps can be completed in one go.

For Martens, this much is clear: His strategy has worked out prettywell. “We didn’t start with complex components right away, but beganwith relatively simple engine parts, such as borescope bosses. Wekept moving forward step by step, gathering more and more experi-ence in the process. This approach is now paying off, for we areamong the first to use SLM in production.” And Uihlein confirms:“Working on the A320neo engine, we’ve learned how additive manu-

38 39

The first step in selective laser melting is to use a computerto slice up a 3D CAD model of the component to be pro-duced. A laser then builds the solid equivalent of the modellayer by layer on a building platform using powdered material,the layer thickness being 20 to 40 micrometers. In the pro-cess, the powder particles are locally melted and fusedtogether.

This process allows the almost tool-free production of com-plex components that are extremely difficult, if not impossibleto manufacture using conventional methods. In addition, thetechnology substantially reduces the amount of materialwasted. The flexibility of the process makes it particularlysuitable for low-volume production and for one-off compo-nents. MTU in Munich has six direct metal laser sintering(DMLS) facilities made by EOS that replace conventionalcasting and milling machines. Five of them are used to pro-duce components, while the sixth is reserved for develop-ment purposes. At present, the only materials processed areInconel 718 nickel alloy as well as steel. Plans are to alsouse cobalt-chrome and titanium alloys at a later date.

“In the SLM chamber we are using a 400-watt laser thatmelts the metal powder at temperatures of over 1,000 de-

Selective laser melting at MTU

grees Celsius,” explains Dr. Karl-Heinz Dusel, SeniorManager, Rapid Technologies.

The process permits the production of several borescopebosses at a time on one building platform, and takes abouttwo days. Once finished, the components are separated fromthe carrier material, heat treated, finished and inspected forcracks. The entire manufacturing process is subject to strictprocess control.

Within fractions of a second, the material is melted.

Das PW1100G-JM is the first production engine to be equippedwith borescope bosses manufactured using an additive process.

The process of direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) allows components to be built up layer by layer.

For additional information, contactDr. Karl-Heinz Dusel+49 89 1489-6268


from the solid,” explains Walter Gieg, Integrated Product Team Leader,Stator, PW1100G-JM at MTU in Munich. The low-pressure turbine forthe PW1100G-JM geared turbofan (GTF) will be the first productionturbine to come equipped with borescope bosses manufactured usingan additive process. MTU sent its first PW1100G-JM compliance mod-ule to Pratt & Whitney at the end of last year for installation in the firstcompliance engine. In June, this engine will be delivered to Airbus,where it will undergo a comprehensive compliance program underwhich engine and airframe will be tested and certified as an integratedsystem.

facturing technology works. We developed the process from scratchand tested it to the point of mastering it. That’s our advantage, be-cause we can now adopt the process for other components and enginetypes as well, the basic structures being the same.”

or anyone familiar with this part of the northeastern UnitedStates, New England conjures up images of huge, sprawlingforests and the spectacular colors of autumn. However, MTU’s

subsidiary MTU Aero Engines North America (MTU AENA) isn’t basedin New England for the natural beauty. The site was chosen for itsproximity to engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney (P&W); the ideawas to put MTU’s specialists as close to the customer as possible.“P&W is an important part of our business because they are not onlyour partner in the development of new engines but also our customerwhen it comes to purchasing engineering services from MTU AENA,”says Neeraj Rai, Manager, Project Engineering and Business Devel-opment.

Products + Services

A good bit of detective workEngineering services provider MTU Aero Engines North America (MTU AENA) in Rocky Hill, Connecticut,supports its customers with top-notch engineering expertise and professional solutions. The U.S.-basedcompany specializes in optimizing products for its customers, also as part of its after-sales business. Itoffers a broad array of knowledge and experience in every aspect of jet propulsion and gas turbine tech-nology to meet the needs of aero engine and land-based industrial gas turbine programs.

By Daniel Hautmann

F

40 41

Products + Services

MTU AENA was founded in 2000. The independent U.S.company provides engineering solutions for commercialand military aircraft engines and industrial gas turbinesfor a customer base that includes just about every enginemanufacturer in the market. “MTU AENA’s team designs,models, and innovates—whether the job is to design a sin-gle part or a complex system, or to manage an entire pro-ject. Our company is driven by its customers’ require-ments,” Rai emphasizes. MTU AENA’s employees designindividual parts and assemblies, conduct failure analyses,undertake project management, and develop innovativerepairs. The 110 or so engineers in Connecticut have thebacking of MTU AENA’s German parent—Munich-basedMTU Aero Engines, which has a reputation for speed,flexibility and efficiency—and can draw on its expertise,something that MTU AENA’s customers greatly value.

“Clients come to us for a variety of reasons includingMTU’s reputation for providing high quality engineeringsolutions. They also approach us because they are notsatisfied with the performance of their suppliers, whichdo not meet the requirements,” explains Jonathan Leach,Managing Director, MTU Aero Engines North America.The company’s exceptional skills set it apart from otherengineering service providers. “We speak our customers’language,” as Leach puts it. “The company not only under-stands the art and science of engineering, but also thereality of other challenges: the time crunches, the cost

sensitivities, the export control requirements and thequality imperatives.”

The business that comes in is proof in itself that these arenot just empty words you might find in the usual rhetoricin glossy brochures. Take an order that came in last year,for instance. The customer was experiencing severe pro-blems with a power-generating unit. Unlike wing-mountedaircraft engines, industrial gas turbines have many ancil-lary systems and additional components, particularly fortheir feed and return ventilation airflows. These compo-nents must be flexibly connected to each other as thematerials undergo significant expansion when subjectedto the huge amounts of heat generated and the manycold starts. More importantly, this expansion occurs atdifferent rates. In this particular case the complicationswere caused by the failure of a baffle seal, a thin sheetmetal seal that bridges the gap between the turbine dif-fuser and exhaust manifold. The seal failed, requiring ad-ditional maintenance during the next unit shutdown.

The customer contracted MTU AENA’s experts to find thecause of the failure. The specialists examined the compo-nent like detectives trying to uncover clues as to whathappened and find out why it happened. They conductedmetallurgical analyses and visual inspections, both onthe defective seal and on new ones that had not yet beeninstalled. They found the answers they were looking for

With their expertise and a good bit of detective work the MTU AENA specialistswere able to track down the root cause of the problem.

42 43

by carrying out a root cause analysis (RCA), a methodthat basically involves turning the problem on its head.“We start at the end, the subject event that has createdthe need for an RCA (in this case, the baffle seal failure),and then branch out asking the question ‘why’ until weget down to the root cause of the problem, using the faulttree analysis method to determine possible causes, con-tributors, and so on,” explains RCA engineer MichaelBessette. “The resulting lab findings indicated that the sealsegments had multiple modes of failure,” adds Bessette.Mechanical testing (hardness measurements) and magni-fied visual inspection revealed that the seals were em-brittled. Increased hardness and observed material phasesin the microstructure of the seal segments contributed toreduced ductility of the seals, allowing cracks to formmore rapidly. In the end the material failed completely,“primarily because of the incredibly high temperatures andover-stress,” according to Bessette.

When the MTU AENA engineers presented their findingsto the customer, they were immediately tasked withdesigning a new baffle seal configuration based on the

insights gained from the root cause analysis. No soonersaid than done: Just under six months after the failuretree analysis was completed, the design team was readyto submit its recommended solutions to the customer.“In place of a baffle seal affixed only on the turbine sideand not the exhaust side to accommodate movement inthe surrounding structures, we proposed using a flexiblefiber-based composite material fastened on both sides todirect the hot stream of exhaust gases out the back ofthe turbine,” explains design engineer Michael Whitty.This new design is predicted not to fail as a result of theidentified failure modes. Plans are to install the first ofthese new seals for the customer in the latter half of2014. This, of course, will not be the last case the RockyHill detectives will have to solve, that is for certain.

Root cause analysis Root cause analysis (RCA) is a widely used prob-lem-solving method to identify issues and theirroot cause(s). It is a recognized tool for continu-ous improvement in any scenario. MTU AENAuses various software tools for conductingRCAs, and puts together interdisciplinary teamsfor each case who meet to brainstorm the prob-lem. When carrying out an RCA, the most impor-tant question to keep asking is “why”. In pursuitof their answers, the teams dig deeper anddeeper into the issue until they uncover theheart of the problem.

Comparison between new and service-run distressed baffle seal segments.

Typical failure mode of baffle seal segments.

For additional information, contactNeeraj Rai+1 860 258-9735

Printed byEBERL PRINT GmbHKirchplatz 687509 Immenstadt • Germany

Contributions credited to authors do not neces-sarily reflect the opinion of the editors. We willnot be held responsible for unsolicited material.Reprinting of contributions is subject to the editors’ approval.

Geared Turbofan™ is a trademark application ofPratt & Whitney.

Masthead

EditorMTU Aero Engines AGEckhard ZangerSenior Vice President Corporate Communications and Public Affairs

Editor in chiefHeidrun Moll

Final editorMartina Vollmuth, Melanie Wolf

AddressMTU Aero Engines AGDachauer Straße 66580995 Munich • GermanyTel. +49 89 1489-3537Fax +49 89 [email protected]

Editorial staffBernd Bundschu, Denis Dilba, Achim Figgen, Silke Hansen, Daniel Hautmann, Patrick Hoeveler,Andreas Spaeth, Martina Vollmuth, Melanie Wolf

LayoutManfred Deckert Bleibtreustraße 2681479 Munich • Germany

MTU Aero EnginesFMG; Renato Serra Fonseca; Pratt &Whitney; MTU Aero EnginesMTU Aero EnginesAirbus; MTU Aero EnginesFMG; World Trade Center Amsterdam;MTU Aero EnginesRenato Serra Fonseca; Andreas Spaeth; MTU Aero EnginesAeroLogic GmbH: Uwe Schossig;MTU Aero Engines Eurofighter/Dan Kemsley; MTU Aero EnginesPratt & Whitney; Institute of ThermalTurbomachinery and MachineDynamics, Graz University of Tech-nology MTU Aero EnginesBauhaus Luftfahrt e.V.; BombardierAerospace; MTU Aero EnginesMTU Aero EnginesMTU Aero EnginesMTU Aero Engines

Photo creditsCover Page:Pages 2–3

Pages 4–5Pages 6–11Pages 12–15

Pages 16–19

Pages 20–23

Pages 24–27

Pages 28–31

Pages 32–35

Pages 36–39Pages 40–43Pages 44–45

44 45

In Brief

Again at record level in 2013

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visits MTU Aero Engines

MTU Aero Engines AG has built on the recordyear of 2012 with its business figures for2013: Revenues of Germany’s leading enginemanufacturer improved its all-time high to3,741.7 million euros. MTU generated earn-ings after tax of 232.1 million euros. Thegrowth in group revenues rose primarily dueto strong growth in the commercial enginesegment. The business drivers were theV2500 for the Airbus A320 family, theGP7000 engine that powers the Airbus A380and the GEnx engine for the Boeing 787Dreamliner and the Boeing 747-8. In the mili-tary engine business the key revenue driverwas the EJ200 Eurofighter engine. Revenuesin the commercial maintenance businessrose due to a good order situation for MROservices for the V2500.

And future growth is guaranteed. MTU’sorder backlog equates to a production work-load of around three years. But not onlyrevenue grew in 2013; the number of em-ployees increased as well. Currently about8,700 people are working for the MTU Group.Particularly the capacities at the Hannover,Vancouver and Munich locations were in-creased. MTU wants to be prepared for theramp-up of the geared turbofan programs,the implementation of the V2500 stake in-crease, and the expansion of the global main-tenance business.

In March 2014, Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper paid a visit to MTUAero Engines in Munich. On his trip, Harper was accompanied by Ed Fast,Minister of International Trade. The guests were welcomed by MTU ChiefExecutive Officer Reiner Winkler, Chief Operating Officer Dr. Rainer Martensand MTU Maintenance President Dr. Stefan Weingartner. The talks focused onMTU’s business relations with Canada and its investments in the Canadianmarket. Munich, Germany-based MTU operates a maintenance company inCanada’s Vancouver, British Columbia, which has a workforce of more than400 employees. On a tour of the company, Harper and his delegation wereguided through MTU’s highly advanced production shop for blisks. One of theapplications for these components is the PW1500G engine to power Canadianaircraft manufacturer Bombardier’s CSeries jets. MTU supplies the parts forthe PW1500G engines to its partner, Pratt & Whitney Canada in Montréal.

MTU Aero Engines

Revenuesof which OEM business

of which commercial engine businessof which military engine business

of which commercial MRO businessEBIT (calculated on a comparable basis)

of which OEM businessof which commercial MRO business

EBIT margin (calculated on a comparable basis)for OEM businessfor commercial MRO business

Net income (calculated on a comparable basis)Net income (reported)Earnings per share (undiluted, reported)Free cash flowResearch and development expenditure

of which company-funded R&Dof which outside-funded R&DDevelopment costs recognized as expense

Capital expenditure on property, plant andequipment

Order backlogof which OEM businessof which commercial MRO business

Employees

2012

3,378.62,106.41,603.1

503.31,305.7

375.2264.1113.6

11.1 %12.5 %

8.7 %234.0174.8

3.45 €85.7

241.4160.7

80.7113.0

99.4

Dec. 31,12

11,479.65,640.45,839.2

8,541

2013

3,741.72,392.01,891.3

500.71,381.8

377.3263.9113.0

10.1 %11.0 %

8.2 %232.1172.4

3.39 €83.0

193.2142.8

50.493.292.4

Dec. 31,13

10,745.55,403.65,341.9

8,695

Change

+ 10.7 %+ 13.6 %+ 18.0 %

- 0.5 %+ 5.8 %+ 0.6 %- 0.1 %- 0.5 %

- 0.8 %- 1.4 %- 1.7 %- 3.2 %

- 20.0 %- 11.1 %- 37.5 %- 17.5 %

- 7.0 %

Change

- 6.4 %- 4.2 %- 8.5 %

+ 1.8 %

MTU Aero Engines—Key financial data for 2013(Figures quoted in € million, calculated on a comparable basis. Statements prepared in accordance with IFRSs)

Ed Fast, Reiner Winkler, Stephen Harper, Dr. Stefan Weingartner, Dr. Rainer Martens. (from left to right)

An investment into the future:the new logistics center

A technology leader in brush seals

Project manager Nicola Dambowy and Chief OperatingOfficer Dr. Rainer Martens, pictured here laying the foun-dation stone for the new logistics center at MTU in Munich.

It’s a simple concept with a big impact: More than 30 years ago, MTU Aero Enginesset out to develop its first brush seal. Today MTU has established itself as a globalleader in the field.

The idea behind the technology of these innovative components is as simple as it isbrilliant: The construction typically includes thousands of thin bristles forming a veryflexible seal which continuously adapts to the moving surface to be sealed. This way,brush seals clearly outperform conventional sealing systems, such as labyrinth seals.MTU’s brush seals reduce leakages by up to 90 percent, which boosts the perfor-mance of the engine or gas turbine. Every increase in efficiency improves the eco-effi-

ciency of a propulsion system, result-ing in lower fuel consumption and re-duced CO2 emissions. Take a single-aisle aircraft, for example. The inno-vative seals will save around onepercent of the, say, 20,000 tons ofkerosene the jet typically burnsevery year—and that is the equiva-lent of the amount of fuel carried byten tank trucks with a capacity of 20tons each. Moreover, CO2 emissionsare reduced by the same percentageas fuel consumption.

Suitable for a wide variety of applications: MTU’sbrush seals.

The newly built blisk productionshop—one of the most advancedof its kind in the world—was in-augurated at MTU’s headquartersin April 2013. Barely a year later,Germany’s largest engine manu-facturer has embarked on thenext major construction project.In late March 2014, the founda-tion stone for a new logistics cen-ter was laid. From January 2015on, the two-story building with asurface area of 4,400 squaremeters will accommodate 115employees from goods receiving, customs & foreign trade and receiving inspection,concentrating the logistics activities in the center.

The construction of the logistics center is part of the company’s growth strategy. Theramp-up of the new engine programs poses tremendous challenges for logistics at thecompany’s Munich plant. The greater the number of modules produced and of ship-ments made to customers, the greater, of course, the number of parts that need tobe moved through goods receiving, production, assembly and dispatch. By the year2016, the company will see a marked increase in volumes—by about 28 percent. Thisincrease is primarily attributable to the production ramp-up of the new GTF programsand of the TP400, the engine powering the A400M military transport aircraft. The aimis for the parts received to pass through the processes in the logistics center moreeffectively and efficiently.

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