FTT – ENGINEERING CAPABILITIES

Fully Developed and Calibrated Design and Analysis System

FTT’s experience base provides the unique ability to confidently design, test, and develop turbomachinery. Customer satisfaction is outstanding, and FTT’s superior skill levels have given the customer confidence in the execution of all phases of product design. FTT’s ability to apply lessons learned and work with customer requirements has proven FTT’s versatility and value. Implementing standard design practices, conducting laboratory verification testing, and monitoring hardware in service has allowed FTT to calibrate and validate internally developed design and analysis systems. Additionally, FTT’s technical team has significant experience with a variety of analytical tools, including customer-supplied programs, and commercially available analytical tools. The FTT team routinely upgrades and customizes the suite of analytical tools to allow for integrated computing and design efficiency.

FTT’s Technical Disciplines and Integrated Product Team Approach

A well-balanced technical discipline mix exists at FTT, enabling full execution of all phases of product design and development. A strong growth history since 1998 provides FTT with a solid engineering team capable of performing all aspects of component and systems design, development, and validation. Specific technical disciplines include: systems engineering, aerodynamics, heat transfer, secondary flow, mechanical design, structural analysis, computer modeling, manufacturing support, lab testing, instrumentation, rig design and assembly, and program management. FTT’s efficient engineering organization adheres to the integrated product development philosophy, progressing through conceptual design, detailed design, analysis, computer modeling, manufacturing support, component and systems validation testing, and product and field support. A brief description of each technical discipline follows:

Systems Engineering and Analysis

FTT has experience in developing new products, analyzing existing engine cycles and performance capabilities, and conducting component matching and overall systems optimization studies. Analytical modeling capability includes NASA NPSS, TECAP, and GATECYCLE as well as in-house codes.

Aerodynamic Design and Analysis

An experienced and highly recognized aerodynamic design team provides FTT a competitive edge in the design and analysis of gas turbine compressors and turbines and air vehicle inlets and exhausts. Extensive experience exists in all aspects of aerodynamic design, particularly with airfoils, flowpaths, and cavities/ducts. FTT’s aerodynamic team has been recognized by the U.S. Government and commercial customers as being extremely capable of executing advanced aerodynamic component and system designs. The FTT aerodynamic design team has experience in many engine programs, including those with aggressive requirements specific to advanced military and commercial applications. Many aerodynamic designs by FTT engineers have been demonstrated and validated at various government and commercial test facilities. Analytical tools include calibrated 1D meanline design and off-design codes, 2D thruflow, airfoil profile design, and 3D steady and unsteady codes (Corsair, Fluent, TASCFlow, CFX-5, ICEMCFD).

Heat Transfer and Secondary Flow

Advanced turbine airfoil cooling schemes, high effectiveness edge cooling designs, and effective heat exchangers are FTT's premier capability. FTT engineers have many decades of experience in turbine blade and vane and combustor internal cooling design. Further expertise in secondary flow analysis, sealing and leakage reduction, and active/passive tip clearance management and analysis are among FTT's most recognizable assets. Advanced turbine cooling concepts have been designed, fabricated, and tested in rigs and engines to validate designs. In particular, FTT engineers have experience in the execution of turbine cooling designs, recognized in the industry that evolved from requirements of advanced commercial and military aeroengine programs. Analytical codes used in heat transfer and secondary flow include Easy5, GFSSP, ANSYS, and SCO3, as well as CFD and in-house codes.

Structural Analysis

A strong team of experienced structural analysts represents another area where FTT leads the competition. The structures group has extensive background in analyzing a variety of engine and air vehicle components and assemblies under typical and atypical loading conditions. Fans, compressors, diffusers, combustors, turbines, nozzles, augmenters, ducts, inlets, exhausts, bearing compartments, and mechanical components have been evaluated by FTT structural analysts. Rotors, blades, vanes, frames, shafts, ducts, airseals, and full engines have been modeled under static, vibratory, and maneuver conditions. Low cycle and high cycle fatigue and crack growth models are routinely used to evaluate a structure. Isothermal and isostatic loading, as well as time-varying thermal and mechanical loading profiles are routinely applied to structural models. Steady state and dynamic analyses have been fully validated via component and engine testing. FTT’s engineers have many years of experience in supporting full engine testing to validate analytical predictions and have actively participated in the engine test program to monitor instrumentation and engine performance parameters during testing. Dynamic analyses, forced response and acoustic excitation are areas where FTT’s analysts have many years of experience. A full-engine 3D finite element model with over 3 million degrees of freedom was created and validated through engine test, and the model verified design parameters such as rotor tip clearances and overall engine stiffness. Numerous structural analysis codes are used at FTT, including ANSYS, NASTRAN, ABAQUS, SCO3, NASGRO, Franc3D, and LSDyna.

Mechanical Design, Modeling, and Manufacturing Support

Comprehensive mechanical design capability exists at FTT. The majority of FTT’s experience involves gas turbine turbomachinery, including fans, compressors, combustors, turbines, exhaust systems, sumps, and mechanical components for both rotating and stationary hardware, which have been designed and developed by FTT engineers. FTT has also been diversifying its product line to include particle separators, advanced materials and coating durability test rigs. Advanced materials, such as composites, coatings, and single crystal alloys, have been utilized in many of these designs. With a rigorous Chief Engineers design review process, vast experience, and versatile and creative engineers, FTT can confidently execute the design of a variety of products

Engineering Management Experience

With experience in managing fans, compressors, turbines, mechanical components, augmenters, nozzles, and systems groups, FTT’s management group is responsible for all phases of turbine design and development. Technical disciplines, overall projects, the Chief Engineer’s office, security, export control, and facilities are managed and supervised by a highly qualified group of individuals with many years of experience. All are highly regarded by the customers for their innovation, attention to detail, technical expertise, and individual and team contributions to the advancement of gas turbine design and development.