Rolls-Royce RB529 Contrafan

High-thrust aircraft engine proposed by Rolls-Royce in the 1980s

The Rolls-Royce RB529 Contrafan was a high-thrust aircraft engine proposed by Rolls-Royce in the 1980s to power long-range wide-body airliners.

Development and design

The Contrafan was designed to power the four-engine Boeing 747 at a cruise speed of Mach 0.9. Like the General Electric Unducted Fan (UDF), the RB529 would have direct-drive contra-rotating fans in pusher configuration, and it would have variable pitch fan blades that were capable of reverse thrust. But a cowl would surround the fans of the engine, unlike the UDF.

The RB529 would have an engine core that was similar in size to the Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4,^[1] a 40,100-pound-force thrust (178 kN; 18,200 kgf) turbofan engine that was used to power the Boeing 757 narrow-body airliner.^[2]

Specifications

Data from Flight International, 6 September 1986, pp. 3-4^[1]

General characteristics

Type: Contra-rotating, pusher configuration ducted fan
Length:
Diameter: 140 in (3.6 m)
Dry weight:

Components

Compressor:

Performance

Maximum thrust: 270 kN (27,000 kgf; 60,000 lbf)
Bypass ratio: 15.6

References

^ ^a ^b "R-R unveils the future". Farnborough First News. Flight International. September 6, 1986. pp. 3–4. ISSN 0015-3710. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014.
^ Allen, Roy (May 1987). "Rolls focuses on existing programs: Contrafan and Propfan get less emphasis". Powerplants. Airline Executive. Vol. 11, no. 5. p. 28. ISSN 0278-6702.

Bibliography

Banks, Howard (29 May 1989). Slutsker, Gary (ed.). "Denver to Seoul, nonstop: The world is about to get even smaller, thanks to a new generation of jet engines that will fly planes farther on less fuel". Forbes. Vol. 143, no. 11. pp. 284, 288. ISSN 0015-6914.
Allen, Roy (October 1986). "Farnborough '86: The intensity of competition was apparent at Farnborough, yet high costs are forcing more cooperative efforts throughout the industry". Airline Executive. Vol. 10, no. 10. pp. 30–34. ISSN 0278-6702.
Townsend, Edward (September 1, 1986). "Jet engine to cut fuel consumption by 25%". Business and Finance. The Times. No. 62551. p. 17. ISSN 0140-0460.
Allen, Roy (May 1986). "Contrafan: The hot prospect for Rolls-Royce?". Airline Executive. Vol. 10, no. 5. pp. 32–34. ISSN 0278-6702.