Blog 19 – Third Answer

~The Pratt & Whitney PW1000G is a high-bypass geared turbofan engine family. Unlike older turbofan engines, geared turbofan engines are more fuel efficient and deliver reduced ground noise. 

1. EQ
1. How can aircraft manufacturers utilize today’s technology in order to be cost efficient?
2. Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)*\
1. Aircraft manufacturers can achieve cost efficiency with today’s technology through the use of more advanced aircraft engines, such as geared turbofan engines. Advanced aircraft engined designs like geared turbofan engines significantly increase the fuel efficiency and power output(thrust generated) of aircraft.
3. 3 details to support the answer
1. Low fuel consumption
1. Low greenhouse gas emissions
2. Compact and lightweight designs
1. Thinner/lighter nacelles as engine bypass ratio and fan diameter grow.
2. Decreases drag generated by awkward/ineffective engine designs.
3. Can be easily implemented to current aircraft systems, as engine replacements are much more simpler than entire system changes.
1. i.e. Current commercial aircraft cross section structures cannot be changed/altered because they serve as the skeleton/supporting structure.
4. The research source(s) to support your details and answer
1. Hughes, Chris. "Geared Turbofan Technology." NASA Ames Research Center, 8 Sept. 2010. Web. 02 March 2016. <http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/pdf/hughes_green_aviation_summit.pdf>.
5. Concluding Sentence
1. Although my third answer to the essential question points to an entirely new direction, I thought that it was still important because unlike my other two answers(efficient design through complex geometrical shapes and additive manufacturing), my last answer(advanced aircraft engines) is probably the most applicable/suitable option for the aerospace industry today. To explain, my third answer to the essential question is different from the first two in a sense that the first two answers can’t really address the issues that aircraft today have. It’s easy to design and create an efficient design through the use of additive manufacturing processes and complex geometrical shapes; however, it’s impossible to modify the inner structures of already existing aircraft. In other words, my first and second answer can only be used for aircraft that are yet to be manufactured. On the other hand, since my third answer deals with a more accessible part of aircraft. In most cases, it is cheaper to change an aircraft engine than to change an entire aircraft.