The LEAP – leading edge aviation propulsion – engine was launched by CFM International in 2008, to power the next generation of single-aisle commercial jets.
RTI will be a major supplier of Snecma’s TiAl requirements for the production of LEAP engine low-pressure turbine blades, for which mass production is starting from 2016.
“We are very pleased to welcome RTI to our supplier partner team which is committed to meeting the challenge of producing the technologically-advanced LEAP engine at the same record production rates as it predecessor, the CFM56, with 1,800 expected to be produced in 2019,” said Etienne Galan, Purchasing Vice President at Snecma.
New-generation material
“Industrializing the TiAl alloy has been an area of focus of RTI’s Advanced Innovation and Technology team for a number of years,” said Dawne Hickton, vice chair, president and CEO of RTI. “Depending on the ultimate number and timing of aircraft and engine deliveries, RTI anticipates total revenues in excess of US$100 million.”
The TiAl alloy is a new-generation material with outstanding qualities. Able to withstand very high temperatures, its use will substantially reduce the weight of a low-pressure turbine blade compared with nickel-based alloy materials traditionally used in their production. As part of the new LEAP engine, this alloy will be used for the first time on a single-aisle commercial jet.
