General Electric T31
| T31 | |
|---|---|
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| A T31 in the Presidential Gallery of the National Museum of the United States Air Force | |
| Type | Turboprop |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | General Electric |
| First run | May 1945 |
| Major applications | Consolidated Vultee XP-81 XF2R Dark Shark |
| Number built | 28 |
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The General Electric T31 (company designation TG-100) was the first turboprop engine designed and built in the United States.
Design and development
The TG-100 benefited from the Anglo/American technology exchange with one of its designers, Glenn Warren, stating that one of the most important British contributions was the concept of multiple combustion cans.[1] The GE axial compressor design was directly influenced by NACA with their 8-stage compressor.[1] NACA had developed the theory and designed and tested the compressor.[2]
The General Electric XT31 was first used in the experimental Consolidated Vultee XP-81.[3] The XP-81 first flew in December 1945, the first aircraft to use a combination of turboprop and turbojet power.
The T31 engine was the first American turboprop engine to power an aircraft.[4] It made its initial flight in the Consolidated Vultee XP-81 on 21 December 1945. The T31 was mounted in the nose; an Allison J33 turbojet engine mounted in the rear fuselage provided added thrust. The T31 was also used on the Navy XF2R-1, similarly powered by a turboprop/turbojet engine combination. The engine was to have been flown experimentally on a Curtiss XC-113 (a converted Curtiss C-46), but the experiment was abandoned after the XC-113 was involved in a ground accident. Only 28 T31s were built; none were used in production aircraft, but improved production turboprop engines were developed from the technology pioneered by the T31.
A derivative of the T31, the General Electric TG-110, given the military designation T41, was ordered but subsequently cancelled.
Applications
Specification (XT31)
General characteristics
- Type: Turboprop
- Length:
- Diameter:
- Dry weight: 1,980 lb
Components
- Compressor:
Performance
- Maximum power output: 2,300 shp (design) at 13,000 rpm. (1,145 propeller rpm)
- Power-to-weight ratio:
See also
- Related development
- Comparable engines
- Related lists
References
- Gunston, Bill (2006). World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines, 5th Edition. Phoenix Mill, Gloucestershire, England, UK: Sutton Publishing Limited. p. 79. ISBN 0-7509-4479-X.
External links
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