Ried / FACC's role in the sixth generation of the Trent family of engines has marked an important milestone: The Austrian aerospace supplier started series production of the innovative engine composites on the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB powerplant, designed specifically for the Airbus A350 XWB family of aircraft.

This milestone underscores ongoing progress at FACC’s Engine & Nacelles division that delivered the first fan track liner, the last of the four engine components of the total contract package, to Rolls-Royce on time last week. FACC is responsible for development and production of the engine composites as part of a life-of-program contract for the new Trent XWB engine – a fuel efficient power system that entered service at the end of 2014, following delivery of the first Airbus A350 XWB to launch customer Qatar Airways.

“I would like to add my thanks for this excellent team effort. Well done to all involved and thanks for the high focus this has received. I feel confident as we now look forward to the ramp-up,” said Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce Executive Vice President Fans & Compressors.

Rolls-Royce had awarded the contract in 2012. According to the current state of the engine orders, it envisages a total order volume of approximately 300 million US$ and deliveries at least up to the year 2028. The start of series production of the Trent XWB engine composite components marks the successful conclusion of many years of research and development by FACC.

“The schedule for this project was challenging. The timely start of series production of the engine components for the Trent XWB powerplant is a major step by FACC of demonstrating its commitment to adding value to the program,” said Walter Stephan, Chief Executive Officer of FACC. “It is now time to make every effort to ensure component deliveries at the steadily increasing production rates.” Once the program reaches full rate production in 2017, FACC will support the Trent XWB assembly line by delivering four shipments of engine composites per week.

Engine composites: lighter, quieter, yet still high strength

The engine composites order package from Rolls-Royce contains four different engine components:

The fan track liners are linings in the fan casing, which fulfill three main functions: Firstly, they form a contact seal with the engine blades, preventing turbulence and thereby significantly influencing engine performance. Secondly, they absorb the energy of impacting hailstones and chunks of ice. Furthermore, the high-strength carbon parts play an important role in containing damage in the event of theoretical blade failure.

The rear case liners are sound-absorbing linings. Lining the engine with acoustic panels makes it possible to comply with the strict regulatory noise emission limits. At the same time, use of composite technology contributes to achieving effective noise insulation with only minimal additional weight and unvaryingly high strength.

In addition, FACC manufactures bifurcation fairings and anti-fluid panels. With their special properties and thanks to specific manufacturing technologies, the FACC engine composites set standards in terms of weight, acoustics, and aerodynamics, thereby making an important contribution to higher efficiency and better environmental compatibility of the new Trent XWB engine family.

15 years of Rolls-Royce – FACC collaboration

"The assemblies developed in close cooperation with the customer, coupled with an increased proportion of composite components in the overall weight of the new Trent XWB compared with conventional engines, represent a substantial basis for further expansion of the business relationship between FACC and Rolls-Royce," says Robert Braunsberger, Vice President of the Engines & Nacelles division.

In fact, the two companies are this year celebrating the fifteen-year existence of their partnership in the development and production of engine composites. Orders exist for every single one of the Rolls-Royce civil jet engines currently being built, including all applications for wide-body aircraft, such as the Boeing 787, Airbus A350 XWB, A380, and A330, as well as for various business jets.