F414-EPE/EDE

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Alfa_Particle

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Came across this photo a few days ago:
1764688114780.jpg

It kinda reawakened my curiosity regarding the F414's potential. Anyone got any materials on these two F414 enhanced proposals? Wikipedia claims that the EDE has one less HPC stage (3-6-1-1 instead of 3-7-1-1) but I can't seem to find a good source on this (honestly, looking at all the parts that the EDE would've overhauled it kinda just gave the vibe that GE designed a whole new engine under the F414 label lol). Credibility aside, I wonder if that's true for the EPE too.

I remember reading about them in the F110-EPE thread but it looks like there really isn't much information about these two...
 
Bigger inlet area by smaller shaft nosecone like on the IHI-XF9, better designed fan, compressor and turbine blades, e.g. forward swept blade tips and all blisk design.

The F414-400 fan has one non-blisk stage and 4 non-blisk HPC stages. Also better generation(s) of SX alloys for the turbine blades. Lots of room for improvement.
 
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Waterballoon said:
Bigger inlet area by smaller shaft nosecone like on the IHI-XF9, Better designed fan, compressor and turbine blades, e.g. forward swept fan+compressor blades and all blisk design.

The F414-400 fan has one non-blisk stage and 4 non-blisk HPC stages. Also better generation(s) of SX alloys for the turbine blades. Lots of room for improvement.
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Of course, but what I'm wonder here are the *specifics* in how GE improved it. I've heard that blings are one of them much like the EJ270.

For a forward-swept fan... I'm still not convinced that it can hit a balance between costs and benefits. The materials required to cope with the aeroelastic instability can't be inexpensive and last thing you want in an aeroengine is another source for flutters. For it it work you'll need thicker airfoils and/or composites, etc. etc.

And as for the XF9-1... Let's not mention that poorly designed "thing."
 
I've always thought it a shame the USN did not pursue this development. Seems like it should have been a no-brainer considering how the Super Hornet is, for better or worse, the backbone of naval aviation and will continue to be for the immediate future.
 
I'm pretty sure the F414 has set the all-time record for the longest time in service US fighter engine without an in-service thrust upgrade. What's worse is the Super Hornet's major drag issues demand that extra 20% thrust bump. There's really no legitimate excuse for the Navy's for refusal to incorporate the EPE. But one could also say the same about the F401.
 
SCAT-15F said:
I'm pretty sure the F414 has set the all-time record for the longest time in service US fighter engine without an in-service thrust upgrade. What's worse is the Super Hornet's major drag issues demand that extra 20% thrust bump. There's really no legitimate excuse for the Navy's for refusal to incorporate the EPE. But one could also say the same about the F401.
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The Navy decided they'd rather have the improved durability than the improved thrust.

I don't think they made the correct choice, but they did have a reason for the decision.
 
There was a story that The War Zone did about the how the navy was trying to improve the Super Hornet's range. What was interesting was not the story itself, but some of the comments regarding the F414 being a weak spot. Attached are the relevant responses regarding the engine.
 

Attachments

  • F414 Engine Info.pdf
    42.2 KB · Views: 73
does the F414-EPE fan or compressor applied with casing treatment?
 
XCC said:
does the F414-EPE fan or compressor applied with casing treatment?
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The completely new 2-stage fan? I think it might have circumferential grooves (based on this low quality pic). The old fan/improved fan? I'm not sure, for the current F414 the first stage seems to only use twisted IGV, I don't know about the 2nd stage. The F110/F404 (if they aren't too different besides the scale) 2nd stage has circumferential grooves, the first stage IGV and no visible CT.
 

Attachments

  • Enhanced F414 Engine Prepares for Tests, Kandebo 2004-01-05.jpg
    Enhanced F414 Engine Prepares for Tests, Kandebo 2004-01-05.jpg
    20.6 KB · Views: 36

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