Rolls-Royce RB.203 Trent

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RB.203 Trent
Rolls-Royce RB.203 Trent on display at the
Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, Derby
Type Turbofan
Manufacturer Rolls-Royce Limited
First run December 1967
Major applications
Convair 660 (intended),[1]
Saab 107
(intended)

The Rolls-Royce RB.203 Trent was a British medium-bypass turbofan engine of around 10,000lb thrust designed for production in the late 1960s, bearing no relation to the earlier Rolls-Royce RB.50 Trent turboprop or the later high-bypass Rolls-Royce Trent turbofan.[2]

Design and development

The RB.203 was a private venture engine built on the core of the

Hawker Siddeley Hawk.[3] The first three-spool engine, it was intended as a civilian replacement for the earlier Rolls-Royce Spey.[4]

The RB.203 Trent was a member of an Advanced Technology Engine family of engines with thrusts covering a range from the RB.203 of just under 10,000 pounds-force (44,000 N) to the

annular combustor, the extensive use of composites throughout the low pressure compressor and engine casing, air-cooled turbine blading, squeeze-film bearings and a structurally integrated duct, the gearbox driven from the high pressure shaft and located in the nacelle.[5]

The Trent RB.203 design objectives were:

  • Lighter, more compact powerplant
  • Improved fuel consumption
  • Reduced number of parts, resulting in cheaper manufacturing costs and ease of overhaul
  • Use of established turbine entry temperatures
  • Adequate growth potential.

The engine was aimed primarily at the short-haul market as a Spey replacement. Specific fuel consumption was projected to be better than the then current engines and noise reduction was also a design feature. The Trent was expected to better FAA noise proposals by a considerable margin. Advanced components, which had between 15 years and 10 million service hours, promised long life, reduced weight, reduced vibration and a reduction in manufacturing costs.[6]

The RB203 successfully ran for the first time on 18 December 1967.

RB.211. The Trent was ordered by Fairchild Hiller to power the FH-228 short haul airliner.[8] A key technology introduced on the RB.203 Trent was its structurally integrated nacelle, also referred to as a power plant.[9][10]

Specifications

Data from Flight International.[2]

General characteristics

  • Type: Three-spool medium bypass turbofan
  • Length: 82.2 in (208.8 cm)
  • Diameter: 38.7 in (98.3 cm)
  • Dry weight: 1,751 lb (794 kg)

Components

  • Compressor: Single-stage fan, four-stage intermediate pressure, five-stage high pressure
  • Combustors: Annular chambers
  • Turbine: Single-stage high pressure, single-stage intermediate, two-stage low pressure

Performance

See also

Comparable engines

Related lists

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rolls-Royce RB.203 Trent.
  1. ^ "Convair 660". Flight International. 7 December 1967. p. 932.
  2. ^ a b "RB.203 Trent". Flight International. 4 January 1968. pp. 26–27.
  3. ^ "Commercial Aircraft Survey". Flight International. 23 November 1967. pp. 856–857.
  4. ^ "Aero Engines 1968". Flight International. 4 January 1968. p. 19.
  5. ^ Porter (2013), p. 84.
  6. ^ Porter (2013), pp. 84–86.
  7. ^ "Trent exposed". Flight International. 4 January 1968. p. 2.
  8. ^ "Fairchild Hiller F-228". Flight International. 9 February 1967. p. 195.
  9. ISBN 978-1445606491
    .
  10. ^ "Trent powerplant pod". Flight International. 4 January 1968. p. 7.
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