79 ...

GT-·164

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'

(
j
The Growth and Evolution of the TPE331

J-P. FRIGNAC

Chief Engineer,
Aircraft Propulsion Engines

E. J. PRIVOZNIK

Project Engineer

AiResearch Mfg. Co.,

Division of Garrett Corp,,
Phoenix, Ariz.

This paper describes the evolution of the Garrett-AiResearch TPE331 turboprop engine. It
discusses the reasoning behind the original design and describes the subsequent growth of
the engine from 575 to 1040 hp within the same engine frame size. The performance of the
various models and the design features that provided minimum fuel consumption and
maximum reliability are also discussed.

Contributed by the Gas Turbine Division of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers for
presentation at the Gas Turbine Conference & Exhibit & Solar Energy Conference, San Diego, Calif.,
March 12-15, 1979. Manuscript received at ASME Headquarters January 3, 1979.

Copies will be available until December 1, 1979.

N SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS, UNITED ENGINEERING CENTER, 345 EAST 47th STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10017

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 The Growth and Evolution of the TP 331

J-P. FRIGNAC E. J. PRIVOZNIK

w
WI
h

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ABSTRACT (d) Design an engine frame with ii
minimum frontal area. fl
This paper describes the evolution wl
of the Garrett-AiResearch TPE331 turbo­ (e) Configure the engine for easy h<
prop engine. It discusses the reasoning installation and maintenance in
behind the original design and describes a variety of aircraft.
the subsequent growth of the engine from w:
575 to 1040 horsepower within the same In 1961, the power section success­ b<
engine frame size. The performance of the fully completed its first run and was thus hi
various models and the design features ready when, in the fall of 1962, the Vi
that provided minimum fuel consumption requirements for a counterinsurgency Uf
and maximum reliability are also dis­ (COIN) aircraft indicated a need for a dj
cussed. turboprop of this approximate size. re
Encouraged by the successful operation of Cc
INTRODUCTION early civil engines in various installa­ ir
tions, the company decided to prepare a
The Garrett-AiResearch TPE331 turbo­ version of the engine for the COIN appli­
prop engine is an excellent example of how cation. This effort started with a 575- ac
a good basic design can foster continued shp engine (ultimately uprated to 715 de
development and diversification. This shp) with a very successful basic design. le
engine evolved from a blend of military It was this engine that evolved over the cc
and civil requirements over the last years into the TPE331 Century series. (See be
twenty years, and during that time it has Figure 1.) gr
almost doubled in shaft horsepower while un
keeping exactly the same frame size. Such ai
an evolution is possible ohly with a care­ in
fully planned original design. This na
paper will describe how subsequent models ei
were able to improve on it. tb
ex
ORIGINAL DESIGN ti

The history of the TPE331 started in

September, 1959, when AiResearch
initiated the advanced design and
development of the power section. It was
intended to be a 400 shp engine, but the
concept included important design pro­
visions for a growth potential to at least
700 shp. The governing concept on which
the criteria were based was that this
should be a turboprop engine for fixed­ Figure 1. The TPE331 Engine.
wing aircraft. The following design
eriter ia were used in selecting the
engine configuration:
Selection of Air Inlet
A key decision was the selection of
the engine air inlet. The objective was
(a) Establish a frame size with to choose an engine inlet that would
good growth capability. satisfy the requirements of the power
section (including future growth) and
(b) Minimize inlet and exhaust that would be compatible with any pro­
losses. posed airframe installation. The engine
inlet, combined with the airframe inlet
(c) Develop basic aerodynamic com­ provided by the aircraft manufacturer, SC<
ponents for high specific power had to form an efficient overall inlet or j
and low specific fuel consump­ system with minimum pressure loss and wa:
tion. distortion.

'2

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+• �
considered.
vecal altecnate engine inlets wece
A simple
arou nd the outer diameter of the engine.
annular inlet
the inlet
oil
(see Figure 1) , heat from the
anti-ices
much of the engine inlet
thus minimizing the bleed air required
for anti-icing. The scoop inlet also
1 !as disca�ded bec�use the plenum.connect-
ing the airframe inlet to the engine inlet reduces the inlet area in the airframe
1
that requires anti-icing, thus reducing
I wou ld require a large area ratio, result­
ing in diffusion losses. Another type, a the airframer's burden of certificating
l circular inlet facing forward around the the inlet system for snow and super­
! prop eller spinner, resulted in a very cooled water ingestion.
I narr ow channel height which not only
\1. would have ·increased inlet losses but
would cause unacceptable distortion at
high angles of attack.

The most attractive engine inlet

configuration was the scoop type, as
OVER-WING INSTALLATION
shown in Figure 1, which provided an
acceptable inlet channel height, mini­
mized aircraft ducting requirements, and
incorporated a controlled area reduction
from the engine inlet to the compressor
which was built right into the gearbox
housing.
UNDER-WING INSTALLATION

Airframe inlets which are compatible Figure 3. TPE331 Typical Installations.

with this engine inlet have been tested
both statically and in flight. Results
have shown total pressure recoveries Gearbox Selection
varying between 0.995 and 1.00 depending It was decided that the propeller
upon the operating conditions, with low speed was to be 2000 rpm based on prelimi­
distortion characteristics. The added nary analysis for a 500- to 600-shp engine
ram effect of the propeller has in some with acceptable tip speeds. Two stages of
cases resulted in pressure recoveries reduction were obviously needed to accom­
increasing to 1.007. plish the necessary ratio of the turbine­
shaft-to-propeller speed. After review­
The original engine design had the ing two-stage planetary sets and combina­
added capability of being turned upside tions of spur gear and planetary, the
down so that the scoop inlet could be decision was made to use a combination
located on the top (see Figure 2) . In the spur gear and single-stage planetary gear
COIN aircraft, this enabled the inlet to set. The principal advantage was that the
be placed at a greater distance from the offset gearbox resulting from this design
ground, thus minimizing FOD problems on was complementary to the scoop inlet
unprepared landing strips. From the described above. However numerous other
airframer's standpoint, the inlet-up/ advantages existed that fortified this
inlet-down choice permitted an optimum choice of gearing.
nacelle profile with the engine mounted
either above the wing with exhaust over One benefit was that the spur gear
the to�, or below the wing with the offset provided a convenient area on the
exhaust underneath. Typical installa­ back face of the gearbox to mount the
tions are shown in Figure 3. accessories (see Figure 2) . The fuel­
pump/fuel-control combination, hydraulic
pump pad, standard configuration tachom­
eter generator, and the starter generator
were all placed in that location, thus
minimizing frontal area. An additional
advantage in maintaining a small frontal
area was that the engine mounts could also
be located on the back face of the gearbox
and remain "invisible" from the front
view, allowing the airframe manufacturer
to use lhe smallest nacelle diameter
possible. Finally, the spur gear offset
allowed space behind ·the propeller to
mount the propeller pitch control with
the beta tube extending through the pro­
peller shaft to the rear of.the gear case.
All these design decisions resulted in a
PROPELLER SHAFT
remarkably compact silhouette meeting one
of the original criteria--minimal
Figure 2. TPE331 Components. frontal area--that had been established
for this engine.
1
A fourth mount was added to the turbine
Several other advantag�s to the plenum in order to �aintain a statically
sco op inlet were apparent during the determinate system 1n the event of
or iginal selection process. Because a failure of one of the three primary
Wall of the gear box forms a portior1 of mounts.
3

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 One advantage inherent in the choice fugal compressor, making the TPE331 Fi•
of the planetary gear set helped meet the resistant to FOO damage and erosion, lo<
requirement in military aircraft to have while the two stages provided the pres­ b11<
the two propellers in a twin-engine air­ sure ratio and efficiency required to spi
craft turn in opposite directions. A meet the design goal of higher specific v ic

relatively minor modification of ma king power. Installed performance degradation Ci E

the ring gear stationary instead of the in icing conditions was also less severe tic
planetary gears provided the desired since no inertial separator was required. f le
rotation. Later in the development of This in turn reduced the weight and com­ div
the engine, this planetary gear set per­ plexity of the airfame inlet systems. ace
mitted a reduction in the output shaft giz
speed without affecting the engine frame The original turboprop two-stage hig
size or configuration. compressor had a target performance of
5. 8 lb/sec and a pressure ratio of 8.3.
Once the basic gearbox design had The machined titanium impellers were fix
been selected, a number of beneficial radially bladed, and the second stage had out
features were added to it. The gearbox splitter blades. The crossover duct, whe
housing itself was made of magnesium to including the first-stage diffuser, (see fre
minimize weight. Inside the gearbox, Figure 4) was fabricated from 8 tubes sho
gerotor pumps were selected for lubrica­ individually shaped to rectangular ducts fix
tion and scavenging because of their and welded together. The second-stage ist
small size and high altitude pumping diffuser was a conventional vane-island the
capacity. It was also planned to run the type with bolts through the vanes for sha
gear case with a negative pressure by structural support. Although consider­ men
using carbon face seals in the power sec­ able fabrication development took place pow1
tion and restricting the ambient vent to on the crossover duct, this basic con­ aro1
the gear case. The negative pressure figuration carried through to production. sine
resulted in a reduced sensitivity to max:
leakage from split lines, shaft seals and CROSSOVER The
DUCT SECOND-STAGE
gaskets. COMPRESSOR
cha1
FIRST-STAGE
COMPRESSOR
craJ
be cc
Torque measurement was also an ori­ norn
ginal requirement. Several methods were dras
examined including sensing the reaction
of the planetary ring gear and ring gear
carrier, but the sensing of the torsion shoe
shaft twist was ·finally selected because the
of its simplicity, low weight, and small the
size. The torsion shaft extends through TPE3
the center of the rotating group and sens
transmits the torque to the gearbox. The with
hydraulic torque sensor converts this hyclr
mechanical twist to a hydraulic signal pell
1040 SHP ENGINE
which is proportional to torque. neg a
Figure 4. Compressor Cross Section. l er :
Power Section Selection mum
It was in the area of power section i n it
selection that the broad experience of Combustor Design. A reverse-flow
AiResearch became most useful. Even dur­ annular combustor was chosen as best sat­
ing the development of the TPE331 in the isfying the design objectives. It could sing:
early sixties, the company had achieved utilize the space surrounding the turbine two-l
an impressive record. For 17 years assembly and still fit within the outer grou1
AiResearch had been manufacturing engines diameter of the diffuser for the second­ speec
for auxiliary power units and stationary stage compressor (see Figure 2) . This poter
power plants. arrangement enabled close coupling of the ing I

compressor and turbine, thus preserving a

This wide diversification in turbo­ compact engine size. It also satisfied
�
machinery product lines resulted in a the criterion of easy installation and
valuable interchange of gas turbine tech­ maintenance by permitting removal of the posec
nology. Many of the propulsion engines entire combustion system for inspection eng ir
used advanced component technologies without disturbing the rotating assembly ler <
which were originally conceived for and by providing good "accessibility to and ·

AiResearch secondary-power gas turbines. the fuel atomizers for periodic main­ ThesE
During the early years of the TPE33l's tenance. In addition, the cross­ trol�
development, the interchange of knowledge sectional area available for combustion speec
was very evident in the development of the was sufficiently large to allow relati­ basic
compressor, turbine, and combustor. vely low velocities and, consequently, a a nd t
low-pressure-loss system in spite of the
Compressor Design. Past experience reverse-flow gas path.
was especially useful in the selection of Pilot
a compressor. In the field of auxiliary The combustion system employed a angle
power units, AiResearch had developed a staged system of air-assisted, simplex fue1-
two-stage centrifugal compressor, and in atomizers for fuel injection. The main fue1
1959 it had already been successfully fuel flow was injected through 10 atom­ Prope
proven in service. This design retained izers that were located in the dome of the ti on
the rugged characteristics of the centri- combustor and sprayed axially downstream.
4

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 Five smaller capacity fuel atomizers were speeds for reverse-pitch braking on the
located through the outer wall of the com­ runway and for all ground operation.
bustor in the plane of the igniters and
sprayed in a tangential direction to pro­ Propeller-governing mode operation
vide reliable ignition and stable, effi­ provides for pilot control of engine
cient combustion at low fuel-flow condi­ power and selection of the engine speed­
tions. Fuel was scheduled to the ma in­ governing point. The propeller governor
flow atomizer by means of a common flow­ controls the propeller blade-pitch angle
divider valve. Two igniters were used to to automatically maintain constant engine
accomplish ignition. These were ener­ speed at the speed-governing point selec­
gized by a dual output, high-voltage, ted by the pilot. Propeller-governing­
high-energy condenser discharge exciter. mode operation is normally used for take­
off, climb-out and cruise conditions.
Single-Shaft Configuration. In a
fixed-wing aircraft there is no single Original Design Summary
outstanding criterion to establish
whether a single-shaft/constant-speed or The decisions that were made on this
free-turbine/variable speed arrangement engine--its gearbox, air inlet, and power
should be used. However, in terms of section--constituted the basic design
fixed-wing aircraft operating character­ philosophy that resulted in the TPE331
istics, there were distinct advantages to family of engines. Because these decis­
the single-shaft engine. The single­ ions were sound, the engine has grown from
shaft power response to throttle move­ its initial concept of 400 shp and the
ments resulted in virtually instantaneous first production engine of 575 shp to
power recovery in the event of a go­ today's 1040 shp-- all in the same frame
around; and on an aborted ta ke-off, a size.
single-shaft engine could rapidly secure
maximum reverse thrust for added safety. GROWTH OF THE TPE331
The single-shaft engine also had the
characteristics desirable in a COIN air­ The family of engines that developed
craft of excellent STOL performance over the past twenty years was a direct
because of the capability to schedule any result of an ever-increasing requirement
normally required amount of propeller for horsepower in both the commercial and
drag for rapid, steep descents. military applications. The sequential
increases are shown in Figure 5.
For any turboprop engine, some means
should be provided to automatically limit
the drag of the. windmilling propeller in COMMERCIAL ENGINES

the event of a sudden power loss. On the

TPE331 engine, a simple mechanical device
sensed the negative torque associated TPE331-X
with this power loss and generated a
hydraulic signal that modulated the pro­ I I I I I
575 SHP 715 SHP 840 865 SHP 1000 SHP
peller blad� angle to provide a minimum

l
negative torque in�ut through the propel­
ler system. This action resulted in mini­
mum disparity in drag level during the
initial takeoff climb segment. 1040 SHP
I

In the basic engine design, the

single shaft allowed the use of a simple
two-bearing support for the rotating T76
group. Moreover, the relatively narrow
speed range made it easier to tune out any
MILITARY ENGINES
potential blade resonances in the operat­
ing range.
Figure 5. TPE331 Growth.
Power-Management System

The power-management system is com­ The progressive modifications were

posed of four major components: the especially noticeable in improvements in
engine fuel-control assembly, the propel­ the compressor. During the first
ler governor, the propeller pitch control military program, which required an
and the propeller oil-transfer tube. increase from 575 to 715 shp, a completely
These interrelated power-management con- new compressor design was developed to
are rigged to a power lever and provide the additional power. This com­
lever in the cockpit to provide two pressor had backward-cuived impeller
basi c modes of operation: the beta mode blades and used an annular 13-vaned
and the propeller governing mode. crossover duct instead of the 8-vaned
duct used previously. The design pro­
Beta-mode operation provides for vided a significant improvement in
Pilot control of propeller-blade pitch efficiency. This modified engine,
angle and selection of engine speed. The designated the T76, was in pro�uction in
-fuel-control unit automatically meters 1965 and was used in the COIN aircraft-­
fuel flow to match engine power to the the OV-lOA Bronco, manufactured by
P rop eller requirements. Beta-mode opera­ Rockwell International and used by the
tion is normally used at reduced aircraft Air Force and the Marine Corps.

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 The next step in compressor develop­
ment was in response to a need for 840 shp
1040 SHP
in the commercial aviation field. The ENGINE
desired increases in airflow and pressure
ratio were accomplished by "high-flowing"
tic
the existing design to provide an airflow
and
of 7.7 pounds per second at a pressure
eng
ratio of 10.7.
civ
-10
Figure 6 summarizes the progressive aclv
increase in airflow that allowed the upr
TPE331 Engine to grow from 575 to 840 shp. des
715 SHP
Since the gearbox scoop inlet had been ENGINE tio
originally designed with growth in mind, The
these increases in power were accom­ ful
plished with no change in the frame size. unc1
-8
to
the�
eco1
7
S ENGINE / HP ENGINE 840/1040 SH � INE
Figure 7. Turbine and Combust or
575 300
C omparis on.
12 �
0

con�
To accommodate the increased turbine -10
inlet temperature required for 1040 shp, fulJ
the first stage of the turbine (stator tu rt
vanes and rotor blades) was air cooled. incr
The basic design for the cooled turbine dyne
was patterned after the turbine in the
AiResearch TFE731 turbofan engine now
used in 14 business jets. The first-stage engi
CORRECTED AIR FLOW, Wa�t2 -LB/SEC Ta bl
"t2 stator incorporated segmented vanes with
trailing eage discharge slots for the perf
cooling air. The turbine wheel used The
Figure 6. Compressor Improvements
inserted blades, with the cooling air to show
the blades being supplied through the a re
cavity between the rotating seal plate ing
Latest Developments and the disk. (See Figure 8.) This in
The latest power increase was a arrangement resulted in minimal leakage Talil
result of the military requirement to because of the reduced diameter of the
improve the earlier 715 shp engine, used labyrinth seals. In addition, the
in the OV-lOA Bronco, to 1040 shp for the leakage through the labyrinth seals was
new, heavier OV-100. Since the airfame used to cool the disks of the second- and

I
engine provisions were the same, it was third-stage turbine wheels, thus again
again necessary to provide the increase minimizing cooling air losses. The
in the same engine frame size. rotating seal plate was also designed to
lock the blades in place, which elimi­
This 45-percent leap in horsepower nated the need for rivets or other reten­
was accomplished by changes in all three tion devices for the inserted blades.
engine elements--the compressor, the tur­
bine, and the combustor--with the main
emphasis being devoted to increasing tur­
bine efficiency and turbine inlet temper­
ature.

The necessary increase in airflow

was achieved by using the compressor from TRAILING-EDGE
PASSAGE
the 840 shp civil engine. Because of a
diametral interference from the larger
COOLING-AIR
turbine, the combustor was shortened, as
DISCHARGE
shown in Figure 7, to avoid increasing the
diameter of the engine. Using radial pins
and slots/tangs to accommodate the
thermal expansion of the stators also
provided a more compact configuration.
This shorter combustor actually reduced
overall engine length so that the
increase of 325 horsepower resulted in a COOLING-AIR
somewhat smaller engine. SOURCE

The new turbine was closely matched

aerodynamically to the compressor and was
designed for a high pressure ratio, a high
inlet temperature, and a non-free-vortex
flow. The result was optimum performance
at altitude. Figure 8. Cooled Turbine Blade.

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 As shown in Figure 5, this power sec­ Table 2. TPE33l Historical Milestones.
tion, developed for the military engine
and combined with existing commercial
engine gearboxes, resulted in four new
1959 - DEVELOPMENT START TPE331 FAMILY
civil engines designated the TPE331-8, -9,
1961 - TURBOPROP FIRST RUN
-10, and -11. In order to take maximum
advantage of the new turbine of the 1965 - FAA CERTIFICATION -575 SHP VERSION
uprated military engine, the mechanical 1967 - T76 DELIVERED TO NORTH AMERICAN FOR OV-10
design was configured to allow the inser­ - FAA CERTIFICATION OF CENTUR Y ENGINE FAMILY
tion of an uncooled first-stage turbine. 1969 - FAA CERTIFICATION OF 840 SHP ENGINE
The -8 and -9 engines are flat-rated and 1970 - FAA CERTIFICATION OF FLAT RATED 840 SHP
full-rated configurations of this ENGINE TO A TAKE-OFF RATING OF 715 SHP
uncooled turbine version. Although the 1974 - U.S. NAVY AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR GROWTH OF
-8 and -9 have a comparable power rating T76 TO 1040 SHP
to the earlier -3, -5, and -6 engines, 1975 - GARRETT A��!llOUNCES UPRATED TPE331
they have made an impressive gain in fuel - -8/-9 THERMOD YNAMIC 865 SHP
economy: at 30, 000 feet of altitude and - ·10/-11 IHERMOD YNAMIC 1000 SHP
300 KTAS, the -8 and -9 engines have a 1976 - FAA CERTIFICATION -8/-9 ENGINE
12. 5 percent improvement in cruise fuel 1977 - MILITARY CERTIFICATION T76 420/421
consumption over the earlier models. The 1978 - FAA CERTIFICATION -10 ENGINE
-10 and -11 engines are flat-rated and
full-rated configurations of the cooled­
turbine engine, which provides an
increase in power up to 1000 shp thermo­
dynamic rating.

The whole perspective of this Today the TPE331 is not only flying
engine's history can best be seen in in 50 different military and civilian
Table 1 , which shows a comparison of the aircraft but a modified version, the
performance ratings for all civil models. Model IE831, is being used for a number of
The evolution in the last 20 years has industrial applications. Design develop­
shown that this engine frame size has had ment is continuing, and it is likely that
a remar kable ability to adapt to escalat­ the aircraft propulsion field will find
ing requirements. Significant milestones increased usage for the engine for some
in the engine's history are shown in years to come--perhaps for another 20
Table 2. years.

Table 1. TPE331 Performance Ratings (Civil Engines).

MODEL I & II -1 -2 -3 -5/-6 -8 -9 -10 -11

TAKEOFF 605/575 705/6551 755/715 904/840 776/7152 755/7153 907/865 944/9004 1045/10005
{ESHP/SHP)

TH ERMODYNAMIC
RATING 605/575 755/715 755/715 904/840 904/840 907/865 907/865 1045/1000 1045/1000
(ESHP/SHP)

ESFC 0.632 0.57 0.55 0.55 0.57 0.57 0.54 0.54 0.534
{TAKEOFF)

WEIGHT 335 335 335 355 355 370 370 375 395
(APPROX)

1. TO 75°F

2. TO 92°F

3. TO 97°F

4. TO 80°F
5. AUGMENTED 1100 SHP TO T OF 86°F AT SEA LEVEL,
AM
STATIC, TAKEOFF CONDITIONS

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