Dunlop Precision seals breakthrough at Pratt & Whitney
Dunlop Precision seals breakthrough at Pratt & WhitneyKeywords: Dunlop Precision Rubber,Sealing
Dunlop Precision Rubber of Leicestershire, UK reports that it has won its first contract with Pratt & Whitney. Under the contract, Dunlop Precision will supply four different seals for Pratt & Whitney's latest engine, PW6000(Plate 12), chosen by Airbus Industrie as a power option for its latest addition to the Airbus range, the A318.
The Dunlop Precision seals are composite fabrications of silicone rubber reinforced with glass fabrics and are designed to resist extremes of temperature without loss of performance throughout a long service life. Seals of this type will reportedly continue to provide an effective fire barrier even when the polymer layer has burned away. In FAR tests they are said to have proved capable of withstanding 1,100°C (2,000°F) for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Plate 12Pratt & Whitney's latest engine, PW6000, will use four different Dunlop Precision seals
Dunlop is supplying the seals in kit form, complete with metal inserts and fasteners. Three of the seals are mid-stage bleed seals and the other a buffer cooler seal. All are annular units with shaped profiles.
According to Pratt & Whitney the PW6000 engine offers 16,000 to 24,000lb thrust and incorporates advances in aerodynamics, materials and electronic control technology to achieve high levels of efficiency with fewer parts than other engines. This, it is thought, will result in improved reliability and lower operation and maintenance costs.
The A318 is a 100 seater, single-aisle aircraft designed for domestic and regional markets and scheduled to enter service by late 2002. Seven of the first nine customers for the first 100 A318 aircraft have chosen the PW6000 to power it. These include the International Lease Finance Corp., British Airways,America West Airlines, Egyptair and Frontier Airlines.
Further details are available from Dunlop Precision Rubber. Tel: +44 (0) 1509 500000; Fax: +44 (0) 1509 500150; Web site: www.dunlop-precision.co.uk
