Ground Vortex–Limit to Engine/Reverser Operation

It has been commonly accepted that engine stalls during reverser operation are caused by the temperature distortion created by reingested exhaust gasses. Recent studies have shown that compressors respond to instantaneous inlet distortions of a time duration on the order of one engine revolution. This paper describes the results of a test of a high bypass ratio engine during reverse thrust operation which revealed, through the use of high response temperature and pressure measurement, that instantaneous distortions caused by an induced ground vortex were the cause of engine stalls.