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This paper describes the installed performance potential for a recently patented new design concept for a variable pitch composite fan blade 1,2. The unique characteristic of this design is the compactness and light weight of the assembly of fan plus variable pitch mechanism. This design enables turbofan engine cycles with higher propulsive efficiency that previously were not viable due to high installation weight and performance penalties. As part of its mandate to support new technology that improves fuel efficiency, the Connecticut Coalition for the Advancement of Technology (CCAT) sponsored a study to quantify the potential savings. A comparison is made between a current high bypass ratio engine and an advanced very high bypass ratio engine both configured to deliver approximately 30,000 lbs of thrust at the sea level static takeoff (SLTO) power setting. These engines are evaluated to determine the installed thrust and fuel consumption characteristics over the full spectrum of flight operation, enabling fuel burn to be evaluated for any aircraft mission. For a nominal mission profile considered in this paper, the advanced engine cycle enabled by the use of the variable pitch composite fan blade provided more than 12% reduction in fuel burn.
R. S. Mazzawy (Sun,) studied this question.