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Early experimental turbine blade from a Whittle jet engine
Object No. B1849
This turbine blade was part of the research program, led by Frank Whittle in England in the 1930s, to develop a jet engine. His team's first experimental engine had turbine blades with de Laval bases, which look like plant bulbs and fit into round slots. Those blades worked loose under the high centrifugal force to which they were subjected, so the team developed the 'fir tree base' design that fits into a stepped slot. Blades of this design proved to be more robust than the earlier ones Stepped in form, the base of the blade appears in cross section to resemble a miniature fir tree, and is referred to as a fir tree root. It is designed to fit into a matching slot in the turbine's rotor. This design approach to fixing blades around the rotor is still standard practice today in turbines for aeroplanes, ships and power stations. The blade complements the Museum's sectioned Whittle jet engine. Object number B1138, it was made in 1943 by Power Jets Ltd, the company that Whittle established to design and make engines. The blade also represents the rapid technology transfer that occurred during World War II. It was given to the donor, Sydney-based engineer Colin Saxby, while on a technical visit to London in 1946. He obtained it from Metropolitan Vickers, a large manufacturer that Whittle had advised during the war, enabling it to tool up quickly to make jet engines. Debbie Rudder, Curator, 2011. Reference Frank Whittle, Jet: the story of a pioneer, 1953.
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Summary
Object Statement
Turbine blade, early experimental blade with fir tree base, metal, Frank Whittle, England, 1930s
Physical Description
This is an early experimental turbine blade from a Whittle jet engine. The curved blade is machined with an integrated base that is shaped in cross section like a fir tree, for fitting into a matching slot in the rotor. It is 75 mm long and 25 mm wide.
PRODUCTION
Notes
It is likely that this blade was made by Power Jets Ltd in England, where, in the late 1930s inventor Frank Whittle led a program to develop a practical jet turbine for use in aeroplanes. The first experimental engine in this program had blades with de Laval bases, which have been likened to plant bulbs that fit into slots of circular cross section. These blades worked loose under the high centrifugal force to which they were subjected, so the team developed the fir tree base design. Blades of this design proved to be more robust than the earlier ones. Blades were made of heat-resistant alloys and were machined to demanding tolerances. In particular, all the blades on a rotor had to be of very similar weight, and the stepped profile of the base had to fit the profile of the slot.
HISTORY
Notes
The donor, electrical engineer Colin Ambrose Saxby, was given the blade when he visited Metropolitan Vickers, a large engineering firm, in England in 1946. Saxby was in England as Acting Advisory and Inspecting Engineer to the NSW Government. Frank Whittle had shared information with Metropolitan Vickers when it was designing its own turbine engines. He, or a member of his staff, probably gave this blade to Metropolitan Vickers as a model for its turbine blades.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Mr CA Saxby, 1970
Acquisition Date
20 February 1970
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