Shenyang WS-10

The Shenyang WS-10 (Chinese: 涡扇-10; pinyin: Wōshàn-10; lit. 'turbofan-10'), codename Taihang, is a turbofan engine designed and built by the People's Republic of China.

WS-10
Type Turbofan
National origin People's Republic of China
Manufacturer Shenyang Liming Aircraft Engine Company
Designed by Shenyang Aeroengine Research Institute
First run 1990s
Major applications Chengdu J-10C
Shenyang J-11B
Shenyang J-15
Shenyang J-16
Status In production[1]
Number built 300+ as of May 2015 [1]
Developed from CFM International CFM56/General Electric F101
Developed into Shenyang WS-20

Chinese media reported 266 engines were manufactured from 2010 to 2012 for the J-11 program.[2] Unofficial estimates placed production at more than 300 units by May 2015.[1]

Description

The WS-10A is advertised as an engine with 120–140 kilonewtons (27,000–31,000 lbf) thrust.[1] It has full authority digital engine control (FADEC).[3]

Development

The WS-10 is derived from the CFM56 with the experience gained from the Woshan WS-6 turbofan project, which was abandoned at the start of the 1980s.[4] The WS-10 project was reportedly started by Deng Xiaoping in 1986 to produce an engine comparable to the Saturn AL-31. The work was given to the Shenyang Aeroengine Research Institute (606 Institute) of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).[3] The WS-10 may have been based on the core of the CFM-56II (itself based on the General Electric F101); China purchased two CFM-56IIs in the 1980s before the arms embargo.[5] After being unable to purchase source code from Salyut, the Chinese aviation industry spent nearly 20 years developing its own source code for the WS-10 engine.[1]

The WS-10A, targeted for 130 kilonewtons (29,000 lbf) of thrust,[3] was already in development in 2002.[6] An early version flew on an J-8II in 2002.[1] In 2004, Russian sources familiar with project reported problems meeting the thrust target;[7] in 2005, they reported problems reducing the weight of the primary and secondary compressors, in addition to problems meeting thrust requirements.[8] Engine testing on the J-11 had already started by 2004,[7] and testing using one engine on the J-11 may have occurred as early as 2002.[6]

A full-scale WS-10A engine was first seen at the 2008 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition.[3]

In 2009, Western media claim that the WS-10A approached the performance of the AL-31, but took much longer than the AL-31 to develop thrust.[9] Furthermore, the engine reportedly only generated 110–125 kilonewtons (25,000–28,000 lbf) of thrust.[3] In April 2009, Lin Zuoming, head of AVIC, reported that the engine's quality was unsatisfactory.[10] In 2010, it was reported that reliability was also poor; the WS-10A lasted only 30 hours, while the AL-31 needed refurbishing after 400 hours.[11] The quality problems encountered with the WS-10A reflected the state of the Chinese aerospace industry. AVIC initiated a general effort to improve quality control throughout its production chain in 2011.[12]

The WS-10A reportedly matured enough after 2009 to power the J-11B Block 02 aircraft.[13] Production or performance issues may have prevented the WS-10A from powering the J-10B.[14] In 2018, Chinese state media reported an increase in engine lifespan from 800 to 1,500 hours due to the increased heat resistance of new third-generation single-crystal turbine blades.[15]

In March 2020, Chinese state media released a video showing a WS-10B-powered J-10C; aircraft markings suggest it was part of the fourth batch of J-10Cs for the PLAAF.[16]

By January 2021, Chinese engineers considered the WS-10C to be as good as the AL-31F, with the WS-10C being targeted as a replacement interim engine for the J-20.[17]

WS-20 (WS-188)
Main article: Shenyang WS-20

The Shenyang WS-20 (WS-188)[18] is a high-bypass engine[14] reportedly producing 13.8 tons of thrust.[19] It is believed to be based on the core of the WS-10A.[3][20]

The Shenyang WS-20 was first seen in January 2014 while being tested on an Il-76,[18] and is believed to be intended for the Y-20 strategic airlifter.[19]

Thrust vectoring

A testbed J-10B powered by a WS-10 with thrust vectoring (TVC) - called "WS-10B-3" by Jamie Hunter - was demonstrated at the 2018 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition.[21] The TVC nozzle uses actuator-assisted moving petals, similar in concept to General Electric's axisymmetric vectoring exhaust nozzle (AVEN) and Pratt & Whitney's pitch-yaw balance beam nozzle (PYBBN).[22]

Variants
  • WS-10 - base variant
  • WS-10A – improved variant with FADEC;[3] advertised to have 120–140 kilonewtons (27,000–31,000 lbf) of thrust[1]
  • WS-10B – improved variant with greater reliability and thrust; based on the WS-10A[23]
  • WS-10B-3 – TVC variant[21]
  • WS-10C – "Updated"[24] variant with stealthier sawtooth exhaust feathers[21]
  • WS-10G – thrust vectoring variant[25] generating 152–155 kilonewtons (34,000–35,000 lbf) of thrust during testing;[3] intended for the Chengdu J-20[25]
  • WS-20 – high-bypass derivative for the Y-20 transport; 138 kilonewtons (31,000 lbf) of thrust[19]
  • QD70 – 7MW class gas turbine engine developed from WS-10 for industrial & naval applications[26]

Applications
WS-10
WS-10A
WS-10B
WS-10B-3
  • Chengdu J-10B (demonstrator)[21]
WS-10C
  • Chengdu J-20 (prototype)[17]

Specifications (WS-10A)

General characteristics

  • Type: Afterburning turbofan
  • Length:
  • Diameter:
  • Dry weight:

Components

Performance

See also

Comparable engines

Related development

Related lists

References
  1. Fisher, Richard (27 May 2015). "ANALYSIS: Can China break the military aircraft engine bottleneck?". FlightGlobal. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  2. "美称中国近三年内共生产约266台太行发动机". mil.news.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). 20 December 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  3. Fisher, Richard, Jr. (30 December 2009). "October Surprises In Chinese Aerospace". International Assessment and Strategy Center. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  4. "LM WS10A Tai Hang (China), Aero-engines - Turbofan". janes.com. Jane's Information Group. 26 January 2010. Archived from the original on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  5. "Liming WS10A Taihang Engine". GlobalSecurity.org. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  6. Fisher, Richard D., Jr. (7 October 2003). "New Developments in Russia-China Military Relations: A Report on the August 19-23 2003 Moscow Aerospace Salon (MAKS)". United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Archived from the original on 12 January 2005. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  7. Fisher, Richard, Jr. (13 December 2004). "Report on the 5th Airshow China: Zhuhai, PRC, November 1-7, 2004". International Assessment and Strategy Center. Archived from the original on 26 April 2005. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  8. Fisher, Richard, Jr. (12 September 2005). "Chinese Dimensions of the 2005 Moscow Aerospace Show". International Assessment and Strategy Center. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  9. Saunders et al., p. 37
  10. Saunders et al., p. 44
  11. Pomfret, John (25 December 2010). "Military strength is eluding China". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  12. Collins, Gabe; Erickson, Andrew (26 June 2011). "Jet Engine Development in China: Indigenous high-performance turbofans are a final step toward fully independent fighter production". China SignPost. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  13. Rupprecht, Andreas (December 2011). "China's 'Flanker' gains momentum. Shenyang J-11 update". Combat Aircraft Monthly. Vol. 12 no. 12. pp. 40–42.
  14. Fisher, Richard D. Jr. (12 January 2015). "Images suggest J-10Bs close to entering Chinese service". Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  15. Chan, Minnie (7 September 2018). "Engine boost for China's J-15 fighter jets as Beijing tries to build up navy". South China Morning Post. South China Morning Post. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  16. Ju, Juan (5 March 2020). "Images suggest China has begun fitting indigenous WS10 engine into J-10C fighters". Janes. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  17. Chan, Minnie (10 January 2021). "China wants to modify the engines on its J-20 stealth fighter to match the US's F-22". Business Insider. South China Morning Times. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  18. Donald, David (10 January 2014). "China Flies First Large Turbofan". AINonline.com. Aviation International News. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  19. Fisher, Richard D. Jr. (4 September 2014). "China's Y-20 'enters second phase of testing'". Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  20. Lin, Jeffrey; Singer, P.W. (20 February 2015). "China's most powerful aircraft engine ever takes to the sky: Presenting the WS-20". Popular Science. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  21. Hunter, Jamie (20 July 2020). "China's Enhanced J-20B Stealth Fighter May Arrive Soon, Here's What It Could Include". The Drive. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  22. Tate, Andrew (5 January 2018). "Image suggests China may be testing thrust-vectoring engine on J-10 fighter". Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  23. Chan, Minnie (10 February 2018). "Why China's first stealth fighter was rushed into service with inferior engines". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  24. Waldron, Greg (17 December 2020). "Chinese airpower reaches for the big leagues in 2021". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  25. Saunders et al., p. 45
  26. "涡轴-16发动机与法国合作用于武直10，QD70燃气轮机技术优势明显". cn1n.com (in Chinese). 18 October 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  27. Fisher, Richard D. Jr. (26 August 2014). "Chinese J-11BH 'aggressive' with USN P-8A, says DoD". Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  28. Kucinski, William (7 November 2018). "J-10B fighter aircraft debuts Chinese thrust vectoring technology". Retrieved 25 September 2020.
Bibliography
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