The D-18T engine was once designed specifically for civil cargo aircraft. Such motors can be installed, for example, on the AN-124 Ruslan or AN-225 Mriya. There are several modifications of the D-18T.
A bit of history
This model was developed a long time ago - in the 70s of the last century. This engine was created in Zaporozhye in the center of the ICD "Progress" them. A. G. Ivchenko. The head of the design bureau responsible for the development of the D-18T engine was V. A. Lotarev. Initially, the model was created specifically for super-heavy cargo aircraft.
As an analogue for the new engine, the designers used the American General Electric TF-39 engine, which had a thrust of 18,200 kgf. This model was installed on Lockheed C5A aircraft at that time.
The work on the creation of the D-18T was difficult. After all, the General Electric TF-39 was originally intended exclusively for military aircraft. Before the engineers of the Progress ICD, the country's leadership was tasked with developing an engine suitable for use in civil aviation. There would have been a lot of changes to the design.
In order to facilitate the task, the designers of the new model decided to use as an analogue instead of the "General Electric TF-39" the more suitable English RB.211-22 for this purpose. For copying, it was necessary to purchase approximately 8 of these motors. However, the British Ministry of Defense guessed that the USSR needed the engines precisely for copying. Therefore, the British nevertheless agreed to sell such engines, but in the quantity necessary to install at least 100 aircraft.
Spending that kind of money on the purchase of engines just to make an analogue was, of course, inappropriate. Therefore, the engineers decided not to change the initially chosen prototype and develop the design of the D-18T engine, nevertheless, according to the General Electric TF-39.
How it was designed
The creation of the new D-18T was a truly turning point for the activities of the Progress MKB. The development of this model required engineers to solve a variety of complex tasks in the field:
- gasdynamics;
- heat transfer and strength;
- production technologies;
- automationand design.
When developing the gas-dynamic system of the new model, the D-36 engine was used as a prototype. At the same time, the engineers had to slightly correct only some of its nodes.
Flight testing
The answer to the question of where the engine is usedD-18T, are, therefore, the aircraft "Ruslan" and "Mriya". This technique is actually very powerful, and its engines, of course, must be as reliable as possible. Therefore, before launching a new model into mass production, it had to be carefully checked for performance, reliability and safety. Flight tests of the new engine began in 1982. In this case, an air laboratory designed on the basis of the IL-76 aircraft was used.
During the testing of the engine, a total of 414 flights lasting 1288 hours were made. The most experienced pilots carried out the test. Serial production of the D-18T began in 1985
Reviews about the model: the main advantages
For its time, the D-18T engine, according to many pilots and designers, was actually a very advanced engine. Its parameters were in no way inferior to the characteristics of the best foreign models intended for installation on civil aviation aircraft. And in some cases, even surpassed them. The merits of this motor, among other things, were attributed by aviators then and are now:
- low specific fuel consumption;
- low specific gravity;
- rational construction.
The low specific fuel consumption of the model was provided by large values of the bypass ratio and pressure increase. The designers managed to reduce the weight of the engine through the use of new modern materials during assembly.
Among other things, the advantages of this engine designers and pilots include:
- great takeoff thrust;
- low maintenance cost;
- low noise;
- relative environmental safety.
Also, the absolute advantage of these engines is the simplicity of design and complete maintainability.
D-18T engine: basic design information
D-18T refers to the type of models made according to the three-shaft scheme. It consists of a total of 17 modules. Each of the latter, if necessary, can be replaced directly by employees of the transport airline without major repairs at the plant. This, of course, makes the engine as user-friendly as possible.
Main modifications
Currently, three types of D-18T engines are used in cargo aviation:
- actually the basic model D-18T;
- modified D-18T1;
- D-18TM used in passenger aviation.
The latest modification of the engine is being installed on AN-218 aircraft.
Specifications
The design of this model has a thoughtful and rational. The technical characteristics of the D-18T engine are also just excellent. You can find out exactly what parameters this model differs from in the table below.
| Parameter | Meaning |
| Diameter | 2300 |
| Fuel consumption | 0.34 kg/kgf h |
| Takeoff thrust | 23430 kgf |
| TBO | 6000 h |
| Dry weight | 4100 kg (for series 3) |
New D-18T models
Initially assigned repair life for this engine model was 1000 hours. Later, the motor was improved. At the moment, D-18T series 3 and 4 are also used in aviation. A model of the 5th series is also being created, which will be installed on AN-124NG aircraft. This engine is expected to be 15% more fuel efficient than its predecessors.
Who produces
An experimental batch of D-18T engines was produced in the 70s at the Zaporozhye Engine Building Plant. This oldest enterprise was founded in 1907 on the initiative of the tsarist government. Until 1915, the plant was engaged in the production of agricultural equipment.
In 1915, the company was bought out by the Deka Joint-Stock Company. The new owners decided to change the profile of the enterprise. The plant began mastering the assembly of aircraft engines. The first engine, which had 6 cylinders, was manufactured at this factory in 1916. It was called "Deca M-100". This engine was created by a group of engineers led byVorobiev.
Currently, the Zaporozhye Engine Building Plant has been renamed into Motor Sich PJSC. Until 2013, its director was V. A. Boguslaev. In 2013, S. A. Voitenko was appointed to his post.
After the enterprise successfully coped with the production of the experimental model D-18T, it was he who was chosen for the mass production of these engines. The plant is engaged in their release to this day. It is this engine that is currently its main product. The company also supplies gas turbine power plants to the market.
D-18T and politics
It's no secret that relations between Russia and Ukraine have deteriorated significantly in recent years. This affected, of course, including the economy of both states. At the moment, the Russian AN-124 and AN-225 are still flying on D-18T engines (their photo is presented on the page) produced by the Zaporozhye enterprise. However, the situation may soon change.
The Russian government has decided to equip Ruslan and Mriya cargo planes with domestically produced engines. The replacement will begin presumably in 2019. As of today (2017), the NK-32 series 2 is considered as the base model. This engine was once developed for the White Swan bomber. Its advantage is the presence of a turbine in the design that can withstand long-term high-temperature conditions.
One of the main problems when creating a new engine model for the AN-124 and 225 designers consider changing the dimensionsanalogue of NK-32. After all, the model should be placed in those compartments in which the D-18T is currently installed.
Maintenance: possible faults
The D-18T engine is a powerful and reliable device. However, it should be serviced on time and only by licensed, specially trained technicians.
Faults in this engine can be detected, for example, as follows:
- engine does not start after pressing the corresponding button;
- after starting, the motor overheats sharply;
- rotor starts to rotate but does not spin up;
- engine runs erratically.
All these and any other malfunctions must, of course, be completely eliminated immediately. Only then can the engine be allowed to operate. To minimize troubleshooting work, the technician should use on-board information as well. This allows you to understand under what conditions a malfunction occurred.
