General Electric T31

General Electric T31

The General Electric T31 was the first US turboprop engine . It was derived from the General Electric J31 by extending the engine shaft forward and adding a reduction gear. As with the J31, the engine had a radial compressor and a single-stage turbine. During the trial phase, it was initially called General Electric TG-100 .

The engine was flown for the first time on December 21, 1945 as the nose engine of the Convair XP-81 , after repeated difficulties that had delayed the project. The T31 was also used in the Ryan XF2R -1. A converted Curtiss C-46 was fitted with a T31 on the right wing. Before the first flight took place, the plane (called Curtiss XC-113) had an accident on the ground.

A total of 28 engines of this type were manufactured, but they did not provide the expected performance. They were only used for testing purposes.

Technical specifications

• Weight: 902 kg
• Design shaft power: 1647 kW
• Achieved power: around 1110 kW
• Remaining thrust: 2.6 kN
• Turbine maximum speed: 13,000 min ^-1
• Output speed: 1145 min ⁻¹
• Specific consumption: 421 g / kWh

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