Turbine Engine

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The gas turbine engine mounted on most helicopters is made up of a compressor, combustion chamber, turbine, and gearbox assembly. The compressor compresses the air, which is then fed into the combustion chamber where atomized fuel is injected into it. The fuel/air mixture is ignited and allowed to expand. This com-bustion gas is then forced through a series of turbine wheels causing them to turn. These turbine wheels provide power to both the engine compressor and the main rotor system through an output shaft. The combustion gas is finally expelled through an exhaust outlet. [Figure 5-2]

Figure 5-2. Many helicopters use a turboshaft engine to drive the main transmission and rotor systems. The main difference between a turboshaft and a turbojet engine is that most of the energy produced by the expanding gases is used to drive a tur-bine rather than producing thrust through the expulsion of exhaust gases.