The General Electric J31 Centrifugal Jet Engine
The General Electric J31 was the first quantity produced jet engine in the United States. It was based on the General Electric I-A, an American version of the original British Whittle W.1 prototype that had been sent to the US in 1941. General Electric had a great deal of experience in turbocharger production and this had made them an obvious choice for the job. Initially, the J31 had used the company name I-16, but later the USAAF standardized their jet engine names, at which point the I-16 became the J31.
U.S. Air Force Museum
The J31, which was also known by its company designation, I-16, was the first turbojet engine produced in quantity in the United States.
Although the I-A powered the initial test flights of the U.S.'s first jet aircraft, the Bell XP-59A Airacomet, the more powerful J31 was adopted for use in production P-59As and P-59Bs. Design of the J-31 began in January 1943, and in July two of the engines powered a fully armed P-59 to an altitude of 46,700 feet. General Electric delivered a total of 241 J31s to the Army Air Forces before production ended in 1945.
U.S. Air Force Museum
The GE J31 was developed from the General Electric I-A, which was a copy of the highly-secret British "Whittle" engine.
General Electric J31 Specifications
| General Electric J31 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States |  |
| Introduction | 1943 | |
| Number built | 241 | |
| Type | Centrifugal-Flow Turbo Jet | |
| Compressor | single stage Centrifugal | |
| Turbine | single stage axial | |
| Maximum RPM | 16,500 rpm | |
| Weight | 386 kilograms | 850 pounds |
| Thrust | 748 kilograms | 1,650 pounds |
