Highlights of Roy Smith’s Career at General Electric

Abstract

Dr. Leroy H. (Roy) Smith, Jr. of General Electric (GE) was honored at a special session of the ASME Turbo Expo 2009 in recognition of his 55 years of contributions to the gas turbine industry. Although best known to his ASME and International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI) colleagues for his many publications on compressor aerodynamic design theory, analysis methods, and research, he has made equally impressive contributions to GE’s jet engine product line. This paper gives a brief chronology of his career, then focuses on the many outstanding fan and compressor aero designs he has created for several major GE engine families.