Why are GE90 blades curved?
I'm working on a project developing a turbofan for a 1/2 scale model hyperloop pod. Our faculty advisor has always pushed us to mimic the GE90 engine for our blade design, however, I am not sure why the blades are curved. I'm not talking about the twist of the blade rather the curving that occurs along the length of the blade if that makes sense. As in as if you move along the blade from the root radially outwards, why are there curves that make the blade depart a straight radial line? Sorry, this is difficult to explain but I hope I was able to get the point across.
Our group is unsure whether to include this in our design or not because we want to make sure it will benefit our design and how to approximate how much curving we need.
Any help would be greatly appreciated,