BMW Rolls-Royce has completed the last major test of the BR715 turbofan for the Boeing 717 before engine certification, scheduled for September.
The full engine fan blade-off test involved releasing the fan blade by detonating an explosive charge at the root, with the fan running at maximum rotational speed.
According to the Anglo-German engine maker, "-the released fan blade was held by the containment system while the engine performed a controlled rundown with no loss of structural integrity".
The engine had been blamed by Boeing for the delayed roll-out and first flight of the Boeing 717-200, as a result of compressor blade cracks suffered earlier in the programme. Boeing had also said that it had not been satisfied with the fan blade containment system in rig tests, when fractures showed in the casing.
The case has since been made thicker, but may be refined. Boeing hopes to perform the 717's maiden flight early in September.
Source: Flight International
