Fan Blade Engine Damage

Turbofan or jet engines can fail completely when a fan blade within the engine is damaged and becomes broken. A damaged blade can result in damage to the fan casing and imbalance the engine.

Fan

Fan blades are important in an engine as air is dragged into the engine by a large fan. This air is then compressed by a series of fan blades within the engine, operating at high speeds fan blades can be damaged by unexpected obstructions and objects entering the engine.

Parts

When a fan blade is struck by an object or obstruction the blade can be detached from the rest of the engine and damage vital parts of the engine. A detached fan blade can cause the stresses on an engine to increase due to the imbalance.

Shutdown

When a damaged engine shuts down cracks can appear in the engine casing, resulting in possible engine and vehicle failure.

References

• NASA: Damage Tolerant Fan Casings for Jet Engines
• A&P Technology: Composite Fan Blade Containment Case