Blade off testing

Blade containment and rotor unbalance
Damaged engine case from blade-out testing. Credit: NASA
PurposeEnsures that failure of rotating fan and compressor blades in turbine engines does not cause consequential failures in critical aircraft systems
Year started1964 (1964)

Blade off testing or blade out testing is a specific form of air safety testing required by the Federal Aviation Administration and other safety agencies to certify safety performance of jet engines. The tests require engine manufacturers to carry out at least two tests of the engine, to make sure that the engine can survive a compressor or fan blade breaking off within the engine and a turbine blade breaking off within the engine, without fragments being thrown through the outside enclosure of the engine, creating a contained engine failure.

In the United States, the tests are required by Title 14, Part 33 Subpart F, Section 33.94 of the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Blade containment and rotor unbalance tests.[1][2] Equivalent test requirements are provided in the Certification Specifications for Engines (CS-E), published by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference 14CFR33.94 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Section 33.94 - Blade containment and rotor unbalance tests. (Code of Federal Regulations Title 14 - Aeronautics and Space)". www.govinfo.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. January 1, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2020.