Some Food For Thought for Tinkerers

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The discussion highlights concerns about the dangers of DIY turbine projects, particularly referencing a violent failure of a GECF680A2 high-pressure turbine disc on an American Airlines 767. Participants express their apprehension about individuals experimenting with large turbine engines in garages, emphasizing the immense energy involved in such machinery. The conversation touches on past incidents of turbine disc failures, including one that caused significant damage to an aircraft's cabin. Additionally, there is a brief exchange about the weight and size of engine components, illustrating the potential hazards of engine failures. Overall, the thread serves as a cautionary reminder of the risks associated with turbine experimentation.
FredGarvin
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I always cringe when I see posts by people who are playing with turbines in their garage. So, whenever I come across something like this, I like to share.

Case: A GECF680A2 on an AA 767. Looks like an HPT disc failure.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lafd/159079755/in/set-72157594153722446/

Disc ruptures are violent failures. It hopefully gives one an appreciation for just how much energy is contained in rotating hardware.
 
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FredGarvin said:
I always cringe when I see posts by people who are playing with turbines in their garage. So, whenever I come across something like this, I like to share.

Case: A GECF680A2 on an AA 767. Looks like an HPT disc failure.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lafd/159079755/in/set-72157594153722446/

Disc ruptures are violent failures. It hopefully gives one an appreciation for just how much energy is contained in rotating hardware.

:eek:

Well, I hope nobody is playing with a turbine off of a 767 (or any large plane) in their garage anyway...

Those miniature turbines for go-karts and what-not are still pretty cool though. :wink:
 
Good post, Fred. Was that a near-idle failure? I would expect a lot more damage from something that was spooled up. If I remember correctly, back in the late 60's/early 70's a commercial liner shelled a disc (Detroit Intntl?); it went right through the cabin.
 
Thanks for sharing that Fred. To be honest I wasn't that shocked, I wouldn't have been surprised at seeing a lot more damage (you too I suppose), but if it's enough to put some healthy fear into a DIY turbomachinist then it's a job well done!

I remember standing with my nose up against a (small) jet engine running at 70,000 rpm at uni, probably wouldn't have been quite so intrigued if I'd seen that photo beforehand!

Would like to post you guys photos of the damage a 64 litre reciprocating engine does when it throws a rod, but I might get sacked...
 
Having once put a rod through the pan of a 283, I daren't even imagine what that must be like! :bugeye: How big/heavy is one of those rods?
 
Danger said:
Having once put a rod through the pan of a 283, I daren't even imagine what that must be like! :bugeye: How big/heavy is one of those rods?


I suppose about 12-15lbs (note my conversion to USian for you!) and about 18"-20" long. The engines fire hard too.
 
brewnog said:
(note my conversion to USian for you!)
Thanks, but Canada is metric. (I still tend to think in imperial, though.)
 
As a small note...I don't know if anyone noticed, but the first two pictures I posted were of the fractured disc penetrating the #2 engine on the opposite side of the aircraft. The failed disc came from the #1 engine. The disc went right thru the fuselage.

Brews,
I guess you could rest easy knowing that if you were that close and something did happen, you would have never known it.
 
Danger,

I haven't seen anything stating at what throttle they were at. The aircraft was in a maintenence dock doing ground runs, so it is a very safe assumption that it was not a ground idle when it happened.

I'm not so sure about the incident you are referring to. The only other major accident I can recall was the flight that crashed at Sioux City after a thrown tubine disc ruptured all of the fligh control hydraulic systems.
 
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Thanks for the clarification, Fred. That makes more sense. I thought that the picture showed the disc not quite making it out of the engine case. I got so engrossed in looking at your in-post photos that I forgot there was a link above them.
 
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If that failure happened in the air, bye bye airplane.

BTW, two chinooks flew by my house the other day fred.
 
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cyrusabdollahi said:
BTW, two chinooks flew by my house the other day fred.
Really? I wonder where they were from. There isn't any regular Army posts near you. It may have been reservists or 160th. Are you sure they weren't CH-46's in stead?
 

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