AFTER putting it through the most gruelling of tests, Rolls-Royce has now certified the Trent 700 engine ordered by Cathay Pacific Airways - the most powerful aircraft engine completed by the company.
Eight Trent 700 development engines were subjected to tests which included multiple bird strikes, hail and water ingestion, icing tolerance and cold starting.
Testing has been completed for the full 72,000 pounds rating of the Trent 700, which has run regularly at thrusts in excess of 80,000 pounds.
In one test one of the Trent 700's fan blades was released at the root using an explosive charge with the engine running at maximum speed. The energy contained by the engine casing was equivalent to stopping a car travelling at 70 miles an hour - within a foot.
Cathay's engineering director Roland Fairfield said: ''This constitutes very solid reassurance in the Rolls-Royce design approach, blending proven high-level technology with low-risk innovation.
''This was a major reason for the Trent Rolls-Royce engines being ordered on our A330 and B777s.'' Cathay has 10 sets of Trent 700s on firm order plus eight further options for its new fleet of A330-300s on order from Airbus Industrie, scheduled for delivery from 1995.
