International Aero Engines (IAE) is working to determine the cause of a third incident of high-pressure compressor (HPC) damage occurring to a V2530-A5 turbofan operated by Lufthansa on its Airbus A321 fleet.
The latest discovery followed an engine stall and rejected take-off on 25 March. HPC blade damage was identified, and the engine was removed for further investigation.
Walter Heerdt, the general manager powerplant overhaul at Lufthansa Technik, admits to "some teething problems", but says that the engine removed after the latest failure is still undergoing inspection and that it is "too early to make any conclusion".
IAE says it has already introduced modifications as a result of the two previous incidents of HPC failures on Lufthansa V2530-A5s. It maintains that the damage to those engines was not caused by the "bowed rotor" problems that affected some V2500-A1s, causing IAE to offer redesigned compressor blades two years ago.
"Initial indications are that it doesn't look like a bowed-rotor problem," says Mark Cryan, product marketing manager for the V2500 at IAE. "The first and second [incidents] we think we understand, and they were not bowed- rotor-related. The first was a manufacturing tolerance issue," he adds. The second required, "...an improvement to the stator vane on -A5 and -D5 engines, which has already been incorporated into production."
Source: Flight International
