Introduction

This article summarizes circa-2019 discussions of gas turbine engine features designed to successfully contain shrapnel fragments/ejected debris during engine failures. The article complements a 2017 SKYbrary article titled “Uncontained Engine Failure,” incorporating basic introductory content and adding newer material from investigations of relevant events and from observations by subject matter experts. Containment of engine failure receives a high priority from governments and the aviation industry because the alternative — uncontained engine failure — is likely to be extremely violent. The overriding objective is to prevent engine fragments from exiting the engine case at high speeds in uncontrolled directions. That scenario poses extreme potential hazards not only to the aircraft occupants, but to the pressurised aircraft structure, the adjacent engine(s), and the integrity of the flight control system.