I am definitely not an engineer, but I am a great admirer and respecter of the magnificent human achievement the GP7200 engine represents. That it, and it’s various brothers and sisters, can safely operate and perform as routinely and reliably as they do has wrought change and improvement to the world like no other invention... except the wheel and perhaps the taming of electricity itself.
At heroic effort and cost, the blending of concept and human knowledge, then actually producing a device which, with about 39 percent efficiency, can produce some 70,000 useable hp, — then coupling it up with a few others like it to go merrily flying across the oceans of the world (along with 500 or so other people) has to rank as one of the major wonders.
I believe the dynamic of huge, pure power, such as presented to the N1 fan assembly, itself shrunk to the minimum size possible to be complementary to the rest of the 6 or 7 ton engine, transports engineering to the very edge of what is possible.
That there has now been a mysterious and violent event occur at the dynamic point where, so to speak, the “rubber meets the road” it’s fair warning by the grace of God that something very major may be wrong. In aviation we often don’t get a warning something is amiss...but here we have, and all survived to tell about it. Recall the first (AA) DC-10 aft cargo door related decompression, at what, FL 14? The collapsing aft cabin floor tensioning control cables? The successful emer landing? The FAA caving then on an emer AD to ground the type? Just issue a service bulletin? Then later the Turkish AL decompression and loss (Orly?) with 346 on-board?!! We’ve had our warning. Methinks we need to bite the bullet. Stop the A380 for a bit and take a look.