Pat Hilton, Rolls-Royce’s head of test facilities, said: “The dust can penetrate the hottest parts of the engine and wear that part out at a quicker rate than it would if it wasn’t flying through sand.”
Under the testing programme, the firm has changed the metals the parts are made of to make them more resistant to heat and the corrosive effects of dust.
In addition, it has changed the location of some of the coolant holes so they are less likely to become blocked.
The work is part of a wider £1bn durability programme which covers several engines, including the Trent XWB-97, the company’s most powerful engine and one that runs hotter than its other models.
