Product Description

The Rolls-Royce RB211 three-shaft high-bypass turbofan powered the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar from its 1972 service entry and later variants of the Boeing 747-400. Plaintiffs allege in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that the RB211 engine build package was assembled with asbestos-fabric engine-casing lagging designed for thermal management around the high-pressure spool and asbestos-composite flange gaskets at exhaust-duct and hot-section joints. Plaintiffs allege these materials were selected for their sustained high-temperature and mechanical-sealing performance.

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that occupational exposure to alleged RB211 asbestos components occurred among:

  • Airline engine-shop mechanics performing heavy overhaul and module split
  • Heavy-overhaul depot technicians removing and re-wrapping asbestos-fabric casing lagging
  • Aircraft engine test-cell operators running post-overhaul acceptance runs
  • Airline line-maintenance engine mechanics performing on-wing duct and gasket service
  • L-1011 fleet engine-shop mechanics performing RB211 hot-section refurbishment

Alleged exposure pathways included dust generated during removal and re-installation of asbestos-fabric engine-casing lagging and gasket scraping at exhaust-duct and hot-section flanges.