Half-Size Replica Of A Trent 1000 Dreamliner Powerplant

Rolls-Royce unveiled the world's first jet engine to be made entirely of Lego building blocks at the opening of Farnborough International Airshow. The engine, which is one of the most complex Lego structures ever built, is a half size replica of the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 which powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The one of a kind Lego structure shows the complex inner workings of a jet engine and took four people eight weeks to complete. Including 152,455 Lego bricks, the engine weighs 307 kg and is over 2 meters long and 1.5 meters wide. Over 160 separate engine components were built and joined together in order to replicate a real jet engine. Everything from the large fan blades which suck air into the engine down to the combustion chambers where fuel is burned, had to be analysed and replicated using the world famous building blocks.    

The engine is part of a display in the Innovation Zone at Farnborough International Airshow, an area designed to engage young people in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Paul Stein, Rolls-Royce, Chief Scientific Officer, said: "Engineers have critical roles to play in solving the challenges of tomorrow, not least designing aircraft engines that will power people to the furthest corners of the world more efficiently.

We are delighted to showcase this Lego engine, the first of its kind in the world, and we are very pleased some of our own graduates and apprentices have contributed to building it, ensuring it is as realistic as possible. What we do is exciting and we hope that this representation of our technology will help to enthuse and inspire the potential scientists and engineers of the future about the career opportunities they could pursue."

A team of graduates and apprentices from Rolls-Royce used their knowledge of the Trent 1000 engine to work with the company Bright Bricks, experts in Lego, to produce the immensely complex structure.

Ben Russell, Rolls-Royce, Higher Technical Apprentice said: "This is been such an exciting project to be a part of and something I never imagined I'd get to do. Working as an apprentice in a high tech company like Rolls-Royce gives you the opportunity to learn about some of the most fascinating and advanced products in the world and I hope our Lego engine will show others how exciting a career in engineering can be."

(Image provided by Rolls-Royce)

FMI: www.rolls-royce.com