Some turbos can spin to upwards of 200,000 RPM, and like any other precision automotive part if you push it too far beyond its designed limits, it will fail – in a very big way. Needless to say, you certainly don’t want to find yourself unprotected and in the path of the shrapnel should one decide to blow up at those kinds of speeds. This video [1] we found featured on MotoIQ [2] features never before seen footage directly from Garrett’s files of a Turbo Burst and Containment test that was performed in 1985.
The video caption tells us, “Garrett by Honeywell tests all of their turbos to ensure that no materials penetrate a ‘containment shroud’ surrounding the turbocharger…to ensure safety. All Garrett turbos go through this test, even in 1985. This recently found footage has never been shown to the public and demonstrates how much damage a turbo potentially could do if it is not engineered to contain a wheel burst properly.”
When the turbine wheel finally decides to call it quits the entire turbo assembly explodes in a truly spectacular fashion. Watching the super slow-mo catastrophic failure of the turbo, you can’t help but be reminded of when the Death Star blows up at the end of the very first Star Wars movie. Check out the video here [1].
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