Patent ID: 7794197

Claim:
A blade for a gas turbine comprising: a root, an aerofoil extending radially therefrom, the aerofoil having an aerofoil tip, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side and a suction side; the aerofoil further comprising ribs that are separated by cavities which extend substantially between the pressure side and the suction side; the blade further comprising elongate internal containment means extending continuously between the root and the aerofoil tip and selected from the group comprising fibres of an aramid, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, carbon fibres and metallic wires or tape for absorbing some of the energy of the blade should the blade fragment on impact, the containment means being attached to the root and to the tip, wherein the elongate internal containment means is further attached to at least one of the ribs between the root and the tip, wherein the internal containment means is non-supporting relative to the blade under normal operating conditions.