The blade in the first picture would sit in the high-pressure turbine, just behind the combustion chamber. Note that the flow path of a jet engine corresponds directly to the pressure-temperature transitions of the Brayton cycle, which governs the operation of gas turbines: https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/Images/braytonts.....
Also note that difference in size between the XWB's fan in the second picture (of the article) and the turbine blade in the first picture. The XWB is a high-bypass-ratio turbofan, which means almost all the air taken in by the 3-meter-diameter fan bypasses the core of the engine, generating thrust at low exit velocity. Only about 1/10th the air goes through the core of the engine. There, it is compressed, so by the time you get to the HPT, the flow path is quite narrow. As the turbine section removes energy from the hot air, it cools and expands, and the flow path gets wider.
The blade in the first picture would sit in the high-pressure turbine, just behind the combustion chamber. Note that the flow path of a jet engine corresponds directly to the pressure-temperature transitions of the Brayton cycle, which governs the operation of gas turbines: https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/Images/braytonts.....
If you're wondering why Rolls Royce goes to so much trouble to build turbine blades that can handle high temperatures, see: http://web.mit.edu/16.unified/www/SPRING/propulsion/notes/no....
Also note that difference in size between the XWB's fan in the second picture (of the article) and the turbine blade in the first picture. The XWB is a high-bypass-ratio turbofan, which means almost all the air taken in by the 3-meter-diameter fan bypasses the core of the engine, generating thrust at low exit velocity. Only about 1/10th the air goes through the core of the engine. There, it is compressed, so by the time you get to the HPT, the flow path is quite narrow. As the turbine section removes energy from the hot air, it cools and expands, and the flow path gets wider.