Higher, hotter and heavier is a mantra used by many commercial airlines in the pursuit of increased efficiency.
The Pursuit of Increased Efficiency
Higher - If aeroplanes can fly higher, the air is thinner, which reduces the “drag” they have to overcome.
Hotter - If aeroplanes can burn fuel at hotter temperatures, the engines are more efficient and use less fuel.
Heavier - Every airline wants to fly “heavier” i.e. to carry more passengers or cargo per flight, meaning that the aircraft have to be able to withstand extra load and extra forces.
As the aircraft engine manufacturers strive to meet these demands they are developing and evolving increasingly sophisticated materials, but in order to validate these the test regimes themselves need to be more demanding and require the right equipment to do the job.
Working in the Aerospace Sector
Phoenix is delighted to be working closely with our customer in the aerospace sector, developing R&D materials testing capability that wasn’t previously possible. We’ve developed a system that can carry out induction heated, strain-controlled fatigue tests on non-metallic, non-cylindrical samples at up to 3bar, using a new environmental chamber, induction heating and susceptor system with pyrometer-controlled temperature.
This will be an ongoing collaborative relationship - as we evolve our capabilities, our customer can evolve their requirements, based on our new capability.
This project to develop a low-pressure testing machine has developed after an introduction via one of our academic partners, followed by several direct meetings and technical discussions.
Our engineering specialists were successful in winning the contract based on our technical ability and expertise, as we helped to specify the scope of the work and assured the customer that we could achieve something nobody else could.
Technical Specifications
We’ve designed a chamber that can test at pressures up to 3bar. We will also add humidity control into the system - this is a unique combination of heating, environmental and control capabilities.
The machine, chamber and gripping arrangement have been designed for optimum alignment. The sample is to be tested at elevated temperatures; until now this has only been done using a traditional, three-zone furnace arrangement, rather than induction heating. A three-zone furnace limits the speed and temperature that can be reached. It also limits the access to the sample for use of pyrometry, DIC, extensometry and other instrumentation.
We have designed and optimised the induction heating and susceptor system for non-metallic, non-cylindrical samples. The induction heating allows for rapidly changing temperature profiles. The susceptor design allows access for an extensometer to enable strain-controlled fatigue testing to be carried out.
The temperature can also be measured and controlled using an emissivity correcting pyrometer, this eliminates the need for thermocouples being attached to the sample.
The chamber can be used with a range of controlled atmospheres, including an oxygen enriched or corrosive gas environment.
The versatility of this chamber, to introduce, measure and control a defined matrix of different temperatures, pressures, humidities and environments, will enable a range of testing to be carried out that has never previously been possible.
Darren Wilkes, Technical Director at Phoenix, says: “This project has involved the very best in in-house design of both mechanical and electronic systems, extensive detailed discussion with suppliers to source parts that can cope with the extreme temperatures, pressures and humidity.
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Accreditations
Rolls Royce Technical Approval for High Temperature and Environmental Testing
The Design, Manufacture, Commissioning, Maintenance and support of Materials Testing Machines. ISO 9001 - ISO 14001 - OHSAS 18001, Cert. No. 15997-QMS-001
