In a preliminary step, VibraTec has performed a market survey to analyse the state of the art of the Turboprop architectures. Safety requirements and mechanical main failures have been translated in terms of mechanical loads leading to the definition of a flight envelope specification. At least, the Tech-TP test bed environment, located in the SAFRAN facility at Tarnos, has been inspected and qualified.
Starting from these specifications, the second phase of the program has been focused on the design of the cradle. A detailed dynamic model has been developed to predict the static and the dynamic response of the system. The analysis has covered a wide number of configuration including ultimate loads. The critical design review process has been achieved end of 2018, opens the manufacturing process.
With the support of the SACI Industries, the cradle has been manufactured. Instrumented by VibraTec with strain gauges, the cradle has been qualified in the VibraTec laboratory and submitted to representative radial and axial loads. The equipment has been delivered in May 2019 allowing the first TechTP run in June 2019.
Last step of the program has been dedicated to the exploitation of the static engine test. A thermal analysis has been performed using Computation Fluid Dynamics to adjust the calibration process of the sensors, a minimal requirement to accurately monitor the TechTP demonstrator. In parallel, an inverse method has been setup to measure the operational loads of the TechTP engine. Such indirect measurements allows to characterize the static and the dynamic forces transmitted by the engine at its mounting points. While direct methods only gives access to the resulting forces, the proposed indirect method fully characterizes the mechanical impact of the engine on the aircraft, a smart way to specify the engine interface without the cost of flight test. A test campaign has been conducted to deploy the methods. The full operational load characterization of the TechTP has been extracted, analysed and delivered.
The ICTUS program has strongly contributed to the delivery of the first key demonstrator in Cleansky2 with the manufacturing of the cradle. The proposed instrumentation combined to the development of advanced test methods offers major breakthrough to improve the exploitation of static engine test bed. It opens new ways to predict the engine interface within its aircraft environment for both engine and aircraft manufacturers.
