Structural tests of aircraft, experimental evaluation of aircraft structures

Development activities and test services:

Static and fatigue of aircraft airframes, their parts and structural components
Experimental evaluation of structures within research and development activities (e.g. evaluation of new types of materials, designs, joints etc.)
Strength tests of metallic and composite structures with ambient conditions influence
Residual static strength tests, residual life assessment for structures and equipment
Aircraft airframe and their parts rigidity tests
Overpressure static tests
Certification tests according to airworthiness regulations
Experimental investigation of the origin and fatigue cracks propagation in airframes, their components and construction nodes
Testing of different joints technologies (rivets, gluing, welding) for construction nodes
Stress and strain measurements, deformations and displacements measurements, stress and strain experimental analysis (strain gages, laser interferometry, photogrammetry, thermoelasticimetry, photostress analysis, brittle lacquers), NDT inspections
Testing of structures for aging, corrosion and wear
Impact resistance of aircraft structures (e.g. Bird Strike tests, hail tests, etc.)
New test methods and procedures for developmental and certification work
Development of specific test rigs, jigs and test stands for full scale, component and material testing

EQUIPMENT:

Uniaxial electromechanical load machine TIRAtest 28500S (up to 500 kN)
Aero 90 (24 channels) and Aero ST (10 channels) servo-hydraulic fully digitally controlled load systems
Fatigue and static load machines (MTS, Instron Schenck, Tira, Inova, Amsler up to 2000 kN
18 channel IST Schenck Hydropuls servo-hydraulic load systems
6 channel IST Schenck Hydropuls servo-hydraulic load systems with working pressure 28 MPa and oil supply 160 lpm.
2 x 20 channel electro hydraulic MTS load systems
1 x 6 channel electro hydraulic MTS T-Rac load systems
100 hydraulic load actuators (range 1 – 1000 kN)
Hydraulic oil supply station (working pressure 21 MPa, total capacity 1440 lpm)
Load grid areas 30mx30m and 30mx60m, unified system of test load fixtures (upper grid assembly)
Modular climatic chamber with two Testair climatic units for conditioning (max. temperature 80±1°C, max. relative humidity 90±5%)
Modular climatic chamber cooled by liquid nitrogen (temperature -120°C/120°C)
AMD-01, 02 length changes measure system
Electro-hydraulic pneumatic overpressure system
Multichannel data acquisition and stress and strain measure systems (Vishay, Schlumberger, HBM, BMC, DAQ National Instruments)
Contactless systems for stress and strain and deformation measurements (Dantec Q-400, GOM ARAMIS 3D HS, PONTOS etc.)

Research projects:

AERONEWS –“Health monitoring of aircraft by Nonlinear Elastic Wave Spectroscopy“, (2004-2008, FP6 EU, project No. 502927)
ALCAS - “Advanced low cost aircraft structures“, (2005-2011, FP6 EU, project No. 16092)
COMPOSITE RUDDRER - “Demonstrator of composite rudder of large transport aircraft under CS-25 regulation”, (2009-2013, MIT – TIP1, project No. FR-TI1/290)
SONACA - “Fixed leading edge of composite wing of CS100 airplane“, (2009-2013, MIT – TIP1, project No. FR-TI1/291)
ADATO - “Operational life increase of small transport aircraft using Damage Tolerance philosophy“, (2009-2013, MIT – TIP, project No. FR-TI1/475)
SARISTU – „Smart Intelligent Aircraft Structures“, (2011-2015, FP7 EU, project No. 284562)
KC-390 - “Pevná náběžná hrana letounu KC-390“, (2012-2015, MIT – TIP, project No. FR-TI4/600)
AJT – “Pokročilé křídlo letounu AJT MPO – TIP4“, (2012-2015, MIT-TIP, project No.
FR-TI4/603)
MOSTA – “Modernizace malého dopravního letounu za účelem zvýšení efektivnosti a ekonomie jeho provozu“, (2010-2016, MIT-TIP project No. FR-TI2/557)
CANAL – “Creating Nonconventional Laminates”, (2013-2017, EK - FP7, project No. 605583)
AFLoNext -“2nd Generation Active Wing – Active Flow- Loads & Noise control on next generation wing“, (2013-2018, 7FP EU, project No. 604013)
AIRFRAME – “Development of airframe for new generation of L-39NG“, (2016-2019, TAČR – Epsilon, project No. TH02010670 )
WHEELS AND BRAKES – „Development of wheels and brakes for landing gears of small and medium-size aircraft“, (2018-2020, MIT-TRIO, project No. FV30270)
MUTR – “Multipurpose test rig for transmissions gearboxes“, (2016-2020, JU – Clean Sky 2, project No. 717199)

Contact person:

Ing. Václav Horák, Ph.D., Head of Structural Tests, VZLU
tel: +420 225 115 225, e-mail: horak@vzlu.cz