SBIR-STTR Award

Rotorcraft components must be fully vetted prior to flight certification to establish fatigue life limits. Rotor components typically are grouped into sub-assemblies and fatigue tested separately under simulated flight loads. While this is a fairly simple approach, fatigue testing sub-components may result in certain load cases not being transferred properly through the system. According to the Navy, many current test rigs, along with the software for loads input, are mechanically complicated and developed for each individual platform, increasing costs associated with fatigue tests, with each easily costing in the order of millions to conduct. They desire an innovative rotor head fatigue test stand capable of testing main rotor head assemblies as one unit for multiple platforms, with easy transition, including both 4 and 3 bladed rotor head systems such as H-1, H-60, V-22, and MQ-8B. Mid proposes to leverage its experience in designing, building, and maintaining custom test rigs to perform life cycle test, as well as its decades of rotorcraft related research and development to build a custom test rig to meet the Navys requirements.

Benefit:
The result of this effort is a new test and certification tool available to the Navy initially, and ultimately offered to the Army, Marines, Air Force, and commercial rotorcraft manufacturers for testing a full rotor head at one time.

Keywords:
Rotor Head, Rotor Head, Test Stand, Fatigue Test, Safe Life, Fatigue, Rotorcraft, Modular Test System

Rotorcraft components must be fully vetted prior to flight certification to establish fatigue life limits. Rotor components typically are grouped into sub-assemblies and fatigue tested separately under simulated flight loads. While this is a fairly simple approach, fatigue testing sub-components may result in certain load cases not being transferred properly through the system. Rotorcraft manufacturers build custom head and shaft test stands for a specific platform, which can be costly and not necessarily available for the other organizations to use. The Navy desires an innovative rotor head fatigue test stand capable of testing main rotor head assemblies as one unit for multiple platforms, with easy transition, including both 4 and 3 bladed rotor head systems such as H-1, H-60, V-22, and MQ-8B. The primary goal of the test stand is to reduce the time and effort needed to conduct fatigue testing, while also enabling testing of the entire rotor head as opposed to the current method of testing just components. Mid developed an easily reconfigurable rotor head fatigue test stand with the intention to impart simulated flight loads at the blade cuff.

Benefit:
The primary DON customer is expected to be NAVAIR, specifically the H-60 Program Office (PMA-299). Since the design requirements were driven with other rotorcraft in mind, other likely customers would include the V-22 Program Office (PMA-275), the H-1 Program Office (PMA-276), and the MQ-8 Program Office (PMA-266). Other customers include program offices from the other military branches, such as the program offices within the Army including ADD Aviation Development Directorate, Marine Corps, and Air Force. In addition, the rotorcraft OEMs could also utilize the test stand in case they have excess demand for their own facilities. These companies include Sikorsky, Bell, Boeing, and Robinson, among others.

Keywords:
Modular Test System, Rotor Head, Rotorcraft, Fatigue Test, Test Stand, Safe Life, Fatigue