Testing solutions for the aerospace industry
Among the many industries Interface serves, the aerospace industry is one of the fastest growing users of our precision force measurement solutions. This is because ultra-precise force, weight and Torque measurements and data are critical to the testing, performance and safety of aircraft, helicopters and missiles.
Aerospace engineers and manufacturers of commercial, industrial and military aerospace vehicles and their associated components must measure a variety of factors, such as: B. Fatigue, structural durability, materials, weight distribution, air resistance, weather effects, speed changes, thrust and center of gravity, to name a few.
Interface is synonymous with high performance sensors used for all types of test and measurement applications. For more than five decades, aerospace innovators and industrial companies have relied on Interface for precision products and services they can trust. Our test and measurement solutions are designed for use in the aerospace industry to withstand extreme conditions, whether for testing wings on commercial aircraft or measuring the force of an intergalactic ship launch. In our new Aerospace Solutions brochure, Interface introduces products and use cases that detail many of the products and custom solutions we offer to the industry. We provide an overview of our accurate and reliable range of force measurement products and provide various application examples to demonstrate how we have a long history of supporting the manufacturers, designers, testers and engineers in the aerospace industry.
To work in the aerospace industry, you must meet the industry's highest quality standards in manufacturing and calibration. We take our commitment to quality assurance very seriously and guarantee that our products meet or exceed the quality clauses set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). We test and calibrate all of the products we manufacture in a certified laboratory in Arizona that holds A2LA, International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994 accreditations. Strict adherence to these standards proves our technical competence for a defined area and the operation of a quality management system in the laboratory. Every sensor manufactured by Interface undergoes rigorous testing and calibration before being shipped to our customers.
The sensors, meters and accessories we supply to aerospace equipment manufacturers and test laboratories range from mini to jumbo load cells, torque transducers, multi-axis sensors and various wireless, digital and analogue measuring devices. Interface sensors are regularly used in the development and testing of military aircraft, missiles, spacecraft, commercial aircraft, and general aviation components, as demonstrated in this aerospace and defense industry case study.
One use case for our force sensors in aerospace is structural testing. Interface's LowProfile™ load cells are used for static structural and fatigue testing. Our torque and temperature compensated load cells use proprietary strain gauges for extreme accuracy and reliability. By using eight proprietary strain gauges per sensor, our 4mV/V output significantly outperforms. This Load cells are offered in single, dual and triple bridge configurations to suit various data acquisition and control needs in aerospace vehicle production. Aircraft and spacecraft that use interface solutions include all types of unmanned gliders, commercial and military aircraft, as well as rockets, missiles, drones, launch vehicles and spacecraft. These vehicles undergo extensive and rigorous testing and measurement programs and processes that require the reliability and accuracy of the products manufactured by Interface. Here are some examples of aerospace applications that use Interface measurement solutions:
- Fatigue testing of aircraft wings
- Structural testing of rockets
- Testing chassis connections
- Hoist tests for aircraft engines
- Helicopter and parachute tests
- Ship launching tests
- Wind tunnel and environmental conditions tests
- Gravity Reduction Simulations
- Aircraft fatigue caused by wind
Fatigue of aircraft wings
Before any of the U.S. Navy's F/A-18 supersonic twin-engine fighter aircraft can enter service, the aircraft's wings must undergo fatigue testing in a controlled environment to ensure they can withstand the forces experienced throughout the life of the aircraft aircraft will occur in real flight operations. High-precision measurements must be recorded to ensure a near-exact replica of in-flight conditions is achieved. During fatigue testing, Interface's 1248 standard precision flange low-profile load cells are installed in line with the hydraulic cylinders that reciprocate the aircraft. These tests are carried out over a period of 18 months to simulate the stress on the wings during flight. The load cells are connected to indicators that record performance. Interface's LowProfile load cells can withstand more than 100 million (1x108) fully reversible load cycles. In the many years they have been used in test facilities around the world, they have performed flawlessly in F/A-18 wing tests and caused no failures.
Rescue helicopter hoist test
When a customer wanted to test the strength of the cable line used in his helicopter's winch during rescue operations and situations to determine whether both the cable and winch could safely withstand a heavy load for long periods of time while the helicopter is in flight, he turned to Interface. We supplied a WTSSHK-D Wireless Crosby™ Load Shackle that attaches to each anchor cable in use. The results are sent to the customer via the WTS-BS-4 USB industrial base station when connected to the customer-supplied computer. The data can also be transferred to the WTS-BS-1-HS handheld display for single transmitters, giving the customer the opportunity to view the tension of the mooring cable. With this solution, the customer was able to place a heavy load on the end of the helicopter winch to ensure it was strong and safe enough to carry both rescue personnel and objects in the air.
The aerospace industry is responsible for some of the greatest inventions and innovations in our world history. Designing and manufacturing a single rocket engine using hand-written calculations and with less processing power than a modern smartphone got us to the moon. The aerospace industry is a collection of researchers, design offices, test laboratories and manufacturing companies that design and build vehicles for travel inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere using interface products. Whether you need a multi-million dollar jumbo load cell, a custom load pin or wireless measurement devices, we understand the needs of aerospace and our engineers are here to help.