Renowned companies in the aviation industry’s test bench sector have given their vote to Kissling’s engineering capability and quality. As a result, Kissling was able to continue the tradition with complex test bench gear units for the highest demands in 2009. Since the 1980s, Kissling has supplied numerous test bench gear units to the aviation industry with speeds up to 70,000rpm.
Most of these gear units are used to test various airplane elements during each maintenance interval (generators, fuel pumps, PTOs, etc.). The units undergo innumerable starts and stops and are usually deployed in shifts; the potential costs due to a failure are enormous. This requires the highest level of quality; the bearings must have a special layout and the lubricant must be extremely reliable. If the speed is greater than 20,000rpm, there are special requirements for the gears.
Testing of helicopter gears
Four different gear units have been developed – these can also be used to test helicopter gear units. The interesting part of these developments was the convergence of various design philosophies. The manufacturers of flying helicopter gear units have very different viewpoints and safety requirements than manufacturers of fixed-location industrial gear units. As a result, many challenging discussions were had during the development work but which resulted in success.
Test bench gear for Eurocopter
For Eurocopter, Kissling has developed in close cooperation a gear unit with which all the gear units for the Tiger helicopter are to be tested. The gear unit has several outputs to which the helicopter gear unit can be connected; it can simulate the main and the rear rotors. The gear unit is driven using electrical motors. There are several inputs on the sides. The individual mechanical circuits can be rigged up so that the helicopter gear unit is subjected to a load. Several switching mechanisms can be used to simulate sudden engine failures, shaft breaks or other abrupt phenomena.
Kissling has blazed new trails in a variety of areas. For example, non-perpendicular bevel gear sets were installed for the first time in Kissling’s history. With an output of 2,000kW at 8,500rpm, the performance data requires the highest level of quality. An additional project for Eurocopter is also underway; this is to be developed for the same task and will be used for the Eurocopter.
Test bench for the entire airplane fleet
Our customer is building a multifunctional test bench for a large European airline company in order to test the generators of an entire airplane fleet. The gear unit has two output shafts with 18,000rpm and 30,000rpm at 660kW. Depending on the test piece, one shaft or the other is subjected to a load. The unit is used dynamically over the entire speed range, which generates the highest possible demands for the journal bearing. These development projects are very educational for Kissling and are proof of our customers’ great trust that we are able to find innovative solutions. The greatest technical competencies were built up and developed here – these will also be used for other applications.