Korea Aerospace Industries selects Gantner Instruments for Structural Testing

September 2018, MARIETTA, GA ~

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has selected the Q.raxx slimline DAQ system from Gantner Instruments for static strength and fatigue evaluation testing of the LCH/LAH helicopter airframe, main landing gear, and engine mount structure.

The Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) helicopter is scheduled to replace the South Korean Army’s ageing 500 MD and AH-1Ss attack helicopter fleets, while the Light Civil Helicopter (LCH) helicopter would be used by the country’s emergency services, coastal surveillance, and passenger transportation. Airbus Helicopters has been selected as the foreign partner to help KAI develop the 5-ton rotorcraft, which will be based on the Airbus Helicopters H155. The LCH version is expected to enter service in 2020, while the LAH’s service introduction is targeted for 2022.

For certification of the helicopter structure, the airframe components undergo a series of rigorous static and fatigue tests. During these tests simulated flight loads are applied to the airframe components by several servo-hydraulic actuators, controlled by a load control system. Strain gauges are used to measure strain due to elongation of the structure under load. The Q.raxx slimline DAQ system ensures time-synchronised measurement of both strain gauge and load control data. This allows for fast online analysis and metadata enrichment (load condition numbers, flight counters). Data is stored continuously and event-based at varying measurement rates up to 10 kHz.

The Q.raxx slimline system for KAI has been configured to acquire up to 512 strain gauges. Each 19” 1U slimline rack has 32 measurement channels coming with RJ45 sockets. All measurement channels can be individually configured for full-, half- or quarter-bridge configuration. For quarter-bridge measurements each input channel has two internal completion resistors. The resistors have been specially selected to have a best in class Temperature Coefficient of Resistance (TCR). This is to ensure minimal temperature drift during long test runs. On top of that Gantner’s Online Compensation Signal functionality automatically corrects for errors due to lead wire resistance, even during the measurement itself. There is therefore no need for manual shunt calibration.

Besides the technical advantages, Gantner’s long list of customer testimonials and exceptional support program – where you can directly speak with a qualified engineer and not a helpdesk – made KAI select the Q.raxx slimline for their upcoming test program. After Airbus Helicopters, another rotary wing aircraft OEM relies on Gantner Instruments!

 For more information about Gantner's capabilities for aerospace structural testing, please click here.