Testing Underway for New B-52 Engines
Testing is underway of two Rolls-Royce F130 engines to substantiate how they carry out shut collectively and to check new digital engine controls. The assessments are being carried out at NASA’s Stennis House Middle, Miss., Rolls-Royce mentioned.
“We wish to be wrapped up by the center of the 12 months with this testing…as a result of confirming that we’ve acquired the correct inlet paces a variety of issues, by way of finalizing what the nacelle goes to appear to be,” Rolls-Royce B-52/F130 program director Scott Ames mentioned in an interview.
This system is “marching towards” a essential design evaluate in early 2024, he mentioned. These assessments will guarantee “we’re able to go along with the subsequent part of the event program, [and] flight testing, and so on.,” Ames mentioned. “We wish to be sure we get this locked in.”
The 2-engine nacelle take a look at was “part of the Rolls Royce proposal from the ‘get-go,’” he mentioned. It’s meant shortly.
“Coming to a call finalizing what the inlet mould traces appear to be for the nacelle by the center of the 12 months is our overarching goal.”
Ames mentioned the 2 F130s have been “fired up” in December at Stennis, and testing goals to measure airflow across the inlets to tell the ultimate design of recent two-engine nacelle that may home the engines on the B-52. Every B-52 could have eight F130 engines in 4 two-engine nacelles.
The nacelles needed to be redesigned as a result of the F130 is sized in a different way than the from the TF33 engines they may substitute, and might be positioned in a different way beneath the B-52’s wing.
Rolls received a $2.6 billion contract to re-engine the B-52 in September, 2021, and can construct as much as 650 F130 engines to energy 75 B-52 bombers, together with spares. The Air Power has mentioned this system pays for itself lengthy earlier than the B-52 retires, now deliberate within the 2050s.
Boeing is the integrator of the challenge, and Ames mentioned the 2 firms are anxious to see whose digital efficiency predictions of airflow across the inlets show most correct. “They’re actually the consultants with regards to a few of these interactions, to our aero efficiency,” Ames mentioned. “Our people work very intently with theirs and evaluate fashions and predictions on how we expect the inlet…goes to behave, and what the air goes to appear to be coming into the engines.”
Regardless of totally different evaluation instruments, each firms have provide you with very related “analytical, predictive outcomes,” Ames mentioned. “And now we get to check all that out within the real-world atmosphere down at Stennis to substantiate all that.”
The present spherical of testing emphasizes crosswind efficiency, Ames mentioned, which might be carried out exterior as wind is blown on the operating engines from an unlimited field fan mounted on tracks to simulate crosswinds as much as 30 miles per hour.
Preliminary assessments will embrace a metallic shroud over the again finish of the nacelle to “be sure to’ve gotten good, consultant exhaust move traces,” Ames famous, however the full nacelle might be substituted “in a manufacturing atmosphere.” The again finish of the nacelle is named the “boat tail,” he mentioned.
Instrumentation on the entrance finish of the engines will “verify we’ve acquired all of the harmonic zones mapped and we will keep away from these throughout…takeoff and in regular operation of the plane, up and away,” Ames famous. “We’ve acquired blade-tip timing and we’ve acquired telemetry methods arrange…Actually, the principle focus of this take a look at is correct there on the entrance finish of the engine.”
Rolls received’t be doing deliberate one-engine shutdowns to see what occurs, he mentioned.
“Actually, we wish to see each engines working on the identical time to see how…these air flows work together, if in any respect,” Ames mentioned. “To ensure we’ve acquired that splitter and the remainder of the inlet design” proper.
As soon as full, the subsequent step for Rolls might be to take the engines to Arnold Engineering Middle in Tullahoma, Tenn., for “altitude and freezing fog testing,” Ames mentioned. In the meantime, improvement testing on the Rolls-Royce manufacturing facility in Indianapolis will take a look at digital engine management operations to substantiate “a number of the finer factors on how we wish to management the engine in live performance with the plane and avionics.”
Two extra engines might be obtainable by then, and that extra testing will occupy most of 2024, Ames mentioned. “The primary of these engines for subsequent 12 months simply confirmed up final week,” he added.
The ultimate nacelle might be examined in 2025, Ames mentioned. There aren’t any plans to check a number of nacelles with engines till they’re mounted on the primary B-52 take a look at plane.
Having two engines located aspect by aspect in a consultant nacelle means visiting Air Power’s “engineering management” has been in a position to “rise up on a platform round this twin pod setup and open totally different doorways and try how upkeep would happen.” Previous to that, they might solely think about the way it may work by “ a pc display screen…in design critiques.”
Ames mentioned seeing issues in individual made a distinction. “Having the ability to see it bodily, and…contact the place that oil entry level goes to be and, ‘oh, I didn’t I keep in mind that from the evaluate, however I didn’t admire it might be there. OK, that makes extra sense now,’” he mentioned, “gave them …a greater appreciation for what these engines are going to appear to be sitting subsequent to one another.” .
A brand new upkeep function allows maintainers to switch fan blades that change into broken or notched with out eradicating the engine from the wing, and even the sting of the engine. One other new function: “Left hand” engines will be swapped for “proper hand” engines with out a lot bother, as a result of the wiring is designed to assist both place.
Ames mentioned inflation hasn’t slowed this system. “We’re on schedule and on funds proper now,” he mentioned, and his buyer has reported being “fairly proud of how issues are progressing from a programmatic standpoint, in addition to the technical.”
The F130 is “nonetheless on the identical schedule” set when the contract was awarded, he mentioned, having accomplished the Preliminary Design Assessment on schedule final June and the Essential Design Assessment on schedule for the primary quarter of 2024.
