Subscale Jet Engine Testing Services

Test Devices by SCHENCK's subscale jet engine testing is for customers in the aerospace industry who are looking for a more affordable and practical way to gather relevant test data for materials, coatings, and sensors for new engines in development.

This type of testing is a convenient option for designing and performing your test in a relevant environment to accurately capture the complex interactions of the “elements” in the operating gas turbines.

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Why Subscale Jet Engine Test?

Engineers and scientists working on the development of new materials, coating systems, sensors and part designs for new engines need test data to evaluate and refine their work. This type of data is also needed to validate the damage mechanisms, develop and refine the diagnostic and predictive models used in safeguarding the dependable operation of the fleet of gas turbines and jet engine in various services including defense.

In high performance machines, such as jet engines and gas turbines, parts need to endure an arduous environment for an extended period of time and perform their function reliably time after time. The parts designed for combustors and turbine systems are subjected to harsh environments resulting from the combined effects of high temperature, combustion gas products and the centrifugal load for rotating parts.

Pursuing a full-scale engine test as a means of collecting all required engineering data is an impractical, uneconomical, and frankly, impossible exercise in the early stages of development work. Subscale jet engines (also known as mini/micro turbines) provide an opportunity to bridge the information gap that currently exists within the testing capabilities available to jet engine designers and engineers.

Measuring the data from a full-scale engine test would be as close as one can get to a realistic representation of part and equipment operation, but this testing typically requires significant preparation and a substantial budget. In some cases, conducting a full-scale engine test may be unrealistic.

Why Test At Test Devices?

Testing Capabilities

For testing subscale jet engines, we utilize a subscale turbine test rig (TOAST: Turbine Operational Aero-thermal Subscale Test), which offers an affordable and accessible alternative for performing the early-stage validation test (or investigation) and bridging the information gap that currently exists within the testing capabilities available to aerospace propulsion designers and engineers. Advantages of utilizing this facility include:

Easy customization: Subscale engine test rigs are typically subject to far fewer constraints than full-scale testing while offering more relevant test conditions than burner rigs. Customized test setups can be built quickly and adjusted in-situ as needed.
Flexibility in test design: Engineers and designers gain greater freedom to test and measure the specific data they need, enhancing the usefulness of the experiment’s results.
Gain a complete understanding: Subscale engine test data allow engineers to build confidence in their models and design decisions from the ground up.
More cost-effective when testing a concept or initial designs ahead of expensive full-engine testing.

Test Facility

Test Devices by SCHENCK offers a fully equipped subscale engine test facility with a climate controlled operator room and a state-of-the-art data acquisition capability, in addition to:

Indoor & climate controlled test bay, the preparation area and test operation station
Sound barrier enclosure & exhaust noise suppression
Emergency fire suppression & safety system
One-stop shop: Machining, various inspection and engineering capability on site

Instrumentation & Test Data

Our team understands that the main goal of an engineering test is to measure relevant and useful data. With this in mind, we offer various capabilities to design and implement advanced test instrumentation and data measurement systems, including but not limited to:

Precision high speed tachometer / shaft RPM
Thermocouples/pyrometers
Shaft vibration & orbit/eddy current/laser displacement sensors/accelerometers
Pressure sensors & pitot probes
Blade vibrations (NSMS/BTT)
Rotating strain (disk/blade with slipping or telemetry)
High speed video
Thermal imaging
Optical strain measurement system
Vane flowmeter (contaminant dosage)

A “One Stop Shop” for Test Design, Implementation and Project Management

For over 40 years, Test Devices by SCHENCK has been the world’s premier source for realistic rotational testing systems and services. We offer comprehensive test engineering services with “one stop shop” convenience.

Built on our 40+ years of experience in designing, developing, and managing the various engineering tests projects, we offer a full range of test engineering services from concept development and design creation to full test implementation.

For more information on our available services or to speak to a member of our team about your testing needs, contact us today.