Kick-off for the development of innovative MTC test bench systems
- In a so-called innovation partnership with IABG, test benches for testing components and materials under simultaneous mechanical, thermal and chemical loads (MTC) are being designed, developed and procured for the DLR Institute of Test and Simulation for Gas Turbines (SG).
- Kick-off event with the project partners and suppliers of the central trades to enter the realization phase.
- The MTC test benches will be put into operation in the new DLR Institute building in 2025 and will contribute to the validation of the service life models of the virtual engine.
In an innovation partnership with the DLR, IABG is developing modern MTC test benches for the qualification of gas turbines. They make it possible to test engine components for mechanical, thermal and chemical loads simultaneously.
Aviation must also make its contribution to achieving climate targets. Future engines will enable more climate-neutral flying. Higher efficiency, lower emissions, more CO2-neutral fuels and innovative engine concepts pose major challenges for the materials and components used.
One consequence of this development is that engine designers need more precise digital models for the innovative materials in order to be able to reliably and accurately predict the service life of components under the diverse loads in engines.
A challenging task for the DLR Institute of Test and Simulation for Gas Turbines in Augsburg, which was founded in 2017. A digital research and development platform "Virtual Engine" and a test center for validating new engine solutions are being set up here. The digital models developed there are to be validated in real tests.
Components and materials in the engine are exposed to extreme loads due to pressure, high speeds and temperatures as well as combustion gases with a corrosive effect. If the test specimens are to be tested realistically, the effect of all three influencing variables (mechanical, thermal, chemical) must be considered simultaneously. Conventional test bench technology, however, only allows tests with a simultaneous combination of only two stresses (mechanical-thermal, thermal-chemical or mechanical-chemical).
Suitable test systems are not yet available on the market and have to be developed specifically for this purpose. A task tailor-made for IABG, which operates numerous in-house test benches for aviation, aerospace and automotive and also has a reputation as a general contractor for the construction of complex test centers.
Following the already completed concept phase as part of the innovation partnership, a two-day kick-off event was held on November 16 and 17, 2022 to kick off the prototype phase. In addition to the innovation partners IABG and DLR-SG, the subcontractors of the central trades were invited to the kick-off event. The prototype phase of the project that started with this includes the
- Development, detailed design, construction, commissioning and approval of four prototype MTC test benches including essential subsystems such as heating systems, pressure vessels, salt applicators and
- Installation of the test infrastructure, such as central hydraulics, gas supply and soundproof cabins.
As the general contractor, IABG is responsible for ensuring that this work is completed by mid-2025. As planned, this will be followed by a further project phase dealing with the design and construction of derivatives of these prototypes. The new engines are therefore expected to make their contribution to emission-free aviation in the next decade.
About IABG
Industrieanlagen-Betriebsgesellschaft mbH (IABG) was created in 1961 on the initiative of the Federal Republic of Germany as a central analysis and testing facility for the aerospace industry and the Ministry of Defence. IABG was privatised in 1993 and today is an owner-managed European technology company with the core competencies of analysis, simulation & testing as well as with plant and system operation. The “security” issue hereby forms the portfolio’s thematic umbrella: functional reliability of newly developed high-tech products and transport systems (safety sector) as well as security of state, business and society (security sector). In this context, IABG furnishes technical and scientific services for private and public customers in the main business fields of
- Automotive
- InfoCom
- Mobility & Energy
- Environment & Geodata services
- Aeronautics
- Space
- Defence & Security
- Innovation
IABG employs about 1,000 highly-qualified staff at its head office in Ottobrunn as well as in other customer-oriented subsidiaries across Germany and abroad. IABG is independent of corporate affiliations and product-neutral and exclusively represents – often in a rating capacity – the interests of its customers. Its clientele is essentially composed of renowned industrial players (manufacturers of aeronautics and space systems, of automobiles and their suppliers) as well as of important Federal Ministries (e.g. Federal Ministry of Defence) and various State Ministries (here in particular Ministries of Internal Affairs).