Complete Rotor Head Fatigue Test Rig

Rotorcraft components must be fully vetted prior to flight certification to establish fatigue life limits. Rotor components typically are grouped into sub-assemblies and fatigue tested separately under simulated flight loads. While this is a fairly simple approach, fatigue testing sub-components may result in certain load cases not being transferred properly through the system. According to the Navy, many current test rigs, along with the software for loads input, are mechanically complicated and developed for each individual platform, increasing costs associated with fatigue tests, with each easily costing in the order of millions to conduct. They desire an innovative rotor head fatigue test stand capable of testing main rotor head assemblies as one unit for multiple platforms, with easy transition, including both 4 and 3 bladed rotor head systems such as H-1, H-60, V-22, and MQ-8B. Mid proposes to leverage its experience in designing, building, and maintaining custom test rigs to perform life cycle test, as well as its decades of rotorcraft related research and development to build a custom test rig to meet the Navys requirements.