Kazan Gipronii Aviaprom named after B. I. Tikhomirov patented a new test bench for aircraft engines, capable of significantly increasing the accuracy of thrust measurement, including engines with thrust vectoring. The documentation was published in the FIPS database.
The main feature of the development is a movable dynamometric platform with six degrees of freedom. The design can shift in several directions at once and automatically adjust to changes in the direction of the jet stream.
To reduce errors, engineers used a special hydraulic or pneumatic layer between the guides, which reduces friction and parasitic loads.
The patent authors note that classic test benches lose part of the measured force due to structural deformation, rigid fastenings, and thermal expansion. The new scheme transmits the load directly to the sensors without intermediate losses.
Special emphasis is placed on engines with thrust vectoring. When such power plants operate, the jet stream changes direction, which causes conventional test complexes to record thrust with additional errors. The new bench automatically compensates for these deviations without reconfiguring the equipment.
The developers claim that the system allows modeling conditions close to real aircraft flight, and can also be used to modernize existing test complexes.