Aerospace – how we work
Our biggest customer sector is the Aerospace industry.
We work with major manufacturers installing our sensors in production airframes with our staff working closely with manufacturer’s assembly teams during airframe manufacture.
During the assembly process, working as an integral part of the assembly work force, our embedded staff carry out very specialised procedures, that protect the delicate advanced airframe construction materials, to install temperature sensors and strain gauges to most parts of the airframe, such as the stressed skin, ribs, stringers and other components within wings, fuselage and empennage as it is assembled.
Load monitoring during flight tests and service
These systems are then used for the structural and fatigue testing as well as the operational load monitoring of the aircraft during flight test and service, ensuring safety and reliability, along with efficient and cost effective maintenance programmes.
An important project was a programme to increase the service life of an existing aircraft type, currently in service. All aircraft have a fatigue life set for their airframe, measured in flying hours, which is calculated when the type is first enters service. This fatigue life has traditionally been calculated using a static testing regime on a sample airframe and assumed service loads and frequency. As these tests, though state of the art for many years, are only an approximation of actual flight stresses, the number of flight hours set has always, understandably, been very conservative.
With the cutting edge technology of real time structure monitoring that we are experienced in, we have worked with a major aerospace company to fully instrument a working aircraft of a type in service nearing the end of its traditional fatigue life. Taking actual flight data of this aircraft during service has enabled conclusive test data to be collected sufficient to satisfy the licensing authorities to extend the service life of all aircraft of type by a substantial margin.
This has meant considerable financial savings for the organisations involved, and greatly increased availability of air assets.
We also develop new innovative technology to solve problems brought to us by aerospace companies, such as specialist de-icing sensors for composite aircraft structures, many of which are used in advanced military applications.
