MTS Systems Logo Contact Us
  • Industries
    • Automotive
      • Passenger Cars & Light Trucks
      • Driver Assisted & Autonomous Vehicles
      • Electric & New Energy Vehicles
      • Heavy Trucks & Commercial Vehicles
      • Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV)
      • Racing & Motorsports
      • Recreational Vehicles
      • Motorcycles
      Automotive

      Automotive

      320 kph

      flat-belt roadway enables precise replication of motorsports cornering maneuvers

      Read the Case Study
    • Materials
      • Metals
      • Composites
      • Plastics
      • Rubber & Elastomers
      • Adhesives
      • Concrete & Rock
      • Ceramics & Glass
      • Textiles
      • Wood
      • Paper Products
      • Universities
      Materials

      Materials

      1500 degree Celsius

      solutions for testing high-temperature alloys, composites, ceramics and polymers

      Read the Article
    • Aerospace
      • Fixed Wing Aircraft
      • Helicopters & Rotary Wing Aircraft
      • UAM (Urban Air Mobility)
      • Delivery Drones
      • Supersonic Aircraft
      • Space Structures
      Aerospace

      Aerospace

      20% increase

      in testing speeds using state-of-the-art cross-coupling compensation technology

      Read the Article
    • Biomedical
      • Orthopedic
      • Medical Devices
      • Dental
      • Hospitals & Universities
      Biomedical

      Biomedical

      1 in 1,000 children

      will need corrective scoliosis surgery

      Read the Case Study
    • Civil Engineering
      • Multi-Hazard Engineering
      • Seismic Engineering
      • Structural Engineering
      Civil Engineering

      Civil Engineering

      1.32 million pound

      force capacity enables the testing of very large specimens all the way to failure

      Read the Case Study
    • Rock Geomechanics
      • Fossil Fuels
      • Geothermal Energy
      • Mining
      • Construction
      • Carbon Sequestration
      • Research
      Rock Geomechanics

      Rock & Geomechanics

      3x stronger

      concrete materials make it possible to carry higher loads

      Read the Case Study
    • Energy
      • Wind Energy
      • Oil & Gas
      Energy

      Energy

      56 MNm

      overturning moment capacity enables testing of the largest wind turbine drivetrains

      Read the Article
    • Rail
      • Commuter Trains
      • Freight Trains
      • High-Speed Trains
      Rail

      Rail

      550 kph

      test system enables lab-based studies of high-speed rail operating environments

      Read the Article
  • Applications
    • Materials Applications
    • Test Type
      • Tension
      • Compression
      • Fatigue & Fracture
      • Flexure & Bend
      • Shear, Peel & Tear
      • Torsion
      • Non-Contacting Strain Measurement
      • High Temperature
      • Bi-Axial & Multi-Axial
      • High Rate
      • Dynamic Mechanical Analysis

      Material Applications by Material

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Test Standard
      • ASTM Test Standards
      • ISO Test Standards
      • EN Test Standards

      Material Applications by Material

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Materials
      • Metals
      • Composites
      • Plastics
      • Rubber & Elastomers
      • Adhesives
      • Fasteners & Welds
      • Concrete & Rock
      • Ceramics & Glass
      • Wood & Paper Products
      • Additive Manufacturing

      Material Applications by Material

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Automotive Applications
      • Full Vehicle
      • Axle & Suspension
      • Steering System
      • Drivetrain
      • Dampers
      • Elastomeric Mounts & Bushings
      • Tires
      • Exhaust System
      • Body Mounted Components
      • Cooling System Components
      • Transportation & Packaging
      • Motorcycle
      • Farm, Construction, Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV)

      Automotive

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Aerospace Applications
      • Complete Full-Scale Structures
      • Sub-Assemblies
      • Sub-Systems
      • Flight Control Systems
      • Airframe Components
      • Rotary-Wing Components
      • Gas Turbine Component Fatigue

      Aerospace

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Biomedical Applications
      • Orthopedic
      • Biomechanic
      • Medical Device
      • Biomaterial

      Biomedical

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Civil Engineering Applications
      • Civil Structures
      • Structural Sub-Assemblies & Components
      • Non-Structural Systems
      • Oil Rig Stay Cables
      • Construction Materials

      Civil Engineering

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Energy Applications
      • Wind Turbine Testing
      • Oil & Gas Pipeline

      Energy

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Rock Geomechanics Applications
      • Fossil Fuels
      • Geothermal
      • Nuclear Waste Storage

      Rock Geomechanics

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Rail Applications
      • Rail Car Suspension Components
      • Rail Car Coupler
      • Rail Car Wheels & Rail
      • Rail Car Axles
      • Rail Car Bogies
      • Complete Rail Cars
      • Rail Car Pantographs
      • Railway Track & Road Bed
      • Catenary & Trolley Wire

      Rail

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

  • Products
    • Automotive Systems
      • Full Vehicle Test Systems
      • Subsystem & Component Test Systems
      • Tire Test Systems
      • Damper Test Systems
      • Elastomer Test Systems
      • Hybrid Simulation Solutions
      • Modular Components

      Automotive

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Materials Test Systems
      • Static Materials Test Systems
      • Dynamic Materials Test Systems
      • Extensometers
      • Grips
      • Fixtures & Platens
      • Furnaces, Chambers & Fluid Baths
      • High Temp Subsystems & TMF
      • Load Cells / Force Transducers

      Materials

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Aerospace Systems
      • Turnkey Control & Data Acquisition
      • Turnkey Hydromechanical Power Distribution
      • Test Article Safety Solutions
      • Series 261 Structural Pressure Test Controller
      • High Force Test Systems
      • Modular Components
      • FlexDAC Data Acquisition Systems

      Aerospace

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Biomedical Systems
      • Orthopedic Test Systems
      • Biomechanic Test Systems
      • Medical Device Test Systems
      • Biomaterial Test Systems

      Biomedical

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Civil Engineering Systems
      • Seismic Simulators & Shake Tables
      • Multi-Axial Subassemblage Structural Test Systems
      • Hybrid Simulation Solutions
      • Seismic Isolation Bearing Test Systems
      • High-Force Test Systems
      • Modular Components
      • STEX Pro Software

      Civil Engineering

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Energy Systems
      • Wind Turbine Blade Fatigue Test Systems
      • Wind Turbine Blade Static Test Systems
      • Wind Turbine Blade Rain Erosion Test System
      • Wind Turbine Bearing & Drivetrain Test Systems
      • Oil & Gas Pipe / Coupling Test Systems
      • High-Force Test Systems
      • Modular Components

      Energy

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Rock & Geomechanics Systems
      • Rock Mechanics Test Systems
      • Polyaxial Rock Test System

      Rock Geomechanics

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Rail Systems
      • Air Spring Test System
      • Railway Damper Test System
      • Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) System
      • 4-28 Channel Bogie Frame Test System
      • Bogie Vibration & Characterization System
      • Pantograph Wear & Performance System
      • High-Force Test Systems
      • Damper Durability Test Systems
      • Elastomer Test Systems
      • Modular Components

      Rail

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Test System Components
      • Actuators & Servo-Valves
      • SilentFlo™ Hydraulic Power Units
      • 295 Hydraulic Service Manifolds
      • Stands & Frames
      • Load Bearing Components
      • FlexTest® Controllers
      • FlexDAC Data Acquisition
      • SWIFT® Evo Wheel Force Transducers

      Test System Components

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

    • Software & Monitoring
      • RPC® Connect Software
      • TestSuite™ Software
      • AeroPro™ Software
      • STEX™ Pro Software
      • Elastomer Testing Software
      • Damper Testing Software
      • MultiPurpose TestWare® (MPT)
      • First Road Interact Software
      • Multi-Pump Control Manager
      • Equipment Monitoring

      Software & Monitoring

      Solution Finder

      Search by Test Material, Test Type, or Test Standard to find relevant products fast.

  • Services
    • Services
      • Calibrations & Metrology
      • Consulting & Engineering Services
      • Equipment Monitoring
      • Routine Maintenance & Fluid Care
      • Repairs & Remanufacture
      • Relocation Services

      Services & Support

    • Plans
      • Software Support Plans
      • Technical Support Plans
      • Service Plans
      • Extended Warranty

      Services & Support

    • Training

      Training Courses

    • Parts

      Parts

    • Support

      myMTS Portal

  • Company
    • Our Company
      • About MTS
      • Global Presence
      • History

      Our Company

    • Careers

      Careers

    • Sustainability

      Sustainability

    • Suppliers
      • Supplier Home
      • Products & Services

      Suppliers

  • Solution Finder
  • Contact Us
  • R&D Test Systems
  • E2M Technologies
  • myMTS Portal
  • Global Sites
  • Search
Home > Airbus Military

Airbus Military: Protecting full-scale test articles

Airbus Military:  Protecting full-scale test articles
MTS equips a leading military aircraft manufacturer with the ability to safely and instantly remove energy from the test rig, if necessary.

CUSTOMER CHALLENGE

Headquartered in Getafe, Spain, Airbus Military (formerly EADS CASA-MTAD) has been responsible for the design, production and testing of hallmark military aircraft over the last several decades. After program approval in 2003, Airbus began work on the next high-profile project: the development of the medium-duty Airbus A400M military transport aircraft.

The four-engine turboprop plane is unique in its relatively large size and its ability to be refueled while airborne. Orders for 180 A400M aircrafts are already scheduled for Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Turkey, Belgium, Luxembourg and Malaysia. During the development process, the first full-scale test article was assembled at Getafe, while at the same time the test rig was growing around and inside the aircraft. The goal was to set up the complete test in six months after the wing arrival to Getafe from Seville.

“The schedule for this aircraft left us with no time for delays,” said Angel Gago, Head of Structural Test Laboratory, Airbus Military. “During testing, our challenge would be to achieve the highest levels of efficiency while also preserving the structural integrity of the test article throughout the process.”

Structural testing for the Airbus A400M requires 120 control channels and more than 9,000 strain gages, with the ability to read 6,000 gages at once. Massive loads must also be applied to the test articles to simulate the aircraft’s real-world operating conditions. Gago knew that with a setup involving such high complexity and forces, maintaining test article integrity would require the ability to both load and unload the test system with absolute precision.

“A system malfunction could set us back months of valuable engineering time if the test article were to sustain any damage,” Gago said. “Such failures are rare, but it was a risk we could not take. It was essential for us to be able to immediately and evenly remove energy from the test rig at any time in a controlled manner.”

MTS SOLUTION

The Airbus Military relationship with MTS began more than 20 years ago. “We first started working with MTS back in 1978, and five years later MTS helped us successfully move our testing inside a closed servocontrol loop for the first time,” Gago said. “We now use AeroPro™ software for all of our aircraft testing, and the integrated control and data acquisition capabilities make it easy for us to manage all of our test activity in real time.

“We were pleased to discover that MTS not only offers advanced technology in this area, but that the technology can be managed from within the same AeroPro software interface that we were already using,” Gago added. “MTS’ ability to provide the complete testing solution including all the actuators, controls and software, allowed us to move ahead more rapidly.”

MTS helped Airbus Military add Active Load Abort (ALA) systems to each of its test rigs to be used for the Airbus A400M aircraft. ALA technology helps to safeguard test articles by providing tight control over structural test system unloading in the event of a power loss or system interlock.

During such an event, the ALA system employs measures, at both the software and hardware levels, to reduce all actuator loads to a neutral state at precisely the same time, regardless of varying pressures and individual actuator positions. A separate control system runs parallel to the load control system, taking the state of the entire test into account when removing hydraulic pressure from the test article. The system senses a failure on the control side, and then works to instantly and evenly remove the load from the entire test article.

“MTS worked closely with us every step of the way until our ALA system was fully integrated and operational,” Gago said. “Now, this system operates consistently across our test lab, which we manage alongside our servocontrol and data acquisition in the AeroPro environment.”

CUSTOMER BENEFITS

Gago says that the main benefit of MTS ALA technology is that it has allowed Airbus Military to bring a new way of thinking about how to protect test articles used during structural testing from any system malfunctioning or unexpected behaviors.

“We are now confident in knowing that our test articles are well safeguarded from damage during testing,” Gago said. “Our test engineers can focus on the test itself, without having to worry about how an unexpected failure on the test rig might eradicate their hard work.”

According to Jesus Posada, Head of Structural Test at Airbus Military, MTS will also be involved when the test lab enters the next fatigue testing phase. “We will soon plan to improve our fatigue test speed, and we plan to rely on MTS’ testing expertise to help us to improve this kind of testing,” Posada said. “We’ve heard a lot about AeroPro software tools for accelerating dynamic testing, and we look forward to taking full advantage of them in the near future.”

C

Airbus Military:  Protecting full-scale test articles

“We now have peace of mind from knowing that our irreplaceable A400M test articles are effectively safeguarded from damage during testing” Angel Gago Head of Structural Test Laboratory Airbus Military

Download Case Study
Also of Interest:
  • Rotorcraft >
  • How To Choose An Mts Online Training Class >
  • Delivery Drones >
Stay Connected
  • INDUSTRIES
  • Automotive
  • Materials
  • Aerospace
  • Biomedical
  • Civil Engineering
  • Rock Geomechanics
  • Energy
  • Rail
  • SALES & SUPPORT
  • Sales Offices
  • Services
  • Training
  • Parts
  • Customer Portal
  • SUPPLIERS
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Products & Services
  • Expectations
  • Workmanship Standards
  • Packaging & Labeling
  • Routing Guide
  • COMPANY
  • About
  • News
  • Careers
  • Culture
  • Sustainability
  • History
  • SOLUTIONS
  • Applications
  • Test Standards
  • Products
  • RESOURCES
  • Learning Center
  • Solution Finder
  • Quality
  • Product Safety
  • Patents
  • CONTACT US
  • SUPPORT: 952-937-4000
  • Online Request
  • Request A Quote
  • Sales Offices
  • BUSINESSES
  • MTS Systems
  • E2M Technologies
  • R&D Test Systems
  • MTS SANS China
    • © MTS Systems. All Rights Reserved
    • 952.937.4000
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Sales Offices
    • Cookie Preferences
We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We'd also like to set up optional analytics cookies to help us improve it. We won't set optional cookies unless you enable them.
Decline Accept
We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We'd also like to set up optional analytics cookies to help us improve it. We won't set optional cookies unless you enable them.
Decline Accept