Thrust Engine Test Solutions

Sept. 13, 2006
Since the advent of jet engine testing, Atec, Inc. has been a recognized leader in cost effective solutions for turbine engine test systems in military and commercial applications.

Since the advent of jet engine testing, Atec, Inc. has been a recognized leader in cost effective solutions for turbine engine test systems in military and commercial applications. Their innovative approach to directed thrust testing demonstrates their place as a leader in the design of advanced test systems for today's warplanes.

For more than 50 years, they have been engineering, manufacturing and integrating custom test equipment for all types of turbine engines: turbofans, turboprops, turboshafts and turbojets. Atec, Inc. has developed both turnkey test cell systems and engine-specific facility modifications for the testing of aerospace and industrial turbines in support of clients worldwide. Their test cell design team uses the latest in 3-D modeling and FEA analysis software to insure that their systems meet the structural and dynamic requirements of MIL-STD-8512 while conforming to AS9100 standards. Atec also performs a physical load test to two times the rated load of the structure followed by an NDI of all critical components to prove system integrity.

Atec has been at the forefront of military developmental jet engine programs for the last 30 years from the start of the F-100 program in the mid 1970's through the support of the SR-71, with the legendary J-58, to the brand new F-22 and F-35 programs. Their latest military aircraft are increasingly reliant on directed thrust for enhanced flight-envelope performance. The higher thrust levels required for the performance envelope of the aircraft, particularly when coupled with the directed thrust parameter, have rendered the installed base of test systems obsolete for full post-overhaul engine performance testing.

Atec launched its directed thrust test stand in 1988 when they won a competitive contract from Pratt & Whitney to design and build an engine test system for the YF-119 engine. Atec delivered a system capable of testing the engine through its full-vectored thrust performance range. The time-lapse picture on the previous page demonstrates one of their thrust stands in use with the F-119 transitioning from maximum positive to negative vector while in full afterburner. We perfected this test system throughout the 1990's, resulting in the installation of our support equipment at all operational F-22 squadron locations [right].

Atec maintains its leading edge by continuing work on the F-22 (F-119 engine) and the Joint Strike Fighter (F-135 engine) programs. In conjunction with our clients, Atec has been instrumental in designing systems to meet the test requirements for these new engines that have evolved over the last decade.