Strive for perfection in everything you do

-Henry Royce

ROLLS ROYCE has officially opened ”TESTBED 80” with the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for the Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy, in Derby, UK. TESTBED 80 is touted to be the world’s largest and the smartest indoor aerospace testing facility.

The project execution took 3 years in the making and construction after an initial investment of $90M. The facility boasts of an internal area of 7500 square metres – making it much larger than a premium football pitch,which, roughly has an area of 7245 square metres.

What do the experts say?

Testbed 80 is the largest facility of its type in the world. However, it is not only big, it is also smart and features the most advanced testing technology we have ever used. As the new global hub of our testing capability, it will support the next stage of our UltraFan programme as we begin ground testing the first demonstrator in 2022. This incredible piece of infrastructure is a very visible sign of our commitment to this site and secures the future of Derby as the home of large engine development, continuing a history that began in the late 1960s with the RB211

-Warren East, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce

What sets it apart

• DATA SYSTEMS : The data systems inside Testbed 80 are more capable and complex than any of the existing testbeds, delivering data in the fastest time directly to secure storage, linked for the first time to analytical models and engineers. Data from more than 10,000 different parameters on an engine can be collected, using an intricate web of sensors that detect even the tiniest vibrations at a rate of up to 200,000 samples per second.
• X-RAY MACHINE : This machine is able to capture 30 images per second and beam them directly to a secure cloud, where engineers around the world can analyse them along with 10,000 other data parameters which can be measured.
• TESTBED 80 has been designed to test a wide range of engines from the TRENT XWB to the TRENT 1000 and the UltraFan demonstrator as well. The versatility of the testbed means it is able to accommodate engines of all sizes up to 155 klbf thrust – that’s enough power to launch a Boeing 747 with one (huge) engine.

Also to be noted here, Rolls Royce,in a statement, said it was the only engine manufacturer in the world to X-ray its engines while they are running.

The testbed has already conducted its first run on a Rolls–Royce Trent XWB engine at the test facility in Derby, UK earlier this year.

Part of the new technology development for Testbed 80, specifically for the UltraFan, has been supported by the ATI’s PACE project.

REFERENCE(s)

• rollsroyce.com
• COVER : en.wikipedia.org