Low Cycle Fatigue Spin Testing

Rotating components used in jet engines and modern, high-speed machinery operate under high centrifugal stresses and can be fatigued through repeated use. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires testing of newly designed and revised engine hardware to establish its life expectancy during the development phase of the engine, and also when significant changes are made.

Most jet engine manufacturers spend substantial time and money on computer simulations ("finite element models" of hardware) to get an initial estimate of the safe operating life of an engine part. It is impossible, however, to determine a rotor's real characteristics until it has been built and tested. Centrifugal fatigue life is generally measured at a centrifugal stress testing facility, in a spin test system designed to cycle the rotor from some low speed to operational speed then back again, alternately applying and relaxing the centrifugal stress.

More information on this is available at our website.

Test Devices, Inc., 6 Loring St, Hudson, MA 01749. Tel: 978-562-6017; Fax: 978-562-7939.