Marenco Swisshelicopter developed their new helicopter in real record time. To meet their deadlines, Marenco opted for HBK sensors and DAQ systems.
Four years from the drawing board to a successful test flight. Two more years until delivery of the first ten helicopters to customers in 2016. That is the ambitious schedule of Marenco Swisshelicopter (Marenco) for the Marenco SKYe SH09 model helicopter.
This aircraft is the first helicopter developed and manufactured in Switzerland and is a completely new development: The light, single-engine, multi-purpose helicopter has a fiber-composite fuselage that is unique on the market.
Designing such a groundbreaking model challenged the developers of the SKYe SH09, demanding all of their abilities. The developers also needed reliable partners that could help them make their dream of flying a Swiss-made aircraft a reality. For its measurement needs, Marenco found just such a partner in HBK, which supplied the reliable measurement technology, know-how and passion needed to help SKYe SH09 become a success story.
Having set high standards for the first Swiss-made helicopter, Marenco also set demanding requirements for its project partners to help ensure the 2016 delivery. The company needed accurate test equipment to verify safety so it could receive a type certificate from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the American counterpart, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This certificate states that the aircraft manufacturing design is sound. It was therefore essential to choose reliable measurement technology that would deliver precise measurement results.
The company’s developers had used HBK solutions in the past and had positive experiences, so Marenco opted to team with HBK to measure strain, forces and torque with its rugged and reliable measurement technology.
Since selecting HBK, Marenco has been relying on high-tech HBK solutions at critical points in the development process, particularly for test benches in the whirl tower and for the main and tail rotor.
Three U10M force transducers in the whirl tower measure static and dynamic tensile and compressive forces of the helicopter rotor. Most torque is calculated directly from the three force transducers.
The test bench for the main gearbox uses a T40B variable digital torque transducer with a magnetic rotational speed measuring system for precise data acquisition, even at low speeds.
HBK custom-developed four three-component transducers for Marenco. These transducers are used for dynamic measurements of axial force Fz and lateral forces Fx and Fy. Static flight maneuvers can be simulated one-to-one with the three-component transducer.
The test bench for the tail rotor includes the compact HBK T22 transducer for simple torque applications and an additional HBK S9M force transducer.
In addition to the force and torque transducers it uses in the test benches, Marenco is also conducting experimental examinations of components using HBK strain gauges. The gauges are placed on the components, then evaluated and analyzed by powerful data acquisition systems in the HBK QuantumX family and with HBK catman software.
HBK's solutions have more than met the Marenco developers' expectations, and the company will continue to rely on HBK for measurement technology as in moves toward its 2016 delivery date and into the future.
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